quetiapine for obsessive thinking (not psychosis)

[Fluffydressinggown]

I have been prescribed 50mg quetiapine today by the psychiatrist at the CMHT.

My CPN said it would help with my feelings at the moment. I am struggling with obsessive thoughts of hurting myself and my brain just feels so full, I do have an OCD diagnosis. I am not psychotic or manic.

I am so scared of taking it. I am currently tapering down on mirtazipine and going up on sertraline as well. I have heard so many bad things about the side effects, especially the long term ones. It was done as an emergency prescription so I have not had a chance to properly talk about it with my CPN.

Any experiences or advice? Thanks.

I take quetiapine - up to 700mg. 50 is a smallish dose and will help with the obsessive thoughts. It did for me before I was a silly bugger and stopped taking it.

In small doses, (which 50mg is) its used in a similar way to benzos, but without the problems of addiction. Give it a go. In my experience it will really help.

It has an anti anxiety effect in small doses. That's a very small dose, so I think the chances of side effects are much lower. I haven't had any side effects.

I currently take 300mg. It absolutely knocked me out when I first started taking it at 50mg, but it's been great for me. No weight gain ans has helped massively with depression and anxiety.

I think it's the kind of thing that you need to give it a bit of time to see how it works for you - at least a month (in my experience, anyway.)

Hiya Fluffy
I am not manic, or psychotic but am a depressive.
I am prescribed 100mg Quetiapine mainly to help me sleep but is has also helped eliminate my Obsessional thinking and rumination (i.e. OCD without the 'C' part).
On the lower doses it can be used to augment the effectiveness of other ADs taken (for me Mirtazapne and Venlafaxine), and the lower dose also targets the histamine receptors (as does low dosage of Mirtazapine) so therefore makes one sleepy, especially if you take the immediate release.
Not had any other side effects outside of sleepiness (which I want).

Thanks for your replies.

I have not taken it yet, my thoughts are all messed up about it. Maybe in a few days...I don't know.

I always find that when I'm prescribed something new. The thought of taking it is off putting, even if I think / know it will help.

I really would give it a go. Be prepared for it to zonk you for the first few days - taking it at night may help - but that side effect wears off really quickly.

Let us know how it goes. :)

Yes I think I am worried about the side effects.

And then I think maybe the reason I am worried about it is because I am not meant to take it and it is a sign.

And then I think I have gone totally mad. Even though I know it is rubbish, I am starting to see signs that I should do things which is magical thinking which means my OCD is spiralling out of control, but it is hard because even though I know it, I still believe it.

:).
well there ,you have quetipine. It works for intrusive thoughts and for "sings".

I'm on 25mg to 50mg depending on how I'm feeling. I have severe OCD and the anxiety at night is very overwhelming, so I take it before bed. At every psychiatrist appt, I tell her I'm worried about it as I've been on low dose anti-psychotics for about 7 years. Every time, she reassures me that it is a very low dose and that if it helps that much (which it does) then the positives definitley outweigh the negatives. I've taken higher doses of other anti-psychotics when manic and I find psychiatrists are more wary about prescribing higher doses for those sort of symptoms than they are for low doses prescribed for anxiety.

Sorry if this was rambly, I am quite tired. Hope it makes sense.

Hey, I totally get where you're coming from. I’ve been on Seroquel (Quetiapine) for a while now, at a higher dose than yours, and honestly? It’s been a lifesaver for my anxiety and depression. I know the internet is full of horror stories about side effects, but personally, mine were super minimal and only in the beginning—just some drowsiness and a bit of an adjustment period. Once my body got used to it, the benefits far outweighed any downsides.

I completely understand being scared to start it, especially when you’re already dealing with med changes. My advice?

1. Give it a fair shot—it might surprise you how well it works for obsessive thoughts.
2. Take it at night (if your doc allows) to sleep through any initial drowsiness.
3. Make sure you’re getting high-quality Quetiapine—bad generics can sometimes cause more side effects. If it helps, I’ve been ordering mine from this trusted pharmacy for years, and it’s always been top quality: health-delivery24.com/buy-seroquel-uk.html

You're not alone in this! Hope it works out for you, and feel free to reach out if you need support. 💜