Aripiprazole or Quetiapine

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I'm taking 100mg of quetiapine and currently have to decide if I should increase this dose or swap to ariprprazole and I don't know what to do. I know everyone is different but just wondered if anyone had any experiences.

I take quetiapine and it works for me.

100mg is a very low dose so a lot of scope for increasing the dose.

If it were me, I would increase the drug you are familiar with rather than bring a new one into the mix, but that is just my opinion.

What are your thoughts?

I've just been reading up and it looks like I should really be on 150-300. What dose are you on? Are you on an antidepressant too?

I was doing really well on 100mg but have been under a lot of stress just now and recently had to double it to 200

I am also on max dose of ADs and psych was talking about putting me on an additional one.

Thank you. I'm on the highest dose of antidepressant too. I did ask about adding another one but they just said no it wouldn't help? What additional one is your psych talking about? I'm on escitalopram. I think I'll ask to go up to 150 quetiapine and see if that makes any difference. I wonder also if having the slow release one would help. Are you on that one?

He didn't mention which one, but he seems to often suggest a course of action for the next appointment and see how I am by the time the appointment comes around.

Yes, I am on the slow release ones, apart from if my dose involves a 25mg tablet (eg 125mg or 175mg) because they don't come in slow release.

I hate taking all these meds, but it looks like I will probably need to be on them for a long time, or even forever

I take 500-550mg of Quetiapine for bipolar.

Do you find it helps dontrun? Do either of you find it makes you tired? I don't have bipolar so I don't think my dose get higher than 300 from what I've read on the internet. I've spoken to my cpn - i'm going up to 150 then moving on to slow release. I'm a bit concerned that will make me even more tired though. I find it very hard to get up in the morning. That's one of the reasons aripiprizole was suggested apparently it doesn't make you as tired. I feel the same maw. I don't think I'll recover and expect I'll be on all of these for a very long time maybe forever. But I am aware that it could be the depression talking that I won't get better.

Yes, they wipe me out.

And make me crave sugar which makes me fat

I'm having that too. I am absolutely obsessed with eating sweets, the icing on cakes and chocolate at the moment I thought it was something to do with the depression i've always been pretty greedy anyway i've put on over a stone. Maybe I should move to the aripiprazole.

I couldn't stop myself when I first went on Quetiapine and put on 3.5 stones in 4 months. It was horrible, and I think because it was so rapid, my brain didn't have time to get used to it and it felt like I was wearing a fat suit

I lost almost 2 of the extra stones, but I have to be careful or it starts creeping right back up there.

As if life with bipolar isn't hard enough

I've asked to try the aripiprazole. Quetiapine doesn't seem to be working much if at all and I'm just fat and knackered. Sorry it's causing the same weight problems for you too well done for losing 2 stone of it that must have been really really hard.

Aripiprazole made me feel really agitated. I felt like I had permanent PMT. DH said if I took any more tablets then he said he was moving out as I was so bad to live with.

Can I ask what you are taking the quetiapine for / why your pdoc has prescribed it?

As an adjunctive to antidepressant and because of why I couldn't sleep. I've taken the first aripiprazole. I hope it doesn't do the same for me Aqua that's how I am at the moment along with very depressed, stressed, knackered and angry.

I took quetiapine as an adjunct to ADs also. Was prescribed to help me sleep as pdoc not a fan of sleeping tablets and quetiapine side effect tends to make people drowsy - hence i think it is often prescribed at much lower dosages 50-100mg than for those with bipolar or psychosis because it just meant to induce sleep rather than work as a full-on antipsychotic.
It worked really well in the sleep department for me, with only moderate weight gain. However, I was taking it with Venlafaxine and Mirtazapine (the latter also makes you sleepy at lower dosages).

My reason for asking was it would depend on why you were prescribed it as to what the typical dosage would be.

Anyway, hope the the new med works better for you

Well I couldn't sleep at all last night. I ended up taking a quetiapine at about 3am and got a few broken hours inbetween getting up for DS. Feel bad today. I'm guessing this means I need to stay on the quetiapine if I can't sleep with the aripiprazole and I can't take them together? Maybe I could try mirtazapine with the escitalopram. I'm really anxious I was supposed to be getting a diazepam prescription and the dr just didn't do it so now I'm left without. This is the second time this has happened. I was planning on taking one and sleeping most of the day today (DS being looked after) and now I can't. I'll take quetiapine instead.

I've had quetiapine 300mg in the past and am currently on aripiprazole 15mg. Quetiapine worked well for me but made me super tired and fatter than usual. The aripiprazole works well too, although it was a bugger to start, I was very agitated, couldn't sleep etc. lorazepam got me through the first week or two then I just got used to it. Im trying to lose the weight I gained, I've managed to lose just over a stone so far. Bloody illness huh?!

hi, i think quetiapine acts as a tranquiliser for me in that my thoughts slow down; the weight gain has been excessive though. hth