Quetiapine sleep questions...

[HigherFurtherFasterBaby]

I’m on my 4th night of taking it. Just 25mg to start with, for two weeks, then 50mg. This is instead of Diazepam and Amitriptylene, and alongside 225mg of Venlafaxine and 120mg of Propanolol.

Generally it’s great; my head is clear, all the “junk thoughts” (as in, negative thinking patterns) have damped right down, my patience has come back (Amitriptylene was making me really fuzzy headed and frustrated) BUT. Sleep. Oh my fuck.

I’m snapping wide awake every 90 mins, for around 10 mins, then back to sleep. I’m sat downstairs with a cuppa because I’m hoping the change in routine will mean when I go back to bed at 4:30am I actually stay asleep?!

Quetiapine should send you to sleep. Did you take the Venlafaxine as well at the same time? If so, that would explain why you can't sleep, as it's stimulating, take it in the morning.

Hi,

Nope, Venla in the morning, Propanolol spread through the day and Quetiapine at night.

Hmph. I’m asleep with an hour of taking it but can’t seem to stay asleep and the constant waking up is really draining me. The less I sleep the worse my anxiety is.

It usually helps people sleep. It gave me dreadful insomnia though (which is what I was taking it for ironically) and I discovered that insomnia is on the list of side effects. It's like a lot of antidepressants have a side effect of depression, because they work differently for everybody.

Been taking it since February, albeit a much higher dose. Still knocks me out to this day😂 works better than Zopiclone.

@annielennoxstuckinmyhead I’m still on the starting dose. It’s for anxiety too as I have to wean off diazepam. Which is going to be a nightmare

@HigherFurtherFasterBaby yeah that's why I went on it too. Was on diazepam for a nervous breakdown. I was quite lucky and found the switch ok. I started on 50mg. Now up to 250.

It works wonders for me I take 375mg Venlafaxine plus 500mg Quitiapine

@annielennoxstuckinmyhead Well that makes me a lot better. How was diazepam withdrawal for you? I went 3 days with none (stupid idea on my part) and had a complete breakdown Friday night, I have never felt like that in my life, and had to start taking it again (2mg was enough to level me off, fortunately, but need to call GP tomorrow as I don’t have enough left to tide me over until I see her again). I feel the wean off needs to be much slower, I’ve gone from 4mg to 1mg in a month, and this month has not been good.

I tried 225mg of Venlafaxine however my heart rate went up to 130+ within a week and so had to drop it back down.

Seems I could probably do with a bigger dose of Quet when stopping diazepam then. I have no idea how much the GP can prescribe and me getting a psych referral is unlikely although much needed and years over due.

Thank you for replying everyone, can I just ramble here for a while?

I’ve been clawing the walls with anxiety here for the last week, I’ve got a deadline this week which I know I’m not going to make

I’ve had two traumatic events in the last year that sent my already severe anxiety and panic attacks spiralling, I’ve finally made it up the list for a therapy assessment (GP said if they refer to me to Psych then she will too and I’ll stand a better chance of not being bounced back).

Agoraphobia has come back full pelt; other than to go to University (taxi there and back paid for by DSA) and I do drop toddler off at Nursery half the week, I’ve not left the house since June.

I find I can’t function; I didn’t shower or brush my teeth for 10 days (until this Thursday) and haven’t showered or brushed my teeth since Thursday.

My DC are well looked after, fed, clothes clean, bathed, entertained, homework done, but the house is a mess and so am I

I’ve been this way for 7 years now, just getting worse and worse, it’s only due to moving to a city and being with a University GP that I’ve got the meds I have now.

Could the sleeplessness be from withdrawing from amitryptaline and diazepam? If so, it could take some time to leave your system.
I'm on 100mg of quetiapine and have been for about 10 years. I generally tolerate it quite well, but I wake up every morning feeling like I've got a hangover. I have to sleep it off!
I really hope things get better soon

Yes it could be.

I’ve spoken to the Duty GP today who’s advised me to stay on 2mg of Diazepam until I have a much bigger dose of Quetiapine in my system that’s actively working before I attempt to wean off again, she’s sent a script to my pharmacy and has added the advice to my notes for my usual GP who I’m seeing next week, she also told me to start taking extra Quetiapine today.

When does everyone take their if you have a big dose? All at one at night or split between morning and night?

I take mine at night, I wouldn't sleep otherwise.
I'm glad you've managed to get a prescription sorted. I've never taken diazepam so I can't really advise.

As for your struggles at home, you're doing great with the dc. Don't put too much pressure on yourself about any mess until you're stable on your meds. The dc are fine, you are taking good care of them despite your illness, and it is an illness! You wouldn't be so hard on yourself if you had a physical disability.

Do have any support?

Fortunately I have great support. One friend has dropped off food supplies and one has taken my youngest for the day as I couldn’t get her to pre school today (I’ve got laryngitis on top off all this med fuckery too!), another is taking toddler to and from pre school tomorrow.

I’m having to seriously consider if I’m well enough to continue at University at the moment too If they insist on faffing with my medication constantly then I’ll have to drop out. Which would not only be a financial nightmare due to UC (I’m still on TC) and the hassle of trying to get LCWRA, but due to the fact that I’m already repeating a year and I have no clue if I could further funding from SF if I drop out mid year

I’ve been scoring Firsts whilst I’ve been stable, which has been a huge boost as last year I failed almost everything due to under medicated MH issues.

@HigherFurtherFasterBaby

I would apply for mitigating circumstances and drop your standards a little if this isn't year 3 (and even if it is!)

@Jodie77 It’s Year 1 I was SO shocked at being awarded Firsts, one of them was an Exceptional First (but I could happily do Scientific Writing for a career so the essay was a joy to do!)

I have an Access Statement, I’ve had an extension for this assignment and deferred my exams from Nov to Jan already, my lecturers are great and so supportive but I imagine there’s a limit

Feeling worse today. Got up at 4am with a poorly toddler yesterday, and last night I slept 9pm-11pm and was then awake till 3am, slept till 7am. Middle child also has a vomit bug.

Spoke to Duty GP on phone today who was quite rude, told me I needed better coping strategies and there is no “magic pill” to help me and that I need to be seen in person. So I’m going at 3pm to see a GP I’ve never met before whos already been quite scathing about my medications. I wanna rip my own skin off.

most people find lower doses of quetiapine more sedating than higher ones. 25-50 seems to be the sweet spot for switching-off-for-the-night.

but if you're withdrawing/reducing benzos alongside i would imagine most bets are off. daily dosing? large quantities or long time? gp/specialist managed taper?

also sounds like your kids are still that young enough that you're on constant alert. do you have a partner able/willing to cover a regular, guaranteed night shift? routine (if at all possible) really helps.

2mg a day for 6 months. The taper has been stopped for now until I can see my usual GP on Tuesday.

Partner is here Weds-Sun (moving in together end of January, hopefully). He’s more than happy to take over and he does. So that’s something, he’s really wonderful. My DC adore him.

GP I saw today was VILE. Reduced me to a sobbing mess and sent me away with a Sleep Hygiene booklet She should not be allowed near any patients with MH issues at all, ever.

I am so sorry you have had a shit experience today.

okay hope not too intrusive, but brief - i have a half hour before mine kick in ;)

2mg diaz is very much a maintenance dose to minimise any concomitant reduction effects. if your doseage/tolerance isn't increasing at a pace to outstrip your maintenance script then you're heading on the right track.

if you're on track. please don't hesitate to admit to any care-givers that (if) you're feeling on-the-edge maintenance-wise.

pms always open/here, mail gq/call the samaritans, any other vulnerable user population. g'luck op xxx

I'm on 400 mg, and without it I don't sleep. It puts me out for 7 and a half hours, fairly rapidly. At first it didnt seem like proper sleep, but this improved over two or three months, and now it's almost, but not quite, the same thing.

When I first took them, years ago, an evening dose of 100mg would have me falling to sleep wherever I was.

I've accidentally forgotten to take them a couple of times, which resulted in a sleepless night. So I suppose I'm dependant on them in a way. They are one of the 3 psychiatric drugs I take. But my mental health is now good so worth it.

*wherever I was, 30 minutes after taking them.

I was very open yesterday about the fact that I’m not coping and I am feeling very unwell.

The GP couldn’t have cared less. Admittedly I’ve never seen that one before. But she couldn’t have been more awful to me if she’d tried. She could clearly see I have complex MH needs too, as she kept harping on about the “mountains of medication you’re on” and telling me I needed “lots of therapy” and also bollocking me for not having therapy before.

But, 18 months ago, I was in my rural home town, a lone parent with 3, there was next to no therapy provision and even if there was, I had no babysitters to watch my children for me to go

Oddly I did sleep better last night; I woke up a few times but quickly went back to sleep. It seems I’ve just got to suffer/wait for my usual GP on Tuesday for any medication adjustments/referrals.

I feel they’re out of their depth and need to send me to the Community Mental Health Team.