Tell me something good about quitiapine please

[Treetops12]

About to start a very low dose for sleep and severe anxiety after failing pretty much all the antidepressants. They all make me too aggitsted and the anxiety becomes unbearable.

Anyone found it helped lower anxiety and lift mood at a low dose?

I really need some hope here. I feel like giving up.

What dose are you starting on?

I started on 25mg (now take 200mg) and at first it made me very sleepy. That has worn off now. It has helped level me out and made my brain less busy, but my diagnosis is not anxiety.

I had no side effects at all.

I never missed a nights sleep while I was on it.
Most stable I have been as an adult.

Thanks for replying. Really glad it helped. Does it lift your mood? I have aggitated depression with severe anxiety and a real inability to relax.

Starting on 25mg

@IdiotCreatures @Rustnot does it lift your mood at all? I read it blocks dopamine so you have less of it and thst can make you feel more depressed.

Difficult to say because I also took antidepressants at the time. It certainly helped to calm negative thoughts i was having.

I take it for bipolar disorder. It definitely has an antidepressant effect for some people, but generally at 300mg+ doses. At 25mg, it will act more as a calming effect. Be prepared for it to knock you out for a while. It’s been a great medication for me.

NC for this post.

I think Quietiapine (sorry for spelling errors) saved my life, It certainly changed my life for the better (massively). I was hugely anxious, interfering with all aspects of my life to the point i couldn't leave the house / work.

Quietiapine really calmed my brain, it helped me sleep (which had been a massive massive problem). Because of that, I could actually start to DO things which helped lift my mood. (nothing spectacular just..like seeing some friends, going to work, going for a walk!). I take 50mg. Started a few years ago, and it really did help me totally change my life for the better. Yes, I still get anxious and sometimes it feels extreme - but it is so much more in control now. Ditto low mood.

Good luck @Treetops12 and I really hope things work out well.

@keepwalkingkeepwalking thank you and I'm so glad it's helped you.

Can i ask, did you get weight gain? I'm a bit scared of this having just lost all th weight I put on taking mirtazapine.

Also, can drink whilst taking this? I hardly drink at all but wouldn't mind being able to have a glass of wine. Thanks again. Really appreciate your input.

Agh. Third attempt at posting this because site keeps crashing - so very short and sweet:
1/ no specific weight gain (and probably lost weight because felt more able to do exercise and ate less comfort food). It worried me too tho (as with all mental health medication seems to be weight gain is an issue :/)
2/ probably against medical advice but I drink alcohol with qu. Not loads but occasionally.

It took away my anxiety. I am still depressed but no more panic attacks or much anxiety at all. Made me feel so much better.
I did get fat though but take Mirtzapine too. I'm not sure I could have carried on as I was...

Oh and sleep is amazing! 😁

@keepwalkingkeepwalking thanks again! Meant to ask., what dose you taking?

I was prescribed Quetiapine on & off for years. It was prescribed for sleep & does help but really knocks you over. However I am currently going through a bad time with anxiety & menopause etc & they are talking about using it in a different way. I’m seeing how it goes.

I hope it works for you but for me it wasn’t good at all. Didn’t sleep at all, felt worse than ever.

@Peapod1969 this anxiety all started for me after I had my second child and think I'm probably in perimenopause too now. What way are they using it for you this time? Really hope it helps you x

Hi Treetops12, I use 25mg at night but I sometimes do 50mg if I have to really get over. Probably not advised if you have to be up early as it can leave you groggy. I have also been told that I can use 25mg during the day to help with anxiety. It seems to be the first port of call if they don’t want to use anything like Valium. To be honest I’ve just realised how absolutely awful mental health treatment can be. This is the medical emergency of our time & although we have to be human & life experience has to be part of that, surely they have the technology to develop better methods of dealing with the completely life draining experience of mental illness. Sorry for the rant lol

@Treetops12 I lost about two stone while I was taking it, presumably because I was having great sleep.
Had to stop taking it due to the dopamine suppression having a very bad impact on my voice. So if you notice a change to your voice discuss with the pharmacist, but it's not something that is a common side effect.
Had had six GP appointments and seen four consultants before that was figured out.
On Amitriptyline now, definite weight gain as a consequence.

@IdiotCreatures thanks for your reply. I'm confused, this med reduces dopamine? Doesn't that make people feel worse? As it's a happy hormone? Sorry to hear that happened to your voice. What dose were you on?

It doesn't reduce dopamine, it stops it from being reabsorbed, in my very layman's understanding at least.
Like an SSRI stops seratonin from being reabsorbed, so you have more available.

"Seroquel (quitiapine) binds to dopamine receptors, preventing dopamine itself from binding to its receptor, thereby interfering with its function."

Should have said antagonism rather than suppression, my bad.

Also I was on 300mgs.

Life changing for me. Started on 50mg, was up to 200mg and am reducing very slowly to 125mg. I feel the most balanced I ever have. Removed 99% of my anxiety, which has reduced mood swings and other issues I have with borderline personality disorder. Also sleep really well. Please don't worry about weight gain, your mental health is far more important. Once you are mentally healthy, you can focus on your weight. Exercise really helps with mood so maybe a good excuse to start new routines on the new meds?

I could not live without this medicine! I take 800mg per day (at night time) and it has slowed and relaxed my brain so much. I don't have racing thoughts any more, I don't have that 'wired' feeling. If I don't take it I don't sleep.

I have put on loads of weight but that's down to lifestyle changes as well. The medicine itself doesn't make you put on weight, I found that it removed my 'cut off' point. So, I would easily eat three bowls of cereal rather than one. Once I realised that I couldn't rely on my body to regulate what I was eating it was easy to be strict with myself.

Honestly, give it a chance, it might revolutionise your life!

I haven’t gained weight and I’m on 2750mg—that’s not a typo!

@scaredrider I think that would put me out for a week! Thanks for your reply. Feel a bit daft freaking out about my tiny dose when people like yourself are needing it at levels like that. Glad it's helping you.