Quetiapine experience please help

[Catsservant]

Hi all, I have been prescribed quetiapine 50mg for anxiety disorder, I’m also on citalopram for 11 weeks now which has helped with depression but not my anxiety. What are your experiences with it and did it work for your anxiety thanks

Thanks for the info. I think I will stop taking it

@irrelevantdaughter my psychiatrist thinks I have treatment resistant depression as well. I am paying privately as nhs keeps bouncing my referral, this is the second one I have seen much better than the previous one. He has told me to stop the quetiapine and restart the mirtazapine, I’m also now on citalopram 40 mg. The plan is to introduce pregabalin for anxiety, then in 4 weeks possibly change from citalopram to venelafaxine. I think mirtazapine works much better than quetiapine for sleep and is also an antidepressant. I’m on clonazepam just for this week to try to calm me first. Please keep in touch I know how difficult this all is xx

Thanks to everyone else who have responded as well

Hated it and it can give you permanent tics

Can I add I had it, but was only willing to take something when prescribed by a psychiatrist. I took it for 6 months from when I was in my 3rd trimester of first pregnancy until baby was 6 months (hence me wanting a consultant opinion) . I was not sleeping well, very anxious and at risk of postnatal depression and psychosis. It helped with sleep, DD was early so we didn't have a birth plan, first week of her life was chaotic working out how I should take it with a newborn schedule. DH ended up doing a night bottle. I went up to 100 but my mental health improved after birth and I really bonded well with her and enjoyed my maternity leave. I do now have yearly checkups for cholesterol, but if take it again if my insomnia and anxiety got bad enough.

I've been on it for a number of years. It is somewhat suitable for anxiety, but I find propranolol is better in managing it.

I have never heard of quetiapine being prescribed for anxiety, as far as I was aware it’s an anti-psychotic medication.

I would say something like Venlafaxine would suit you better if you struggle with low mood and anxiety as it’s an SNRI. It targets serotonin and norepinephrine. It was the only medication that helped my depression (and I suffer with anxiety too). I have tried citalopram & sertraline in the past too.

Are you having therapy as well? I’d recommend Venlafaxine as well as a talk therapy.

I am not a psychiatrist though, but that’s my personal recommendation.

Wishing you the best.

@PeonyPatch I have had CBT which was useless, psychiatrist has suggested venelafaxine as citalopram isn’t really doing much. Quetiapine is prescribed “ off label “ for anxiety it just didn’t work for me. Venelafaxine is for treatment resistant depression (lucky me I have that) thanks

Interesting it’s been diagnosed as treatment resistant.

There are lots of other types of therapies and therapists out there. I wouldn’t write CBT off after one try.

Good luck.