Anyone take quetiapine in the morning as well as at night?

[MarmadukeM]

Anyone take quetiapine in the morning?
I take 300mg at night, am having real mental health issues lately and psychiatrist has advised to split dose and take a bit in the morning until I see him next week to try and keep a lid on things.
it knocks me out at night so I was wondering what people’s experience of taking it in morning has been? I am really ‘up a height’ and getting quite distressed at times so I think he thinks it will calm that down. X

I'm on 25mg on an as needed basis. T gets me off to sleep but doesn't keep me there - my anxiety is too heightened. I've been splitting a dose in the daytime too, but although it dials down the panic, it renders me exhausted and too tired to think. I wish there were something else. Old fashioned diazepam would be far better imo.

Thanks xx yes I can understand what you are describing and I think that this is the effect it will have on me too. I have been very emotionally distressed lately tho so maybe it’s a good idea for me as a short term measure.
I actually have 5mg diazepam that I can take once daily that I started on 2 and half weeeks ago but problem with it is that already it’s lost its efficacy so it’s like popping a smartie now. It is good as an as and when required tho I agree, like for a panic attack x
first few mornings I took o e at 5 am when I woke practicing and I dozed back off till 8 ish but now I wake at 5 and I’m still awake and all anxious even after the tablet 😖

Anxiety is such a horrible beast isn't it? In all honestly, it's ruined my life. I can't ever imagine being free of it now. I'm going through similar, very very bad patch right now, hence using the q in the daytime too. Worth a try for you? You're on much higher dose than me though, so not sure if daytime dosing would zombify you too much? Isn't there an xr version, so effects last all day but steady dose, so not one giant hit? Not sure, but something I'll be asking my gp about.

Yes there is XR and I was on it until
psychiatrist took me off it in Jan and onto immediate. I think I would do 250 at night and 50 in morning as if I did 150
night and 150 morning I’d be sleeping the full 24hrs! Yeah I had a full mental breakdown recently then my marriage ended in the middle of it after 22years so I’m a bloody emotional mess.
the extended release quetiapine is a lot more expensive than immediate release so you might have to push hard for it but don’t give up! I’m after going back onto trazodone as an antidepressant as it’s good for sleep and anxiety so hopefully I will get that on Monday x

aww,hugs OP. You've had it rough. Hope you get some brighter days ahead. Feels trite to say so, but all we've got is hope really. That's interesting about the extended release, my gp pretty good so I can at least ask. I had a breakdown six years ago and I've never fully recovered. Mirtazapine was working quite well for me, but it's not landing much of a punch last few months, so the q was added on but I resisted taking it until very recently. I can't touch ssris, they literally send me loopy.

Hopefully you'll get the trazodone too x

i think if they won’t do extended quetiapine then I’d go for a bigger dose and take it every night. I have been on 50mg all way up to 350mg and so long as it’s taken at night I can get up early and drive/work etc so maybe a bit more could help settle you? X

Thank you. Can I ask what your diagnosis is? I was diagnosed with bipolar 2, but it was over 20 years ago now and I've had my doubts it's accurate. I'm wondering about some sort of ND, or maybe it's both I don't know. I know you're going thru a difficult patch right now, but do you think the q has helped overall?

Ha I’m very much in same boat as you - I was diagnosed bipolar type 2 16 years ago based on two episodes of hypomania brought on by ssri meds. Yes quetiapine has been a good drug for me, one I would not want to be without. I need something more to go along with it tho I think ie antidepressant.
I did query my bipolar diagnosis but they have upheld it. I have never had hypomania without it being a reaction to medication
I don’t think I have anything else tho (adhd or whatever) but i am certainly predominately a depressive. Ironically I am usually a really energetic and positive person but when I’m ill I’m ill as fuck 😖

Yep, we're really similar! I can't help but feel bipolar 2 got stuck on you back in the day, as there wasn't any emphasis on ND whereas nowadays it seems like everyone gets an autism or adhd label! Maybe it's all rubbish! Exactly the same as you, have only gone hypo when put on agitating antidepressants, like sertraline or Prozac etc. Have you tried mirtazapine at all? That's a calming one. I couldn't get on with trazadone myself, but you have been in this before and it helped? That sounds like a no brainer if so. I get what you mean, you need a little ' upper'. I wouldn't describe myself as upbeat and positive, but I can put on a bloody good act when I'm not too wrung out!

Yes I have often wondered how what could be technically a side effect of a tablet can get you a diagnosis but I had it explained to me that they consider that bipolar hypomania can happen when a medication triggers it, so it’s not a side effect, it’s an underlying condition the ssri has exacerbated.

I did have mirtazipine but unfortunately was still depressed. I tried trazodone and liked it but it was part of a cocktail I was on and the psychiatrist took me off it while he was rationalising my medication I would’ve stayed on it if I could. Now I’m on barely any meds I am asking for it to be reintroduced and 🤞it will help x

That's really interesting. I've never had it explained that way before! Makes more sense. At least you know that trazodone has helped before, so you haven't got to play the Russian roulette game of will it/ won't it help.

Yeah I am hopeful it will do something x