Confuseddotcom

My psychiatrist has prescribed seroquel .. i "think" i have signs of bipolar II but he is the kind of doctor who doesnt hand out labels, just looks at your symptons and then prescribes what he feels is the best medication.

Im already on mirtazapine/diazepam and clonazepam.. but because of my anger outbursts and radical moods and the fact that im not sleeping at all for days on end he has prescribed seroquel as well now.

I have sort of been reluctantly taking the antidepressants (though i halved my dose and only every other day) and i only take the others (esp the diazepam) when i absolutely have to.. i dont want to get addicted to those as well as everything else.

But my biggest fear is the seroquel changing "me".... im worried that it will change my personality and i wont be "me" anymore (though i have no idea who i am anymore anyway so maybe it wouldnt really matter).. but what if my family and friends wont like that new "me"?

I guess what im asking is is anyone here taking seroquel and can maybe give me some personal experience? did it change "who" you are? Im so scared of these stupid things, i want to head on out and buy myself a big fat box of nurofen+ instead...

DoubleBarrel

I know that meds for bipolar literally saved a family members life, but if you are concerned,

Could you go to another doc to check the first one, sort of a second opinion?

HJIK

mirtazapine/diazepam and clonazepam... took that , never helped me got addicted as hell to benzos, sexual dysfunction from mirtazapine

The key for me in using seroquel for sleep was to figure out the smallest amount I needed to sleep and only taking that, it makes me tired in 30 - 45 mins. only 12.5 mg will put me out.

This is my diagnosis, Delayed sleep phase disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By the time DSPD sufferers receive an accurate diagnosis, they often have been misdiagnosed or labelled as lazy and incompetent workers or students for years. Misdiagnosis of circadian rhythm sleep disorders as psychiatric conditions causes considerable distress to patients and their families, and leads to some patients being inappropriately prescribed psychoactive drugs. For many patients, diagnosis of DSPD is itself a life-changing breakthrough

Confuseddotcom

thank you for the replies guys...
I am in England, so getting a second opinion is nearly impossible, it took years to get to see this psychiatrist. I do agree that i show signs of bipolarII i just didnt think theyd come out with the "big guns" blazing.

HJIK that was interesting reading.. but doesnt fit me at all, its normally that i go into a manic phase, im then awake for 3 or 4 days in a row, get hallucinations and eventually literally crash in a corner somewhere. I also get horrible nightmares, so the clonazepam is to deal with those.

I havent had any of the bad sideeffects some ppl have on the mirtazapine, its the ssris that send me loopy.. literally, i go off the deep end on all of them. The mirtazapine im on a low dose of only 30mg, the diazepam im quite good at self regulating but i have been known to "save them up for a good time" (i know not the smartest thing to do ) i tend to be quite good with them now.

Im still scared to death that my personality will be altered.. according to my friends and family that can only be a good thing at the moment as i swing so wildly between being totally hyper then totally depressed to the point of being suicidal.. i can sort of see how that is exhausting for them to keep up with as its exhausting ME. My head is just all mashed up i think.. i tend to have 10000 thoughts racing through my brain, then i take myself to the chemist for a box of neurofen+ and down those in one go and blissful silence...

i just seem to be caught in a vicious circle and cant find the way out or a way to stop this constant round and round

sorry i must sound like a big spoiled brat.. but im really scared of these things

Morning Glory

I've worked with a lot of clients who have used Seroquel.
I've never seen it change their personalities.

The biggest complaint is that it made them too sleepy during the day.

Confuseddotcom

thanks for that morning glory.. the psychiatrist went with that because of the sedative effect but hes warned me already that it would wear off eventually, but i hadnt slept in 5 days and was seeing/hearing things when i went to see him. i know it sounds impossible but i literally dont sleep.. and weve tried the melatonin, zoplicon etc. route, my body gets used to the meds within days and im back to being up and about all hours of the night and day. It doesnt only drive me insane, but my family as well.

i found that codeine knocks me out pretty good, but thats where the problem comes in because im up to an unhealthy dose of needing that and i guess im now addicted to the stuff..

but i read so many horrible things about people losing their feelings, becoming someone else on the seroquel so im freaking out that it will change "me" forever and what if i and my family and friends dont like that chemically altered me? or would those alterations go away again if i stop taking it?

its hard to explain but im so scared to lose the little bit of me that i have left.. and having my brain changed by chemicals is just freaky.. although ive changed my brain already with all the codeine and benzos ive been taking.. im just confused i guess

Needsupport3

I use seroquel and it really helps stabilize my moods, it also helps me sleep well at night. I am also on Anti-depressant but take that in the morning.

Confuseddotcom

thanks for that needsupport... i was told to switch my mirtazapine and 10mg valium to the morning (the mirt isnt making me sleep anymore) and to take the seroquel at night with my other 10mg of valium and the clonazepam.

i dont know if its the "stabilizing mood" that is scaring me, cos i wouldnt be like that if it werent for the chemicals, so my brain is somehow translating that to my moods = me.. maybe i need to think of "me" as not being my "moods" ... but then if im not my moods, then who am i??

its pathetic in a way cos i dont think much of throwing 32 nurofen+ down my throat and get that warm, fuzzy feeling.. and that is not me either but i worry about these chemicals altering me..

so do you find that "you" are not you anymore??

Needsupport3

I feel a whole lot better since I have been on them and yes I am still me just a much happier me.. I suffer from major depression and I went to rehab and they prescribed this for me. But no sedatives and no codeine that was messing with my mind big time. ( and no alcohol of course....)

joykr

I agree with Morning Glory . .my daughter has been on Seroquel for 3 + years and it has not changed her personality. As my daughter puts it, it gives her a "Seroquel hangover" the next day . .meaning that she may feel groggy and a little out of it (it also depends on how much she takes). Her boyfriend did take Seroquel, but for that reason (Seroquel hangover) he does not take it anymore.

kat1973

I am on seroquel 25-50mg (low dose) and it has not changed me at all. In fact it got me through a severe crisis, in combination with Effexor XR & Diazepam.

I can understand your fear of becoming dependent on Diazepam, I will only use it short term as it is highly addictive.

IMO it's worth trying, maybe start at a low dose. It will help you sleep.

Good Luck, keep us posted.

crlion

Hi I've been on seroquel for years. It doesn't change your personality. I have had psychosis so use the medication to keep psychosis away. I'm on a dose of 800mg a night. It does help with sleep. One thing it does do when you start taking it is to make you hungry but this wears off. I take the sustained release form because the fast acting meds cause me side effects like racing heart. On a low dose it will mostly just help you sleep. If you need any more info about the drug I'm happy to answer. Don't be afraid of the drug and if you are not sleeping I would highly recommend it

Live

With bipolar, a mood stabilizer is the most important to take and seroquel seems to be the go-to drug for that these days.
I was very resistant to taking it but it has been working very well for me. It made me feel less dulled than the depakote I was taking.
I take mine at night and rejoice in sleeping well on a nightly basis for the first time in years.
It took me awhile to get used to it....at first I just felt like I was stoned on it. and I was against it, but now have made a 180. It kicks up the effectiveness of my antid and even, much to my surprise helps with anxiety.
It's also very important to take your other meds as prescribed and be cautious of over the counter drugs.
My illness and esp the depressions take me away from being me. Proper treatment helps to restore that tho not completely yet.

dollpart

I was on Seroquel for a while. I found it helped, though it did daze me a bit. I have bipolar II, and at the moment I take lamotrigine and aripiprazole (mood stabiliser, anti-psychotic). I think once you find the right combination for you, it doesn't make you feel unlike yourself. Took me a while to find a combination that made me feel like me, but as I should be instead of as my wayward brain chemicals made me. I dunno... the point I'm trying to make is give it a whirl and if it doesn't suit you you can try another med. Nothing lost (except a few days to doziness, Seroquel will do that). Let us know how it goes.