Seroquel for Sleep - time for an adjustment?
 

So, like, I spoke with my pharmacist this morning, and I told him:

I am on 50mg Seroquel XR slow release....so it doesn't put me to sleep fast, and when I wake up in the morning, some of it is still in my system, so I am groggy for 2 or 3 hours in the morning.

UGH.

He suggested that next week, when I see my doctor, that I ask for a change to 50mg REGULAR Seroquel, which hits you faster, to knock me out and put me to sleep FASTER, and, as a bonus, is NO LONGER IN MY SYSTEM at 6 am in the morning, when I wake up...so I am NO LONGER GROGGY in the morning.

Has anyone out there made such a change in their Seroquel medication? If so, how did it go for you?

I hope I hear good news from someone who has made this change!

Have a good day, everyone.

Kelly

((Kelly)) - I went in the opposite direction. I've been on seroquel for a few years for sleep. Built up a tolerance, was taking 100mg regular and still not sleeping. I'm on 150mg XR and STILL not sleeping very well so am going to talk to my dr. about options.

The one thing I did NOT like about the regular is I felt like I was STARVING within 30 minutes of taking it. Back when it did put me to sleep, I was sleepwalking into the kitchen for food. Needless to say, eating at bedtime helped me to gain weight. The XR does not do that.

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

I'm not on seroquel, but my daughter is. She was having the same problems -- horrible grogginess in the mornings that almost cost her an education. Doctor backed her down to 25 mg of regular Seroquel and she takes that at 8:00pm so it can get out of her system in time for the next morning. It seems to do the trick.

i've been taking seroquel xr 25mg. and plain interchangeably as per doctors advise for more than a year now and I believe the xr's effect is way better compared to regular as I feel calmer the next day with extended release. The plain seroquel does put me to zzz faster but I can still be manic the next day therefore needing lithium. I'm now 2 years sober with AA and am religiously working with my psychiatrist to treat my bipolar disorder. What helped me a lot is sobriety, taking meds on time, healthy living with exercise and right eating plus a good support group with friends and family. As they say, a day at a time, life goes on.

Has the Seroquel made any of you gain weight. I would like to ask for it, but I don't want to gain weight and have another problem :) Thanks

Seroquel and weight
 

I do find that 30 minutes or so after taking the Seroquel, I get the munchies.

But I try to eat less for lunch, so I'm not gaining weight, at least, not yet.

Kelly

seroquel, UGGG! What to say here... For me, seroquel worked for my insomnia for about 45 days and then it turned my sleep into a nightmare. It gave me severe RLS! To the point my wife finally kicked me out of bed. I ended up going on trazadone which has worked MUCH better! I'm not groggy in the morning any more, I didn't gain the weight like I did on seroquel either.

Seroquel also gave me tardive dyskensia which is like RLS. It doesn't go away even after being off of it. Needless to say, I won't be taking that again. Now I just sleep on my own.

I was on regular Seroquel for nearly a year. I had to get off. Think I was only on 30 mg. No matter how early I took it, the grogginess would last for hours the next day. I'd have terrible nightmares and night sweats, and began sleepwalking/talking.
Just found out I am a narcoleptic... so this might just be me - but after a while, it was too much.
I hope you find something that works for you!

My experience was 25 or 50mg IR worked exactly as you mentioned: zonked out, no 'hangover'. Yet, if I didn't go to sleep immediately because I was watching a movie or whatever, I was eating like crazy and the restless leg stuff drove me crazy.

Haven't had it in months. No plans to ever take it again.
I do hope it all worked out for you!

I'm on 600 mg of seroquel xr. I take it a few hours before I go to bed. The xr reaches it's peak mg in your system 6 hours after taking it. The regular relase reaches peak levels after only 2 hours and will wear off quicker of coarse.

My phychiatrist started my on Seroquel after I was having panic attacks while on Amatrypline for Chronic insomnia. I was on 400-600Mg and it put me to sleep great for the first 8 months(i felt hungover Every day, but was sleeping). A month ago it stopped working all of a sudden. Now, Im sleepless in Reno after trying everything else over the last 17 sober years.

Sleepless in Reno
 

Sorry you are sleepless.

My 50mg Seroquel is still working for me - for now, at least.

Kelly

Hi there,

Seroquel 50mg XL is totally different from 50mg regular, I think you already comment on that. I just wanted to say that i was on 50mg XL and it messed up my life and I didn't know it was because of the difference since I take like 5-6 different pills and I didn't know what was causing the excessive drowsiness. This comes from a person that takes 3mg klonopin to sleep as well so what would I know. When I notice it I change doctors and they changed me back to 75mg Regular Seroquel to sleep. I couldn't sleep the whole night but with the XL I was sleeping the whole day and night!
I am a looooot better! Then she recommended me to add 5mg Melatonin, it worked! So, she told me to go to 50mg Seroquel (still regular) and the melatonin, it worked! Then 25, it worked! That's where I am right now.
It seems that to go down from Welbutrin 450mg to 150mg helped as well with anxiety, I don't know. I just know that it's hard for me to trust doctors and this one seems to have a better idea of what should we take: THE LEAST AMOUNT OF MEDICATIONS TO FEEL WELL.
I hope this helps anyone, I really do. Sorry for the long thing!

i've just been adjusted up from 300mg to 400mg nightly. the soporific effect seems to wear off after a while, and my psych is happier increasing the seroquel than prescribing benzos.

as for the weight gain - i gained 30 pounds in 3 months. now i'm sober i'm starting a real effort to drop that weight and more besides.

for me, however, the benefits outweigh the problems. my effexor and seroquel keep me alive. better that than skinny and suicidal.

I was on regular SQ 25 then 50 mg for cannabis withdrawal.

Put on weight around my middle and hips very quickly (4 kg in 2 weeks). Cravings for high fat and sweet foods. Lost the weight when I went back to regular eating.

Also built up a tolerance very quickly, which annoyed me.

Only used it short term.

My doctor prescribed me to 50 mg Seroquel along with a medium dose of Buspar. It's only day 4 of this combination but I've had ZERO luck sleeping. I used to be on 100 mg and it worked like a charm...sans the groggy AMs. Just seeing if anyone has input on this combination. Thanks.

IR works fine here, but I cannot use this medication in the daytime.