Dear My_Sojourn
I'm sure you read the title post so I am not going to rehash that.
I take the max generic dose of Lamictal and I don't believe that's a problem.
If you have not read up on this drug I have copied some good info on the med.
Seroquels Typical Side Effects: Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) is notorious for two things - making you sleep until next Tuesday, and giving you a hangover when you eventually wake up. For 90% or so of the people who take it, the hangover goes away in two or three days, a week at the outside. And if you're taking Seroquel as required for sleep, the hangover often goes away eventually. It all depends on how often you take it. Otherwise expect the usual short-term side effects for
atypical antipsychotics - headache, nausea, dry mouth, sleepiness or insomnia, diarrhea or constipation, not caring about anything (a.k.a. the zombification effect). Most, if not all of these will go away in a couple of weeks. Except for the excessive sleepiness, which could hang around for as long as you take this med. The other big issue with a lot of people is
weight gain. While not as bad as
Zyprexa (olanzapine), like that med Seroquel is a potential triple threat when it comes to weight gain, as it could slow your metabolism, may make you want to sleep 10 or more hours a day, and often make you want to eat more. And since it hits the H1 histamine receptor, and hard, (see
How Seroquel Works for details) it's going to make you crave carbohydrates like there's no tomorrow, so good luck sticking to that Atkins diet. But, hey, at least it's the media's fault and not any lack of willpower on your part.
For tips on how to cope with these side effects, please see our
side effects page. Like
Zyprexa (olanzapine) the only med-based solution for the weight issue is Axid (nizatidine). Everything I have on that is on the side effects pages.
These aren't all the side effects possible, just the most popular ones.
Seroquels Not So Common Side Effects: Diabetes. Manic reaction (Hey, the evidence is mounting that it's a fairly decent antidepressant amongst the bipolar and schizoaffective, so you've got to expect this sort of thing.)
Muscle aches and pains. Getting all sweaty for no good reason. Tremor. Irregular heart beat and prolonged QT interval (whatever the that means, ask your doctor). While the
sexual dysfunctions aren't as bad as
Risperdal (risperidone) or
Zyprexa (olanzapine), they can still happen. Like any antipsychotic there is a slight, but real risk for extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), tardive dyskinesia, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Please see
the page on these risks. Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) tests as having one of the lowest risks for EPS and TD and
has been used to treat people with TD.
FDA Approved Uses of Seroquel:
Schizophrenia (Efficacy of Seroquel in three trials, in addition to what's
in the PI sheet) - approved September 1997.
Bipolar mania (One year vs. unnamed mood stabilizer, plus PI sheet data) - approved 13 January 2004 for acute bipolar mania, as both monotherapy (taken all by itself) and to be used in combination with
lithium and
Depakote (divalproex sodium) to treat bipolar mania. In August of 2004 Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) received approval for 12-week treatment of bipolar disorder.
Pros: If you're agitated, jumping out of your skin and you just can't sleep, then Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) might be just what you're looking for. At least, if your doctor recommends you try it and you feel like that, you probably should. As the mildest of all antipsychotics it doesn't really carry the "antipsychotic" stigma as heavily as the other meds. Doesn't mess with your prolactin as much as any other
atypical antipsychotic. Also the least likely to cause EPS and TD.
Cons: You'll sleep until next Tuesday. Of course, that could be a good thing, depending on how your life is at this moment. Other than the sleep thing, it takes longer than any other
atypical antipsychotic to work. You might come down with type 2 diabetes. You'll probably gain weight. But those things are going to be issues only if you take Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) at medium-to-high dosages for a long time. Except for the sleeping - that's more of a low-to-medium dosage thing from day one.
There is much more on the web, so if you still want to research more just surf the web.
If you fool around with this drug in a way that the doctor has no idea of then she can not know what will work and what will not.
I can feel your pain on the mating season issue. But if you do not stay the course you will not be able to cope with the future.
So you are now in the catch 22 position. If you want out of that you will without a doubt: " GIVE HEED TO THE PHYSICAN "
DEAR KEEP YOUR EYES POINTED TOWARDS GOD'S KINGDOM AND YOU SHALL BE BLESSED TO REMEMBER:
XEven though you can't see Him, GOD is there!O
( click on the X and move to the O ) ( then feel who is around you )
edited to add a link to where the information is that is posted above about the medication and side effects: http://crazymeds.org/zyprexaSideEffects.html (thornygrace)
