Hi L,

I am very thankful for all the good that Seroquel has done for me, particularly with anxiety, OCD, sleep, and psychotic depression. I think it is an amazing drug and certainly got me through some tough times.

I have been in remission of the OCD and psychotic depression for over a decade. I still cope with the warning signs of depression from time to time but I am very good at recognizing them now and can do what I need to take care of myself. I also take Wellbutrin for this.

I was taking a lot for my diagnosis (300 mg originally and 200 for a long time after that) and have taken it for a long time. Now that I am feeling better I am noticing the side effects that come with the drug. I am sluggish in the morning, it effects my memory, and generally slows me down. When I take less, I am able to wake up early and be more 'present'. When I was unwell these side effects would have been meaningless to me because I felt so awful, I barely noticed them. There was no way I was getting out of bed in the morning, let alone getting out of bed early. These reasons, along with plans to become pregnant, are the main reason I am discontinuing Seroquel. If I still had OCD symptoms of any kind, I would stay on.

I think every person experiences the side effects of a drug differently so you will just have to see what works for you. There are a lot of options for sleep aides that are not anti-psychotics but maybe your doctor chose this one for you for a reason.

Personally I have found that doctors aren't particularly aware of side effects or withdrawal symptoms outside of physical symptoms when it comes to prescribed meds but I am clearly neuro-atypical so perhaps it has a different effect on me.

Hope you are getting some sleep!

Believe the folks here on Connect. Most doctors hand these drugs out like candy. Seroquel is an anti physchotic yet it’s handed out for a myriad of things. Do your research on any drug your doctor prescribes before taking.