Seroquel for anxiety, social anxiety & PTSD

Hi @missyb57,
I'm tagging @brglassman @saraandivor @halhilde @teri15 and @johnlk on this discussion as they have all had experience with Seroquel and anxiety or PTSD. I hope they will join in and share their experiences with you

Also have you seen this active discussion on major and social anxiety and depression? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-do-you-do-for-major-and-socially-phobic-depression-and-anxiety/

I have been on Seroquel XR for anxiety and depression for about a year. I<br />
just started going to a new dr and we are going to try Latuda because I<br />
have been very depressed and anxious for the last 4 months.<br />
<br />
My last dr told me I was on Seroquel for bipolar depression. I am bipolar.<br />
I didn't know it was also good for anxiety.<br />
<br />
Good luck!<br />

i AM presently being weaned off seroquel.. It has a very sedating effec and<br />
causes weight gain...big time.. I sleep 20-22 hours daily, I also take<br />
olanzapine is has effects as well.. They all have effects that nobody<br />
should have to contend with... Hopefully, the psych doctors will soon learn<br />
that mental illness needs more research and funding and new medications<br />
need to be developed without such debilitATING effects... I am presently n<br />
75 seroquel, then after two weeks 50 mg, than, 25, than off.. then,<br />
olanzapine will need to be addressed. as it causes side effects too, (don't<br />
they all)... Have you ever considered taking medical marjuania? i am<br />
considering this...<br />

I had gastric bypass 5 years ago & have successfully kept off 100 lbs So i definitely am not going to take a drug that causes major weight gain As far as Medical Marijuana i wouldnt have a clue how to do that & since i am on Medicaid i doubt they would pay for it i am just stressing over telling this dr im not going to take it

Hi missyb57
Seroquel (quetiapine)

I have been on serequel for about 4 yrs now for PTSD/anxiety but mainly for chronic long standing insomnia where nothing else was working.for insomnia It does work for insomnia for me . Started at 25 mg which worked well for awhile but eventually ended up to 200 mg taken before bedtime only. Not SR
I refuse to go any higher and actually want to try to get off it . It still helps a bit but am up /awake every 45 min - 1 1/2 hrs . Think it is going to be very difficult to find another med which will work as good or any better. Tried most everything over these past 10 yrs or more
There are many who are able to do fine on 25 mg for insomnia but I wasn't one of them

Serequel can cause high blood sugar - now recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes. I blame serequel . No diabetes in our family.
It also causes weight gain.( lots ) Once it is in your body for an hr or so it can cause strong hunger which will/can wake u up , in some. Also, side effects can include increased serum triglycerides, increased serum cholesterol, increased thyroid stimulating hormone level,all of which I now have ( + more )

I know of other's who are on the lower dose 25 -50 and it did not cause them weight gain nor any of the side effects stated.

My dr wants me to start at 50 mg for 3 nights & keep titrating up to 200 mg per night for anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, & trouble sleeping Well I feel as if i pretty much have,my anxiety under control, granted i dont go many places as that is a,trigger but it doesnt bother me to stay at home. As for the ADHD well my whole life my mind has gone non stop & i pretty much am used to it. PTSD heck i didnt even know i had that just thought i had a,really crappy childhood. Sleep, well ive never slept through the night, again another life pattern ive never given much thought too. So yall like me are probably saying if this lady isnt bothered by all these things then why start on Seroquel? The only reason i can figure is that he feels that the lack of sleep is causing my anxiety and my issues with the pain in my legs and my joints. Which it's not I tried to tell him I have physical proof from MRIs and CT scans of the osteoarthritis that is in every joint of my body. I had a whole body bone scan and it showed moderate to severe osteoarthritis from head to toe. This doctor is not one that wants you to discuss things with him. Having Medicaid makes it very difficult to find a doctor to treat me. I do have to just speak up and tell him that I'm not going to take this pill because I don't think that it's suitable for me.

In my personal opinion I would try the 25 mg serequil for sleep ., then titrate to 50 only if the 25 mg didn't help.
I would not titrate any further at this point but , while doing this I would also try getting off the Xanax for sleep , using only the lowest dose possible serequil
Serequil at low dose has helped many for sleep and safer at 25-50mg than Xanax (IMO )
The body does it's healing and rejuvenating during sleep, so if serequil helps you sleep it should also help eleviate some of your pain . I know I am in less pain since being on it
It is the larger dosages that cause the side effects I mentioned above. I myself have been on 200 mg's for 4 yrs and only started the weight gain in this last yr when dosage was titrated up to 200 , only diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 3 months ago. It is from the higher dose I am positive
I have 2 friends who has been on 25 mg serequil for sleep ( for yrs ) , Neither needed to go up in dose , neither one of them has gained weight nor do they have any other side effects from it

Your anxiety is under control due to using Xanax. Serequil does help with anxiety

I feel comfortable knowing that my anxiety is controlled by my Xanax. After 15 years on it i have only had 1 dosage increase. I dont feel i have any side effects from it, with that being said, why would i want to give up what i know for a drug with MAJOR side effects that i may or may not experience. There are other drugs thay can help with sleep, i need to research them i think. I am sorry that you are now experiencing all these awful side effects now. I hope you are able to find a drug thst can help you.

I have suffered anxiety all my life. Antidepressants, well I have taken so many I've lost count with no help at all. Benzodiazapines such as Klonopin, Valium, Xanax etc work wonders in the short term but as soon as tolerance builds I need to take a break from them. Buspar is used for anxiety but is not a benzo and actually made me more anxious. However, the worst medication I was on was Seroquel. It did absolutely nothing for the anxiety and although it made me drowsy it also gave me horrible bouts of restless leg syndrome which sounds benign enough until you have it as it is hard to put into words. I also had trouble swallowing, I was dizzy all the time, and my cholesterol went through the roof. Everyone is different but that for me was a nightmare. A doctor has no right to be mad at you for how you feel. If he does get that way get another doctor who listens to your fears and concerns. Lyrica usually used for neuropathy is by far the best medicine I've taken in conjunction with Trazadone for sleep, klonopin (the benzo) once tolerance develops still works in conjunction with the Lyrica. I take 150 mg 3x a day. Klonopin 1-2 mg a day. I also take 250 mg of trazadone as anxiety and depression along with insomnia is like a three pronged enemy playing tag team. Trazadone, a very old medication is the only antidepressant that words for me and it is great for sleep and none of these meds give me any side affects.

I also have heard that TMS (look it up) I believe it stands for trans magnetic stimulation once only used for depression just got approved for anxiety and that is what I want to try. I hear it works wonders for depression and it is a simple procedure that is somehow is placed on the brain in the area affected which varies from person to person so the patient is awake for the procedure(I think) as only by moving the device and hearing feedback from the patient does the doctor know it is placed properly.

Also there is genetic testing which can point out which meds are going to be effective for your body and which will not.

There is hope. For years I was a shut in who could not leave the house unless sedated and now I am still not perfect but better than I've ever been. You may want to look up local clinical trials for your condition and see if you qualify.,

Hope this helps and good luck.