Seroquel for anxiety, social anxiety & PTSD

Hi all. One important aspect of illness and treatment for us all to remember is that each of us are unique as to our bodies, our internal chemistries, and emotional quotients. No two of us necessarily react the same to an illness, disease, treatment, or medication. What works for one may not work for another and what doesn't work for someone may be a lifeline for someone else.

Just my two cents, plain.

Peace & Strength

I was titrated up to 300 xr per day for resistant major depression. I have chronic fatigue and fuzzy head. By the end of the day i usually feel better. I take the meds before bed. From experience with depression through the years i find i often feel much better at night. I guess this is normal for some types of depression. Seroquel does help with sleep. But not always. I believe it has left me with weakness in the forearms and my lower legs from the knee down. By toes also move on their own and cause cramping in the lower leg.

Off the subject of Seroquel...I read where you have problems w/ cramping toes and this is not one bit fun. I use magnesium citrate which has taken care of the problem for me. As w/ any supplement best to discuss w/ doctor first.

I've taken Saroquel for four years. I never gained any weight on it. I think 100 is a very high dose, especially for insomnia. Many say 25mg works better for them for sleep than 100. I always insist with my psych that I want the very lowest effective dose of any of these drugs. I am now weaning off Saroquel to go to Lamictal but I have bipolar 2 so need a mood stabilizer. If I didn't, I would consider using 25-50mg of Saroquel for sleep as I have never slept better in my life but you are soooo sedated and it's very hard to wake up. I wonder why he wouldn't want to give you Lorazepam or some other anti-anxiety med rather than Saroquel. As far as your chronic pain and arthritis, following an anti-inflammatory diet and taking high doses of liquid omega fish oil can be life-changing for people. I had arthritis, 2 hip replacements and fibromyalgia and I'm only 49! I dealt with chronic pain and inflammation for so long and tried many drugs. Finally, I discovered a mostly plant-based diet and got off ALL those NSAIDS and other crap that was ruining my kidneys and liver. I would ask him to consider Lorazepam for sleep / anxiety. Valarian root also works for a lot of people or melatonin for sleep and anxiety. Good luck and Love & Light to you.

@missyb57
Hi missy and welcome to Connect,
I would never take Seroquel due to the possibility of Seroquel induced Diabetes. It happened to my friends son who takes it for schizophrenia. Another potential side effect with neuroleptic meds is Tardive Dyskinesia, a severe movement nervous system disorder which can be permanent and very painful. Although these disorders my be rare I’d only take them as a last resort, but that’s me.
Best of luck,
Jake

Seroquil caused deep cataracts in less than a year. Since that time my vision has been declining rapidly for someone my age (67) as my eyes were healthy prior to the prescribing of this medication. I know I have lived to regret having taken it. Still striving to have a positive outlook.

@parus
So sorry to hear that. It’s really a shame that a medication that can be so helpful for certain illnesses can also be so harmful.
Are you planning to have cataract surgery Parus?
Best wishes,
Jake

Hi
I have been on Zoloft for the last 20 years. I have fluctuated from 25 to 300mg depending on the circumstances of the time. I have found it works very well. However, after becoming aware that I was ritually sexually abused from the age of 4, hereditary depression and anxiety (endogenous) along with military service PTSD I needed to go on to Diazepam for a time. The problem was I became addicted to it along with Endone. This interrupted the positive effect of Zoloft. Seroquel (25mg) is now being used in conjunction with Zoloft (200mg) to help with the detox and from both Diazepam and Endone. I am finding it works with anxiety and motivation. I use Phenergan (50mg at night) to help with sleep; it puts me to sleep and I stay asleep and I REM sleep as well, which is vitally important for holistic rejuvenation. Have I put on weight? Yes. What am I doing about it? Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques for over eating and the inclusion of a mild intensity exercise program. So my end end state is that Seroquel does work for me. It may or may not work for you and that is ok. I hope that we all find what works for us ( in conjunction with our health care practitioners) and live lives that are healthy for us and helpful for others.

Hi, @giffsmith - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thanks for what you shared about how quetiapine (Seroquel) is being used in your situation and that it does work for you.

From what you said in your post, wanted to inquire about whether you are experiencing some challenges with sleep and pain?

@mizmaui444 - I wanted to invite you, if you wish, to join our new discussion of bipolar issues https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/bi-polar-issues. I also wanted to check in with you and see how the weaning off quetiapine (Seroquel) to go to lamotrigine (Lamictal) is going so far?

I have been on many different medications for anxiety and depression. My husband of 39 years was cheating on me and stealing my money. We filed for bankruptcy and the bank foreclosed on our house. We divorced. I am a nurse so very stressful job requiring a job change. I have been seeing a Psychologist for 14 years who helped me through these major issues. I’m presently well maintained on Wellbutrin 200 mg SR and Clonazepam 1 mg 3 times a day. Recently add Lexapro 10 mg. I had TMS or Transcranial magnetic stimulation. It is a huge commitment for the first 6 weeks. It is not pain free but is tolerable. I had severe headaches after every treatment. I finished in September and I feel like a new person! I have so much more energy and motivation, I can carry on a conversation, I don’t have that constant low level anxiety anymore. I am happy, look forward to things and feel more hopeful about the future. There are a couple of methods, I used Brainsway. I was on Seroquol for anxiety and sleep. Worked well but kept falling down. After major Neuro workup had to wean off Seroquel. Stopped falling! I found that tonic water helped restless legs due to Quinine. I take Somnapure for sleep which is an herbal preparation. Work well for me. Good luck. I would encourage anyone with anxiety and depression to look into TMS!