# seroquel experiences



## wael (Sep 5, 2008)

Does anybody have experience with seroquel?
in short: I have no personality disorder, or other psychiatric disorders except i'm a bit hyperchondric and kinda anxious. DP'ed for about 2 years now
I used citalopram, that work well to take away some fears, but i also numbs me (but lifted me to a functional level). And the sexual dysfunctioning is not very nice!!!.
My psy won't describe my clonazepam (with or without a ssri).
But now i give seroquel a change. I use a low doses (50 mg of seroquel XR)

ps i apologize for possible mistakes in my post (i'm dutch)

greetings


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## ThreePlateDan (Aug 30, 2008)

I took Seroquel. Liked some other atypcial antipsychotics I've taken (abilify and zyprexa), it helped with my dp. The downside was that it made me extremely tired. What I learned, however, was that paradoxically usually a higher dose equals less drowsiness. You might want to consider trying 100-200mg (or higher!) if the drowsiness is a problem

Most psych. doctors will prescribed klonopin as it's non-addictive. If the Seroquel doesn't work out for you, then perhaps you should consider a different doctor. Klonopin has helped many dp sufferers and it would be ashame if you couldn't try it.

On the sexual side-effects for Citalopram, did you try Cialis? That can help quite a bit.


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## wael (Sep 5, 2008)

I'm not feeling very tired or drowsy. This is the third day, and is helping me a bit. My psy gave me the free hand to consider taking 75 or 100mg. So tonight i will take 100 mg for three days and check the results.

About clonazepam. I used it a couple of times, but i ordered it from the Internet (reliable sources). When i used citalopram i took it for a week, and after 4 a 5 days my dp decreased. So that was a pretty good experience. I also took i when i was off ssri and took no other meds, and it helped really against the drowsiness, tired foggy head. I visited 1 doctor and 2 psychiatrist and none would prescribe my clonazepam due the dangers of benzodiazapinnes and that the consensus in western Europe and America is that benzo's aren't beneficial in cases of dissociation. I told them about my positive experiences and that of other here , and showed them papers of IoP and even offered him a e-mail contact with Dr David of the IoP. But he refused (the ignorance, single loop learners). (That is of my chest!)

We will see. I pretty functional now and working on my bachelor thesis. 
Cialis looks nice! I will discuss it with my psy.

Are you taking any meds nowadays?


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## ThreePlateDan (Aug 30, 2008)

> I'm not feeling very tired or drowsy. This is the third day, and is helping me a bit. My psy gave me the free hand to consider taking 75 or 100mg. So tonight i will take 100 mg for three days and check the results.


This is great news. I hope the increase works out for you!



> Are you taking any meds nowadays?


Yep, I'm taking abilify another atypical antipsychotic. Am also taking Adderall for drowsiness, but now that I'm off Lexapro, which may have been causing the drowsiness, hopefully I can taper this drug down.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Many doctors have a bias about benzodiazepines that is more often based on ideology and not fact. They can be hard to get but it's not so bad in canada as compared to the US. Clonazepam is a very effective benzo and due to it's long half life is not as addictive as a short acting benzo such as alprazolam (xanax) and lorazepam (ativan).

Ive been on it for almost 3 years now and i havent had any problems with it at all. Im certainly not psychologically addicted to it though i am physically addicted to it. My dp/dr, brain fog and anxiety have been in remission for the 3 years ive been on it so it's been a drug thats worked really well for me.

As for seroquel ive taken it on and off for about 2 years or so for bipolar disorder. It works pretty well for that and has litterally saved my life on a few occasions by calming me down. It knocks out mania but unfortunatly it takes about a hour and a half to work. Thats a long time when your in a mixed state. It also helps the depression side as well. I would much rather try zyprexa but i can't afford it.

The main side effects of seroquel are drowsiness and weight gain. The weight gain with seroquel isint nearly as bad as with other atypical anti-psychotics such as zyprexa and clozapine. But it can get bad for some people. The drowsiness can be a good thing if your bipolar but for dp/dr it wouldnt be im guessing. I like something that can actually put me to sleep. Seroquel does not have any sexual side effects really so thats a big plus about this drug.

As for treating depersonalization i really don't think atypical anti-psychotics should be a first choice or even a second choice. Benzodiazepines are a much more effective and safer option but due to the stigma surrounding these drugs doctors often throw seroquel at anyone walking through the door.

I can't say if seroquel helped my dp/dr at all because it was already in remission thanks to clonazepam when i got put on it. It does not seem to work overly well though from what ive seen. All the same give it a shot if for nothing else then to shut your doctor up.


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## ThreePlateDan (Aug 30, 2008)

Comfortably Numb,
Very informative post. I generally agree that klonopin is the 1st choice for dp/dr as I've seen so many being helped by it. But I've seen enough people be helped with atypicals (including myself) that I'd have to put that at 2nd.

BTW, do you suffer from any tiredness from the klono. For me, even though it helped some with the dp, I was too drowsy.

Dan


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## ThreePlateDan (Aug 30, 2008)

Wael,
Has the increase in Seroquel helped with the dp some more.
Thanks,
Dan


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## wael (Sep 5, 2008)

heez,

I took 100 mg for about 6 days. The increase didn't do much for me, only a increase of a side-effect (feeling that i was going to faint a couple of times), im now back to 50 mg and my (illegal) 0.5 mg clonazepam in the morning and 0.5 at dinner. The feeling i have is quite good. Although i feel numb, my fear level decreased and im very capable to do things. Im in the pure dissociated state in which i'm comfortable. Im feeling better than on citalopram only, because i have less thought of all kind of fears.
Maybe i will try this combo for a couple of weeks and see i can hold on to this stable state. Although i can try abilify. And im thinking about sertraline combined with clonazepam as other possibilities which can also decrease my dissociation. 
First trying to convince my psy that clonazepam is really helped me and that is a ethical mistake if he doesn't describe it  it also saves money and safer!
And i have to learn not to stick my head to much into works of Camus, Nietzsche and other existentialistic philosophers, although i quite like it.

Greeting,
wael


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## Cranz (Jul 19, 2008)

Hey guys
I have been on seroquel 100mg for about 2 months now and i havent noticed much change in my DP/DR symptoms....although it has helped with my anxiety a little.
I told my psyc that they arent working and they are giving me headaches...but he said give them more time...he also gave me some Zoloft(which i had befor and does nothing) to take in the morning just 50mg. I am on my first day of this combination and am feeling a little pissed off because this docter wont seem to let up about the seroquel. He said the DP/DR symptoms are psychotic symptoms so they use anti psychotics.

Anybody tried this combination ?? 
Should i trust his judgment or try another doctor ?? does anybody know a good psyc in Sydney Australia ?

Thanks 
JC


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## ThreePlateDan (Aug 30, 2008)

JC,
I tried Seroquel and it helped my dp almost right away. I think it can help many who suffer from dp. But it's not helping you. Two months is a LONG time to try the medication without success. It's time to move on to something else. You could try another antipsychotic like abilify, which I'm currently on to successfully combat dp, or you could try clonezapam through which many have found dp relief.
Dan


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## Cranz (Jul 19, 2008)

I want to try different meds but my doc wont leave seroquel alone. I wanna try luvox or something like that but noooo i cant cause of my doc grrr wat should i do i am so frustrated and worried i also wanna steer clear of antipsychotics because of the risk of TD help help


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## ThreePlateDan (Aug 30, 2008)

Sorry your doc is so stubborn. If the Seroquel is helping with anxiety you could even try upping the dose to see if it helps further. My guess is that the risk of TD is pretty minimal, so I wouldn't put too much weight in your decision on that. Atypicals like Seroquel and Abilify are pretty safe as long as you have regular checkups with a psychiatrist who is monitoring your symptoms closely.

Luvox is good if you are also suffering from OCD. From my personal experience it also helps a bit with dp, but not much. Lexapro helped me quite a bit more with dp, but I'm only one person.


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## Cranz (Jul 19, 2008)

So you think the TD risk is minimal....hmmmm it still bugs me everyday that i take it...i hate taking it. lol
I wanna try other drugs but just cant seem to get my psyc to help me with that
Any tips


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## ThreePlateDan (Aug 30, 2008)

> I wanna try other drugs but just cant seem to get my psyc to help me with that
> Any tips


How long does your doc want you to try the Seroquel? If you don't know then ask for a date. Would increasing the dose make the length of time shortened? If so, this might be a good bet, esp. since the Seroquel is helping the anxiety. Lessening anxiety, btw, is very important in battling dp!

You could always go to another doc but I know that can be a pain. Probably better to wait it out if the length of time can be made to be a reasonable amount.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Out of all the atypicals seroquel has about the least chance of causing TD or extrapyramidal side effects. I have only seen one case of a person having TD while on seroquel and this person originally developed TD while on a totally insane dose of zyprexa.

So it had more to do with the negligence of the stupid doctor that put this person on a dose of zyprexa that was way above recomended or sane doses.

As to the person that asked if clonazepam ever caused me any drowsiness no it hasent. In fact when i first started taking it my energy increased probably because the dp/dr and brain fog lifted so i no longer felt like a robot with chronic fatigue syndrome.


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## university girl (Aug 11, 2004)

hey man, u can message me about it. lots of experience here.


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