Please read this if you take Seroquel XR--I need help!

xXMollySarusXx
xXMollySarusXx Posts: 46
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello guys(:
I have taken Seroquel XR for about 3-4 months now to treat/deal with insomnia and the need of just soundless sleep due to nightmares, and at first it was a miracle drug. I used to be able to take one pill at 7pm, and by 9 or 10, I was out like a light. It felt like sedation almost--in the way that you tell yourself you can stay awake, but find yourself drooling on a pillow seconds later? Now, things have changed....a LOT.
Nowadays, I have to take it at 3 or 4 in the afternoon to fall asleep by 11 pm, and I actually have dreams now. However, that is not a good thing, because I never can sleep unmedicated without having a night terror--literally every night, I have a bad dream, and then the next morning it stays in my brain and I can't function properly. So now I'm kinda stumped, and I know you guys can't do anything about the sleep issue, but the main point of me writing this was to see what the heck was up with my appetite?
Ever since starting Seroquel, I have had a MAJOR craving for sugar at all times, and an uncontrollable hunger that can't be satiated. I told the Doctor, but he didn't have much concern. But this has made me GAIN a significant amount of weight, and my new lifestyle has practically been shot in the head. I was recently informed by my shrink (who seems to know more about it than the actual doctor) that because Seroquel is a tranquilizer, you feel groggy and the opposite of energetic all day, and this causes the extreme cravings, because your body is confused why it's tired, and just says "feed me!"
I go back to the doctor soon, but I was just wondering if anyone else had these problems. Btw, I wrote this at 2-ish in the AM, which is no coincidence lol.

Replies

  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,364 Member
    why would they give you an anti-depressant to help with sleep? :huh: :cry:
  • wikkedpink
    wikkedpink Posts: 23 Member
    I used to take Seroquel (a pretty high dose) for a few years... it pretty much just turned off my "I'm full" part of my brain and I'd crave EVERYTHING and could eat all day, I ended up gaining over 80 pounds very quickly and became insulin resistant (I found that out after the back of my neck started turning black, also known as acanthosis nigricans, which can happen when you have insulin resistance/diabetes.) My psychiatrist at the time was just like "oh well, it has nothing to do with the drug." Basically like "you're just fat." Bullcrap, I've always been a little chubby but I didn't become huge until I took this drug. Then once I stopped taking it, the acanthosis nigricans completely went away and I dropped 80 pounds within a year without even trying to lose weight and my appetite went back to normal, along with all my blood test results. (I've since gained a lot back after maintaining for years because I quit smoking, but I'm working it off now.) Seroquel had a lawsuit a while ago for causing diabetes, LOTS of weight gain, pancreatitis, etc... it is definitely not a friendly drug... I'd talk to your doctor about an alternative or get a second opinion, especially since you're experiencing side effects. Good luck!
  • georgina1970
    georgina1970 Posts: 333 Member
    Hi, Most sleeping pills loose their effectiveness over time because your body develops a tolerance to it. I can't help with the night terrors but it sounds like you are seeing a professional for that. Side effects of medication or no longer working should always be discussed with your doctor, even if you're not due to see him/her yet.
    Perhaps if you eat a low GI diet this will help with your cravings/hunger. Low GI is essentially eating foods that raise blood sugar slowly. This keeps them fairly even throughout the day
    The advice I give the my clients about a healthy diet for weight loss and a healthy heart is this:
    eat a variety of whole grains throughout the day (whole grain bread, whole meal pasta or a mix of 50/50 with white pasta; brown rice, or again a 50/50 mix with white rice; couscous is really easy and quick to make a salad with as well. These whole grains slow digestion and keep you feeling full for longer.
    Lean protein (meat with all visible fat removed,) fish, eggs, low fat milk, yoghurt, cheese, beans (kidney, green, edamame, chickpeas etc. (good for maintaing and building new muscle cells when you're increasing exercise or changing your workout.)
    Fruit and vegetables - a variety if different colours but a minimum of 5 servings per day. These are what give you the right nutrients for staying well, and assisting recovery after a hard workout.
    Water - 6-8glasses per day, more when you exercise. Amount depends on how hard you work out or sweat.
    Keep strong, and be persistent.
  • Odiliawine
    Odiliawine Posts: 116 Member
    I'm not certain who gave you Seroquel for nightmares, but I think your doctors might want to revisit that decision because Seroquel is mainly used for auditory hallucinations. Trazodone works much better as a sedative and Prazosin works great as a night terror buffer. It is pretty normal to be starving after taking Seroquel though, so don't think that you're alone in that. I once worked with a girl who lost over 100 pounds in a year just because we lowered her Seroquel, and that's after her being on a strict diet for years. All in all I think that you need to revisit using Seroquel just as a sedative because it is meant for sooo much more.

    The only reason I know all of this is because I work at a mental health residential center for adolescents and most of them are on 5-10 different kinds of meds and I've been acting as their med nurse for almost a year now. However, this is all just my opinion and what I've seen myself and know these meds to do.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    I use Trazadone and and have no side effects. I also have used ambien with good results.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    Night terrors are no fun. Therapy and counselling to get over past issues helped me. Keep up with the therapy and ask the doctor for a change of meds. Any med ruining your life like that is not acceptable? Keep fighting for them to. Work, hard to. Find something that works for you and you feel good on x
  • DivaLuvsDisney
    DivaLuvsDisney Posts: 75 Member
    I take regular Seroquel at night (and have been for a while). Sometimes it hits me like a brick and I'm out cold and sometimes I have to take some Benedryl to help me fall asleep. I myself have not experienced the extreme hunger or any weight gain, but I've heard of it happening. I used to have nightmares and took Prazosin to help with them. It worked very well. Sometimes you really have to push your doctors to change drugs. Don't take "No" for an answer. Tell them you aren't stepping foot out of their office until they prescribe you something else.
  • toomuchbootyindapants
    toomuchbootyindapants Posts: 811 Member
    Can you ask your doc for klonopin instead and get off the seroquel? That stuff is icky. I've watched family members use it and not only gain weight but start rocking back and forth and get all zombie-like. Yikes.
  • HalloweenGirl7
    HalloweenGirl7 Posts: 123 Member
    I'm not certain who gave you Seroquel for nightmares, but I think your doctors might want to revisit that decision because Seroquel is mainly used for auditory hallucinations. Trazodone works much better as a sedative and Prazosin works great as a night terror buffer. It is pretty normal to be starving after taking Seroquel though, so don't think that you're alone in that. I once worked with a girl who lost over 100 pounds in a year just because we lowered her Seroquel, and that's after her being on a strict diet for years. All in all I think that you need to revisit using Seroquel just as a sedative because it is meant for sooo much more.

    The only reason I know all of this is because I work at a mental health residential center for adolescents and most of them are on 5-10 different kinds of meds and I've been acting as their med nurse for almost a year now. However, this is all just my opinion and what I've seen myself and know these meds to do.


    THIS!
    This is a heavy duty medication used for hallucinations. NOT for sleep! I would try to get a 2nd opinion. I have taken it and when I switched Dr's they were stunned that someone would give me that heavy of a medication when I did not need it. The Seroquel and Risperdal are notorious for weight gain! It DOES have something to do with your meds. And to not care about it is the sign that you need to switch Dr.s. I hope you can find one that listens to all your needs and doesn't just want to give you a band aid. Good luck sweetie! All the best. :-)
  • tgdillon
    tgdillon Posts: 35
    Hello guys(:
    I have taken Seroquel XR for about 3-4 months now to treat/deal with insomnia and the need of just soundless sleep due to nightmares, and at first it was a miracle drug. I used to be able to take one pill at 7pm, and by 9 or 10, I was out like a light. It felt like sedation almost--in the way that you tell yourself you can stay awake, but find yourself drooling on a pillow seconds later? Now, things have changed....a LOT.
    Nowadays, I have to take it at 3 or 4 in the afternoon to fall asleep by 11 pm, and I actually have dreams now. However, that is not a good thing, because I never can sleep unmedicated without having a night terror--literally every night, I have a bad dream, and then the next morning it stays in my brain and I can't function properly. So now I'm kinda stumped, and I know you guys can't do anything about the sleep issue, but the main point of me writing this was to see what the heck was up with my appetite?
    Ever since starting Seroquel, I have had a MAJOR craving for sugar at all times, and an uncontrollable hunger that can't be satiated. I told the Doctor, but he didn't have much concern. But this has made me GAIN a significant amount of weight, and my new lifestyle has practically been shot in the head. I was recently informed by my shrink (who seems to know more about it than the actual doctor) that because Seroquel is a tranquilizer, you feel groggy and the opposite of energetic all day, and this causes the extreme cravings, because your body is confused why it's tired, and just says "feed me!"
    I go back to the doctor soon, but I was just wondering if anyone else had these problems. Btw, I wrote this at 2-ish in the AM, which is no coincidence lol.
  • tgdillon
    tgdillon Posts: 35
    Seroquol should not be used as a sleeping aid. I work in a psychiatric hospital and this is not the intent of the drug. You should seek a second opinion.
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
    I have taken seroquel and it did make me gain a lot of weight. I just could never stop eating no matter what. I have also heard reports of people that get up in the middle of the night and sleep eat. I never did this but scary to hear about. It has a sleep component to it, but is mainly used to treat depression and more specifically bi-polar patients. People typically get used to the sleep portion of the drug and I know a couple people that regularly take it during the day with out getting sleepy.

    From seroquels front page of their website

    Weight gain has been reported with SEROQUEL XR and SEROQUEL. Your doctor should check your weight regularly
  • sheshappynow
    sheshappynow Posts: 88 Member
    I take seroquel for depression and a sleep aide. I can't say it causes weight gain because the weight has always been there:). I can say that I don't like the feeling of groggy half the day when I awake in the mornings. But... my hope is to get off some weight and then hopefully get off all medicine. Let's face it... when the added weight is gone so are some of the issues that actually caused us to gain.. such as years of abuse, trauma, low self esteem etc... when we start working on our outsides we need to always remember to continue working on our insides as well. and together we can do this! I recommend you get a second opinion on your medicine and go from there. Hope everything works out for you.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    I will never take Seroquel ever again. It's a horrible drug. I was put on it for insomnia and anxiety while detoxing off of heroin but was then kept on it because then I couldn't sleep without it. I was taking 25mg in the morning, 25mg at noon, 400mg about 2 hours before bed, then another 200mg right before bed. My appetite was insane but more importantly I was a zombie all day. I felt restless but tired (which is pretty similar to heroin withdrawal but this lasted months after) and got super depressed. I finally forced myself off of it by abruptly stopping while increasing my Ativan (benzo, anti anxiety drug) and Subutex (partial opioid agonist, used for minimizing heroin/opioid withdrawal symptoms). I'm never going back.
  • Bobtheangrytomato
    Bobtheangrytomato Posts: 251 Member
    I've taken Vistaril for sleep---non addictive and works well. It's similar to benadryl but stronger.
  • amandakev88
    amandakev88 Posts: 328 Member
    I'm not certain who gave you Seroquel for nightmares, but I think your doctors might want to revisit that decision because Seroquel is mainly used for auditory hallucinations. Trazodone works much better as a sedative and Prazosin works great as a night terror buffer. It is pretty normal to be starving after taking Seroquel though, so don't think that you're alone in that. I once worked with a girl who lost over 100 pounds in a year just because we lowered her Seroquel, and that's after her being on a strict diet for years. All in all I think that you need to revisit using Seroquel just as a sedative because it is meant for sooo much more.

    The only reason I know all of this is because I work at a mental health residential center for adolescents and most of them are on 5-10 different kinds of meds and I've been acting as their med nurse for almost a year now. However, this is all just my opinion and what I've seen myself and know these meds to do.


    THIS!
    This is a heavy duty medication used for hallucinations. NOT for sleep! I would try to get a 2nd opinion. I have taken it and when I switched Dr's they were stunned that someone would give me that heavy of a medication when I did not need it. The Seroquel and Risperdal are notorious for weight gain! It DOES have something to do with your meds. And to not care about it is the sign that you need to switch Dr.s. I hope you can find one that listens to all your needs and doesn't just want to give you a band aid. Good luck sweetie! All the best. :-)

    its used for many things, not just hallucinations. unless you guys know what you're talking about, shh..its used for depression, anxiety, sleep problems, bipolar disorder, and several other things.

    i know im late. but you CAN lose weight on seroquel. ask for topamax as a seoquel additive. its weight negative, cancels out seroquel weight gain since its weight positive, also, you gotta remember that not everybody who uses it gains weight. there are people out there with eight-pack abs that take it. see about lowering your dose, and getting out more. 25-50 is good for sleep. even less
  • fayana9x
    fayana9x Posts: 1
    Hi, I have been taking Seroquil XR for over 4 year's now. I have expereienced very excessive weight gain. i went up from 210 lbs to 299 lb in 2 year's. I found out it was what was making me gain weight. There was a period of time that whole two year's where iwas majorly depressed and I ate like it. One day i sat in my room and ate a whole pint of death by chocolate icecream and watched memuors of a geasha 3 times in a a row. I had been put into the mental hospital and they put me on zyprecxia which did not work with my body. I ended up jumping out of my window barefoot and walking 30 mile's. Seroquil worked but it made me a zombie and I stayed in my room crying for two year's. I spent the last two summers playing vollyball and i had got down to 213lbs, but now I have gained 30 lb's in 6 month's , 20 in the last two month's. I can say if the drug is bad or good. But I can say if i did not have it I would of never come back to my mind. I have phycosis/bipolar. So I did see halutionations. i do hear voices. I do have a weight problem. I do sleep eat and i do have terrible dream's.
    I started out on 1600 mg of seroquil and iam down to 450mg. I was doing better at 600mg. But my doc thinks I was ready for less. It is the devil but the phycosis without it is way more scary. YOu can lose the weight. If you can stick to a vegan diet forsure. If you go out and get 8 hours of a sport you will lose weight. Don't go back if you go back to meat and dariy you will plump up like the blueberry in willywanka. Just try hard. Abs are made in the kitchen not in the gym. If you fail one day, try harder the next day and dont let depression stop you.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Yes, Seroquel is used for lots of different purposes. Different dosages treat different problems.

    OP, the only real advice I can give is to talk more to the doctor. While some people do fine on Seroquel with weight, it's not so easy for other people. Some people find they cannot gain control over the hunger or impulses to eat.

    Good news is that there are lots of options out there. Seroquel is an amazing medicine for those it helps, but not all side effects can be tolerated by all people.
  • melyssy
    melyssy Posts: 1
    I've been on Seroquel for about 8years now for treating Bipolar 1 ..I'm also realizing that taking this medication comes side effects that are becoming more noticeable..weight gain..faint feeling. .weakness .eating when I'm half asleep after taking the meds..like I'm starving or ..it's more like.. I better Eat or else I'll pass out! I've been needing Seroquel as a mood stabilizer and for sleep.I'm now reliant on it for sleep so..until my meds change I'm going to have to deal with these side effects. I also take Topomax and Trileptal. Topomax to offset the appetite..however looking at my weight gain I don't know what the Topomax really does?The weight gain is about 30 pounds over the course of these years..up and down rapidly..I want off. That's the plan!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Yikes!
    Seroquel is an antipsychotic not approved for sleep issues.
    It causes weight gain with major carb and sugar cravings.
    Find a new doctor who listens to you.
  • cottonta1l
    cottonta1l Posts: 33 Member
    Seroquel as a sleeping aid...? It's an anti psychotic. Granted it does knock you out, but nobody should be prescribing you it for that reason. See your doctor about changing to something else asap. Both me and one of my friends with bipolar have been prescribed that in the past, both absolutely hated it, both felt like zombies, both gained a lot of weight. In my experience it's impossible to control your eating when you're on it. Horrible drug.
  • eggomylegos
    eggomylegos Posts: 146 Member
    There is some frightening advice being offered here. Seroquel is absolutely a medication effectively used to treat insomnia. Drug companies cannot advertise its use for this purpose but doctors are allowed to prescribe it to patients who have not responded well to less severe alternatives or have additional symptoms which may receive benefit from the drug. You don't have to be psychotic to take Seroquel. I wasn't. I took it for 2 years for insomnia. It was the only medication that worked for me. I was miserable and unable to function until my doctor prescribed it.

    Yes Seroquel is known to cause weight gain in many (but not all) patients. It causes serious carb cravings within an hour or two of being taken. That side effect faded for me after a few months. I gainfd around 15 lbs and slowly lost that weight after getting accustomed to the weird hunger pangs.

    The best advice I can give, OP, is to take your concerns back to your doctor (or find a new one if yours is not responsive to your concerns) You may be able to explore additional options together. Seroquel is not the only medication out there which effectively treats insomnia. If it does not work for you, don't be afraid to keep looking until you find something better!
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    Actually, Seroquel is an anti-psychotic. Why on earth would your doctor prescribe something like that for sleep when there are other options out there without all the potential side effects?

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