Low-dose Seroquel (25mg) for insomnia?

[Blueskies]

Hi everyone. I am new here. I wanted to also comment on Seroquel. I have fibromyalgia and CFS. I recently saw a very reputable infectious disease specialist who immediately told me to stop Ambien and take 25 mg of Seroquel.

I was also shocked when I looked it up on the internet and saw it was prescribed to schizophrenia. I don't want to screw up my mind anymore than it already is.....

I have been alternating taking Restoril 22.5 mg, or Ambien 15mg or Ambien CR with added 5 mg. Lunesta made me sick the next morning.

I have the added problem of digestive problems. No appetite until late at night - so weird.

I have yet to try Elavil 10 mg or Seroquel 25 mg. I will ask another doctor I see tomorrow about Seroquel tomorrow. I know it is all "trial and error" with any meds. Something needs to help me one day.

I am trying to get up the courage to try Seroquel. It sounds stupid but I am so sensitive to meds.

Has anyone tried 25 mg of Seroquel? How did you feel the next morning and did you sleep through the night?

Thanks

[Randy]

25 MG will not mess with your mind. It is like a "childrens asprin" compared to 150 mg.
However it is easy for a doctor to say, "stop taking ambien". Going cold turkey off ambien or any benzo like drug is another matter.
Try the Seroquel. You might feel a little SLOW but that goes away.
It does work for many people.

Dont let the "schizophrenia" label stop you. Take Wellbutrin for example. The same medicine that is used as an anti depressant is also widely used as a smoking cessastion
drug.

[Blueskies]

Thanks for the reply. Today I went to my regular doctor who was against any Seroquel. My problem is I am on another drug that controls fibromyalgia called Subutex 16 mg day. I don't know if that contributes to the sleeping problem. This all started about 1 1/2 yrs ago - just could not sleep.

I have been alternating with Ambien, and Restoril. Today doctor says the best thing is to take NO sleep meds and learn to meditate. I told him I do know how to meditate - it just does not work for me. I wish it was that easy.

Today he gave me one more sleep med to try, Halcion 25 mg. I may not even get it filled. I would love to stop all sleep meds. I also have Rozerum which he says takes weeks to start working - and people are just not patient to wait for it to work. Also tried Lunesta which worked but made me sick the next day. Also Elavil which I did not try, and Tradazone which made me sick.

My major problem with taking sleep meds is being tired the next day - lack of motivation. In fact I don't feel like doing anything until around 3 pm. I am happy to get to sleep but waking up is another story. I need to keep learning and try to overcome this problem if possible.

There is just no easy answer.

[Blueskies]

Yes, I may try the Seroquel. Have you tried it yourself?

Thank you for the reponse...

[Randy]

Yes I have used it but I prefer Doxepin (because it helps me STAY asleep) and Lunesta.

Doctors kill me, "Just meditate."
I am sure that works for some but if it is pain that is keeping you awake you might want to consider Ultram. It has a slight sedative action with decent pain killing properties.
You have to try a lot of different things to find what works best for you.
I will tell you this, lack of sleep will make fybromilagia feel even worse.

[Blueskies]

Thank you for the response. Yes I have fibromyalgia and not sleeping brings on huge problems. Right now I am just back to regular Ambien. For some reason Lunesta makes me nauseated the entire next day.

I have the problem of being over sedated the next day. I have to take enough of the med to get me to sleep, then I am down the next day.

I have tried Restoril also and it is okay except it takes a couple of hours to work. I rotate from Restoril to Ambien. The other day the doctor gave me 5 Halcion to try. I may not even get it filled. I hate having to take anything.

This all started a couple of years ago, and I don't know why. How long have you had a sleep problem?

[Randy]

I am a little different than most sleep deprived individuals. I have had sleep problems from early childhood to now, my mid forties. I am bipolar. So I have along history of sleep problems. My mind just will not shut up and let me rest. I have picked up my share of physical ailments over the years mostly due to wild and dangerous behavior that often accompanies a manic personality. You can only break so many bones before it catches up to you. I have been medicating for sleep for about 15 years. I have tried practically everything under the sun. I never have had a 8 hour sleep (except on some medications that nobody should be using for insomnia) that was refreshing. 8 hours is no good if you are feeling hungover.

You have to approach each medicine with an open mind. One experience I would like to share is Lunesta, not to push that drug but to illustrate a point.

The first time I tried Lunesta it did not work. I was just to revved up for it to make any difference. I went back to Klonopin and Ambien. A few months later my shrink had some samples for lunesta and I tried it again.
This time it worked. You never can be sure what will help you.
It might be a cough syrup or it might take a strong benzo but dont give up trying!!

[Blueskies]

Hi, thank you for your reply. I don't know what Bi Polar is, but last year I had a short appt with a psychiatrist to evaluate my meds. He was so rude, I could barely answer his questions. He was so irritated. Anyway, at the conclusion, he announced I was either Adult ADD, or Bi Polar. I might have given him some thought, but I hardly answered any of his questions, and never went back.

I am more isolated from the world. It is incredible how it has happened over time. I don't know what that disorder is. I can't even believe I have a business.

I have tried Lunesta several times and at first thought it was great but felt really depressed the next day. Then I started getting the nausea. I have a real problem with a poor appetite and sensitive digestive system so any med that aggravates that worries me.

Wow, it is always something!!!

Again thanks for reassuring me about sleep meds. Yes, I have to admit I must have sleep and not feel guilty about taking meds. Right now I am doing best with plain Ambien, about 15 mg at bedtime. I hope to stay away from Restoril if possible.

[Juleen11]

I know it's now April, but hopefully you are still checking for post updates. I have had a difficult time sleeping all my life and it's worse now that I'm older. I was diagnosed with GAD (general anxiety disorder)and PD(panic disorder) officially 6 weeks ago. My doctor put me on Xanax, taken as needed. It helped me to relax at night. I had tried every over the counter sleep aid I could get my hands on. Nothing worked. But my neighbor gave me some Seroquel when I told her I have trouble sleeping. Yes, it works!! I have 100mg and 200mg tabs. When I don't want to feel groggy in the morning, allowed only 7-8 hours of sleep, I cut the 100mg tabs and take a 1/2 or a 1/3. My doctor recently prescribed Ambien CR, it's what I asked for. It doesn't work for me. I've taken it three nights in a row and I still wake up at least twice during the night, and it doesn't help me fall asleep any faster. It's pretty sad, I've had a full interrupted 8 hours of sleep maybe twice in the last 3 months. My advice is to find a doctor who will prescribe you Seroquel at a low dosage such as 25mg and then you can take two if it's not strong enough. The next morning I may start off a little slow, but then I'm back to normal in no time. Hope this helps!

[squidi141]

Don't take Seroquel. Its consequences are pretty severe. I actually became an Insomniac due to Seroquel. It messes with your Neuro-chemical pathways in a really destructive manner. Don't take it.

[Jasmine]

My two cents. I was prescribed seroquel in place of ambien (because of my addiction to it). I was on 100 mg/night. I'm a 35 year old female, 5'9", 150 lbs. Seroquel helped with sleep a little, but I had the worse nightmares on them, and always woke up extremely depressed, and a zombie through most of the day. But, those side effects were like a walk in the park compared to the worst side effect: weight gain. I gained 30 lbs in 4 months. I've always been thin and in shape all my life, and there was nothing I could do to control this. I even hired a personal trainer and worked out 4 times a week, with lots of cardio, and put on a good diet, etc. Didn't loose 1 lb. My doctor told me that my efforts to loose weight were fruitless as long I was on the med, and I could only expect to gain more weight.

Needless to say, I'm off th stuff. It's only been a few days, but I'm feeling alot better. Exhausted, but better emotionally. This drug has also been linked to diabetes, so hence the weight gain has been significant to cause this problem as well.

Just want to warn everybody about this because the docs don't tell ya. Think long and hard and do your research before considering this drug.
~Jasmine

[RickInGA]

I take 450 mg of Seroquel nightly for bipolar and I fight insomnia regularly.

[sukie]

Hello:

I have taken seroquel for about 4 years. But I wasn’t going to take it because of all the scary side effects like tardive diskensia. But at the same time I was going nuts. In the meantime my doctor told me that the people who get tardive diskensia usually take it on very high doses like 900 mg for many months or years and even then he had only seen one case. Under those circumstances I took it. And I am glad I did. It has completely changed my life. If I didn’t take it I am sure I would either be dead or on psychic ward. I take 100 mg for 5 nights and then zoplicon for 2 nights. After 5 nights on seroquel it seems to slightly lose its effect but after the 2nd night on zoplicon I have a great sleep on seroquel. If necessary take a higher dose until you find what works for you. I have talked to people who need to take higher doses than me and they are just doing fine. For some people low doses just don’t do the trick and if they refuse to go higher they may miss out on something that could really help them. I know the hell you people are going through. Everyone reacts differently and yet some of us react similarly. If one medication doesn’t work we need to try another with caution. Our lives and insanity are on the line. I am really surprised at Moss’s reaction. Seroquel has helped so many people.

[sukie]

Hello:

I have taken seroquel for about 4 years. But I wasn’t going to take it because of all the scary side effects like tardive diskensia. But at the same time I was going nuts. In the meantime my doctor told me that the people who get tardive diskensia usually take it on very high doses like 900 mg for many months or years and even then he had only seen one case. Under those circumstances I took it. And I am glad I did. It has completely changed my life. If I didn’t take it I am sure I would either be dead or on psychic ward. I take 100 mg for 5 nights and then zoplicon for 2 nights. After 5 nights on seroquel it seems to slightly lose its effect but after the 2nd night on zoplicon I have a great sleep on seroquel. If necessary take a higher dose until you find what works for you. I have talked to people who need to take higher doses than me and they are just doing fine. For some people low doses just don’t do the trick and if they refuse to go higher they may miss out on something that could really help them. I know the hell you people are going through. Everyone reacts differently and yet some of us react similarly. If one medication doesn’t work we need to try another with caution. Our lives and insanity are on the line. I am really surprised at Moss’s reaction. Seroquel has helped so many people.

[vaboris]

I posted about seroquel on another post but got no response...

I currently take a lower dose of seroquel combined with temazepam. Seroquel in high doses are prescribed for bi-polar and other disorders.

I know everyone is different but this combo has really helped me sleep. Also, seeing a new doctor did wonders for me as well.

Good luck everyone!