Seroquel is also known as Quetiapine. It is sometimes referred to as Quetine, which is just a brand name for quetiapine. It is an anti-psychotic drug used to treat various mental conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. It also used to treat depression, usually associated with bipolar disorder.
I was prescribed Seroquel to help with my mood, but also to help knock me out at night when I was having trouble sleeping and needed something stronger than Valium. The very first time I took it was in a very small dose, and it definitely worked wonders to help me sleep. Unfortunately, the next day I was a complete non-functioning zombie. Although I liked its sedative effect, I didn’t like being in zombie mode the next day so I stopped taking it and threw away what I had left of it. Several years later I was back on it again, but this time I didn’t feel the zombie like effects. In this post I will share my personal experience with the drug and also some Seroquel reviews from other people I know that have been on it or are still on it.
Seroquel Half Life
Seroquel has a half life of about 6 hours. This means it will take approximately 6 hours for half of the drug to leave your system. In a further 6 hours another half of what remains will be out of your system. In around 30 hours the drug will be completely out of your system.
How Long Does Seroquel Take To Work?
It takes approximately one and a half hours for Seroquel to reach its peak level. Usually the sedative effects of Seroquel are felt fairly rapidly. If you are taking slow release Seroquel, it will take approximately 6 hours for its full effect to be felt.
Seroquel Side Effects While Still Taking It
While it can be a very effective drug for its intended use, unfortunately there are plenty of Seroquel side effects. These include:
Drowsiness
Tiredness
Constipation
Weight gain
Dry mouth
Dizziness
Light headedness
There are plenty of other Seroquel side effects but these are the main ones. You can read about more side effects in the rest of this post that both myself and other people have experienced. Make sure you discuss any side effects you are having with your doctor, especially if they are more serious such as an increase in anxiety and depression, suicidal thoughts or persistent nausea. They can then adjust your dose of the drug accordingly or find an alternative medication for you.
Seroquel Side Effects Withdrawal
The Seroquel side effects for withdrawal can be quite different to the initial side effects you may have experienced from taking the drug. Depending on the length of time you have been on it and also what dose you are on, the withdrawal effects of Seroquel can be quite extreme. Further in this post I will share some Seroquel horror stories of others that have had difficulty withdrawing from the drug. The usual withdrawal effects that have been listed are:
Vomiting
Nausea
Increased heart rate
Dizziness
Agitation
Abdominal cramps and pain
Restlessness
Irritability
Muscle pain and muscle paralysis
Seroquel And Alcohol
Seroquel is most definitely a drug that you should not mix with alcohol. Not only can alcohol make it harder for Seroquel to work effectively, it can exacerbate the side effects that some people get from the drug.
I have previously been on Seroquel and knew the dangers of mixing it with alcohol. For that reason, when I drank I would not take my nightly dose of Seroquel. That is until one night when I completely forgot and took the medication after having a few drinks. Somewhere around an hour later, my legs collapsed from beneath me. I didn’t feel dizzy or faint, but my legs just completely gave way. I got myself back to my feet and collapsed again. I managed to drag myself off to bed and was feeling fine again the next day. That was the first and only time I have ever mixed Seroquel with alcohol.
My friend who was staying with me at the time got a great laugh out of it and said my wobbling legs reminded her of Tucker from the movie There’s something about Mary in the scene where he drops his keys in Mary’s office. Youtube video below!
Seroquel Horror Stories
There are concerns over soaring rates of prescriptions of Seroquel and the various side effects that is having on people. In the above article one user reported that she had trouble walking and it would freeze and shut down her muscle system. I guess that is a little like what I felt when I mixed Seroquel with alcohol. That same user also reported developing a heart condition called tachycardia, which is where the heart beats extremely fast for an extended period of time.
In this article, another user who was on a high dose for an extended period of time reported several major issues, including weight loss, tachycardia, amnesia and partial paralysis and even had to stay in a psychiatric drug withdrawal clinic in her attempts to get herself off the drug.
Another user also reported severe issues when they would miss a dose of the drug. There are plenty of horror stories of Seroquel use around the internet, but fortunately for me and also a few of my friends who take it the only issue they have had is with weight gain from Seroquel use.
Seroquel Weight Gain
After reading about other people’s horror stories with Seroquel I can consider myself one of the lucky ones. The main long-term issue I had from taking the drug was weight gain. I have two other friends who have experienced the same effect, but more extreme than my situation.
I am someone who is a healthy weight and no matter what I do or what I eat, I never seem to put weight on. That is until I started taking Seroquel regularly. It didn’t take long at all for me to add 10kg to my 80kg frame. I felt sluggish and out of shape and it really effected my self-esteem now that I was essentially overweight. I found the drug was fantastic for my insomnia and I was sleeping up to 12 hours a night when I took it. But because of the weight gain, and knowing the experience of some friends who had also gained weight with longer term use, I decided to stop taking it. Fortunately, I was able to shed most of the extra weight over time.
One friend that I have was on Seroquel both to help with bipolar and also to treat insomnia. Due to her racing thoughts, she would have great difficulty sleeping. Sometimes she would be up for 2 days at a time because she couldn’t seem to slow the thoughts down. The Seroquel helped greatly at treating that, but unfortunately for her it also came with some side effects. Seroquel weight gain was a lot more extreme for her than it was for me. Over the course of around 6 months, she went from weighing around 60kg to weighing over 100kg. She had almost doubled her weight, and had gone from a healthy weight to being quite overweight. The Seroquel definitely worked for her sleep issues, but due to the unwanted weight gain she decided to stop taking it just like I had.
I also have another friend who is on Seroquel for its anti-psychotic effects and to treat his bipolar disorder. I have known this friend since high school and he was always fairly fit and definitely in a healthy weight range. He now weighs around 50kg more than he used to when he wasn’t taking Seroquel and obviously it has brought about a few other health issues.
While myself and my friends mentioned above experienced the dreaded Seroquel weight gain, it is important to note that not everyone will experience the same effect. Some people have even reported weight loss from taking the drug. Unfortunately, it has different effects on different people so you will have to monitor your own situation and consult with your doctor depending on your individual side effects.
Where I Am At Now
These days, I am proud to report that I am medication free. No more Seroquel or antidepressants or any other drug to treat my anxiety and depression. I can thank two products for helping me to get to this position and neither of them required any medication or ongoing costs.
The first product that helped my anxiety is called Panic Away. I was basically able to significantly reduce my anxiety levels (I know the product page says it can eliminate your anxiety and panic attacks, but for me I got a massive reduction in symptoms rather than complete elimination) which allowed me to function on a daily basis so much easier. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and agoraphobia. Because of this product I have almost no trouble leaving the house now and I think it is safe to say I no longer have agoraphobia. Because of the reduced anxiety I find it much easier to get to sleep now and also much easier to get through everyday tasks.
Click here to check out Panic Away
The other product that has helped me is one called Destroy Depression. This is a CBT based course which breaks down step by step how to treat your depression using a 7 step process and combining CBT into the mix. CBT has been proven to be very effective when it comes to mental health. After I was able to mostly get rid of my anxiety using Panic Away, I found it much easier to concentrate and take in and implement the strategies I learned in Destroy Depression, which has had a very positive impact on my major depressive disorder that I have been battling for over 10 years now. The more often I use what I learn in the course the easier it gets to implement. I also go back and read the course again every few weeks as there is plenty of useful information in it and it is the best way to keep it all fresh in my mind.
Click here to check out Destroy Depression
If you have a story you want to share about your experience with Seroquel you can leave a comment below.
Please note – the product links on this page are affiliate links, meaning I receive a commission if you make a purchase through that link. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me to keep the website running.
