I take this drug for my bipolar/depression/sleep
the following website is great at giving you a real world angle at meds like these:
http://crazymeds.us/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Meds/SeroquelXRBasicOverview?from=Seroquel.Seroquel
I use that site a lot it's an okay drug for me but then again I'm bipolar
good luck dear
tori

I am on Seroquel 100 mg at bed time, along with 30mg of Remeron and 0.5 mg of Antivan. I started out with 25 mg of Seroquel, increased gradually until I hit 100 mg. It caused Restless Leg Syndrome which I was able to control with 2 Aleve at bed time. So far so good. Have noticed some increase in appetite, but I am watching that carefully. I refuse to be fat!

So far, so good, but am very drowsy first thing in the morning. I drink Cranergy in the morning instead of coffee and it works great, but it is hard to find. Walmart has it.

I hope I have helped someone here.

I was prescribed serequil for sleep. I have chronic insomnia. It helps a lot and I have no side effects. I've been taking it for 5 years.

If you don't have a serious mental disorder that warrants taking a medication like Seroquel, you shouldn't take it. Seroquel is an Anti-psychotic normally used to control psychosis and as a mood stabilizer in BiPolar patients, it is often also used to help patients with mental illness regulate their sleep.

Seroquel in small dosages 25 mgs to 100 mgs can cause extreme sleepiness and is used as a sleep aid for BiPolar patients. When used as a mood stabilizer it is given in much higher doses, up to 1200 mgs. and the higher you go, the less the sleepy side effects there are.

GP's/PCP's should not prescribe Psych meds, they do not have the extra training required, nor do they have the experience of what patients go through when on these medications. They get samples from drug reps and start RX'ing to patients...and it can be a dangerous situation. Seroquel should not be used except for the purposes for which it was designed. It has pretty severe side effects and the only reason those of us that take it do and deal with the side effects is because we have no choice and we have a severe mental illness that has to be stabilized and controlled.

There are many other ways to combat fatigue other than to start taking an Anti-Psychotic Drug.

Kat

I have to ditto what Kat said. And add that it has been associated with several heart related disease and deaths. Vanderbilt backed Veterans suing the VA over deaths due to sudden heart failure caused by Seroquel. Also, even in severe mental cases it is only designed to be a short term med, meaning no longer than 6 to 9 weeks.

I took it and had issues with heart and blood pressure. My blood pressure would drop so low I would pass out. At one hospital trip, they actually requested a crash cart in the room with me>>>freaky. I loved it for sleep, being an insomniac that was great. But so not worth what it did to me otherwise. Especially gaining 100lbs.

I can't remember now who said it>>>but be your own self advocate! It is your body and no one will care for it like you. Educate yourself, research, and stand up for yourself. Doctors are not gods, just human, and humans often biased with earnings and kick backs from Big Pharma.

It doesn't sound to me as if you are anywhere near the category to be even thinking of taking this drug. Yes, contact your regular GP with your questions and research.

Sending hugs, love, and comfort.
Tonna

And I forget to mention Abilify is also an Anti-Psychotic used as a mood stabilizer to treat BiPolar and as an adjunct for depression. So I'm not sure what's up with your GP, but she's way off track with the meds she's trying to put you on.

Generally for fatigue you increase your Vitamin B12, change your diet, increase your exercise, cut back caffeine at night and large meals close to bedtime so your quality of sleep is better.....normal things, that won't harm your more than do you good.

Kat

wow, ok, i am definitely in the minority here, but i have been on seroquel for years to treat insomnia and it has helped me more than any med i have ever taken for it. i dont know where i would be without it. my psychiatrist prescribed and monitors it- i completely agree with what others said about the importance of getting psych meds only from a psychiatrist, not a primary care dr.

i originally started taking it for insomnia about 5 years ago- 25mg at bedtime. i had tried so many other meds to battle my insomnia. they either worked for a little while and then stopped working or never worked at all. but seroquel has been an absolute life saver. i do not have bipolar disorder, which it is prescribed for. i take it to treat insomnia. however, i did happen to notice an overall decrease in my anxiety and depression (the issues with which i am diagnosed) after i started taking it.

i take it at bedtime, and as long as i go to sleep at a reasonable hour, i wake up refreshed and ready to go. it did take my body a little while to adjust to it. i was drowsy in the morning when i first started taking it, but that went away. the only side effect i had was constipation. i started mixing benefiber powder into a hot drink three times a day and taking colace (the stool softeners, not the laxatives), and that took care of it. after my body adjusted to it, the constipation went away. i have not gained weight or had any other side effects from it. over time, i have had to increase my dosage to get the desired effect, but that has not caused any problems.

seroquel is absolutely by far the best medication i have ever taken to treat my insomnia and the only one that has never stopped working. i dont know what i would do without it. it has greatly increased my quality of life.

EMSA,

It's not uncommon for a Pdoc to use low dosage Seroquel for severe insomnia issues. But her GP is suggesting it to treat fatigue....I've studied various databases and nowhere is Seroquel even suggested off-label for treatment of fatigue, the actual treatments are listed as:

Seroquel is classified as an atypical ant-ipsychotic medication and is used to treat patients that suffer from delusions, hallucinations, unorganized thought and hostility.
Seroquel is used to treat the symptoms of psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This medicine may also be prescribed to treat severe behavioral problems in children.