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Seroquel is an antipsychotic medication. It works by changing the actions of chemicals in the brain.

Seroquel is used to treat the symptoms of psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression).

Seroquel is not for use in psychotic conditions that are related to dementia. Seroquel has caused fatal pneumonia or heart failure in older adults with dementia-related conditions. Stop using Seroquel and call your doctor at once if you have the following symptoms: fever, stiff muscles, confusion, sweating, fast or uneven heartbeats, uncontrolled muscle movements, symptoms that come on suddenly such as numbness or weakness, severe headache, and problems with vision, speech, or balance.

You may have thoughts about suicide when you first start taking an antidepressant, especially if you are younger than 24 years old. Your doctor will need to check you at regular visits for at least the first 12 weeks of treatment.

Call your doctor at once if you have any new or worsening symptoms such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.

Seroquel side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any new or worsening symptoms such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.

Other serious side effects include:

fever, stiff muscles, confusion, sweating, fast or uneven heartbeats;

jerky muscle movements you cannot control;

sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;

sudden headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech, or balance;

increased thirst, frequent urination, excessive hunger, or weakness;

feeling like you might pass out; or

urinating less than usual or not at all.

Less serious side effects may include:

dizziness, drowsiness, or weakness;

dry mouth, runny nose, sore throat;

nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation;

blurred vision, headache, anxiety, agitation;

breast swelling or discharge;

missed menstrual periods; or

weight gain.

This list is not complete and other side effects may occur. Tell your doctor about unusual or bothersome side effects.

((All of that was taken from the website listed in the Source box))

Personally, I've never taken Seroquel...but I have taken Lithium.

IF you decide to take Lithium, insist on blood testing.....even if your Dr. tells you that you are on a low dose and its not necessary.

I have to take levothyroxine daily, due to a low thyroid. My Dr. knew this, yet put me on the Lithium. It states, right on the bottle that a person is NOT to take Lithium if they have this problem...yet my Dr told me it was no big deal. HA

I ended up toxic on Lithium. I was in the hospital 4 days and a group home for another 2 weeks. My body was starting renal failure...due to too much Lithium in my system. (Yes I was taking the dose perscribed).

You have to be very careful with Lithium. It is a drug that can work wonders....but you have to watch yourself very carefully while taking it. It can be extremely dangerous.

You have to watch your diet carefully while on Lithium. If your salt intake changes while on Lithium, it can alter the amount of Lithium in your system, throwing everything off whack.

You have to watch what you drink and how much of it you drink. Drinking too much can be just as dangerous as not drinking enough.

Please go to the sites I've provided and read BOTH.

My personal thought is that nothing is as dangerous as Lithium, but it is ultimately a personal choice.

Try talking to your doctor about the other choices available. There are many others that aren't as dangerous.

Also, pay special care to your body. Listen to it. Know it....keep a log of what happens, how you feel and when while you are on any drug. It will help you to understand things better.

Good luck with this. I've been bi-polar, schitzophrenic and OCD for 30 years. It sucks, but its life.....

1

Check out Seroquel, at www.drugs.com TASKBAR: DETAILED CONSUMER INFO. My standard post follows: See bipolar disorder, at http://www.ezy-build.net./ (.net.nz/~shaneris) in section 10. Bipolar usually involves major moodswings, which occur without apparent cause, and often over months, rather than days, as with most people (unless rapid cycling). I'd try the Lithium Orotate, enhanced with Folic acid, and take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements daily, replacing 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements in the winter months, and see how that goes, over several weeks, and maintaining the treatments for the depressive phase, in section 2. If not considerably improved (or at least comparable with your present condition) consult your primary mental health care provider. If bipolar type 1, an antipsychotic is also required. If you are happy with your current situation, add the Omega 3, for other health benefits: see www.mercola.com TASKBAR.

Yikes! I had serious side effects with Seroquel.

It caused my neck to lock up in an awkward angle at night to the point where I couldn't sleep and caused me to go into an almost suicidal depression.

It works differently on everyone, so it could work on you. Be careful, though.

Seroquel is being used more often than before by doctors as it is proving to be a powerful anti-depressant for both uni-polar and bipolar depression. It promotes sleep. It does not trigger mania and it is used more and more for resistant depression in cases where ssri's are not doing the job. This is in addition to its use as a mood stabilizer or anti-psychotic. It kind of covers the gammit of disorders. Many times it is used alone or in conjunction with other meds. For example, it can be used to boost other anti depressants, it can be used to promote sleep etc etc. More and more often these medications are being used for off label uses or add-ons.

I found a great website that rates medications by people who have used them. It provides their diagnosis and what side effects they've experienced and opinion about the medication and how long they've been on it. The website is here - I've given you the Seroquel ratings page:

http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=206...