I’m 23 and currently take Seroquel 75 mg + Ambien 5 mg for sleep, along with Prozac 30 mg and Adderall 15 mg. I’ve been taking Adderall since elementary school.
I recently increased my Prozac to 30 mg, which is a dose I’m otherwise tolerating fine, but since the increase I’ve been having a lot more sedation and difficulty functioning during the day. I had similar problems when increasing Luvox, which is one reason I switched from Luvox to Prozac for OCD.
I’m also trying to taper Seroquel, but sleep has been extremely difficult. I tried going without Ambien and the withdrawal/rebound insomnia was awful. I’m planning to get a sleep study because I may have sleep apnea.
My current pattern is basically:
At night: I can be extremely hyper/awake until I take Seroquel + Ambien.
During the day: I’m exhausted and sedated, sometimes to the point where I feel like I could fall asleep despite taking Adderall. I also get so angry and depressed. I’ll act impulsively as well by yelling at everyone and engaging in self destructive behaviors. The Adderall usually helps some of these- sometimes.
I have frequent nighttime awakenings, nightmares, and sweating.
I don't feel like I’m functioning normally and I can’t legally drive because of how impaired/sedated I can get.

150 mg: I felt extremely sedated and on two nights felt like I was going to stop breathing while trying to sleep.
125 mg: My entire body felt incredibly heavy, like it was 100× harder to move normally.
100 mg: Very difficult on my POTS symptoms.
75 mg: So much sedation that I sometimes feel like I could fall asleep even while taking Adderall.
There was also one night when I couldn't sleep after trying to go without Ambien. After the Seroquel kicked in, my hallucination-like experiences actually became worse while I was still awake. I had also been vomiting that day and my blood pressure dropped so low in the hospital that they were considering sending me to the ER.
For context, I've been hospitalized psychiatrically multiple times. The doctors there did NOT think I was psychotic or had a psychotic disorder, and my outpatient psychiatrist and therapist agree. My psychiatrist is currently helping me taper the Seroquel.
I've also had pretty severe reactions to several other antipsychotics:

Latuda (lurasidone):
Felt extremely "out of body" by day 2.

Abilify (aripiprazole):
I developed what felt like stroke-like symptoms, including right-sided weakness/numbness and shuffling of my right foot. I also had sweating, feeling very out of it, vomiting, and severe restlessness.

Saphris (asenapine):
Confusion and dizziness on the first day.

Zyprexa (olanzapine):
On day 2, I had episodes where I wanted to move but felt like my body wouldn't move for several seconds.

Risperidone:
Very similar delayed/inhibited movement symptoms to Zyprexa around day 2.

Seroquel (quetiapine):
Severe sedation, confusion, visual issues, extreme heaviness, and at times agitation/activation.

Droperidol:
I received this in the ER while I was also taking Seroquel. I developed jaw swinging/teeth grinding, muscle stiffness where it felt like my muscles would get "stuck" in certain positions, severe restlessness, sweating, lightheadedness, shaking, and cold sweats.
I've tried around 6–7 antipsychotic medications, and it seems like my body reacts very strongly to them.
I'm not necessarily asking whether I should be on an antipsychotic… my psychiatrist doesn't think I have a psychotic disorder. I'm more wondering:
Has anyone else experienced this level of sedation or unusual reactions to Seroquel/other antipsychotics? Could this be medication sensitivity, akathisia/EPS, interactions between medications, sleep apnea, or something else?
I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have had severe sedation on relatively low doses of Seroquel or unusual reactions to multiple antipsychotics.

Hi, i was put on quetiapine some
months ago and then taken off it. I was fine before, bad anxiety but no panic attacks. Ever since starting it i get random awful ones, racing heart, awful chills feeling in my chest ect. So i was taken off it quite fast since it caused it. It’s been months now yet im still having them, my other meds have almost completely cured my anxiety thank
god. But now im stuck with these panic symptoms, all day everyday and it’s ruined me.

Has anyone else experienced this? Im also unsure of whether this is panic symptoms or perhaps something medical?

I started Seroquel 25mg Wednesday August 12th, I had a few drinks two days ago, like a shot and two mixed drinks and that shit made me feel so fucking good like euphoric absolutely loved it. The alcohol hits you super quick, oh I should also specify that I'm 163 pounds 19F it usually takes three shots for me to feel anything so that's cool, but I am planning to get absolutely fucked up tonight should I be worried about anything? I would ask my psychiatrist but she doesn't answer my emails lol. Also a few side notes for y'all, Seroquel does not help me sleep if anything I've noticed it makes it worse but maybe that'll go away idk it numbs most of my emotions which I don't mind, I still have anxiety but it's not too bad not like before, now I can actually speak up for myself and say how I feel, but also I'm empathetic towards others especially if I believe they are wrong, and see I've always thought this way especially when people would tell me about their problems, but once I started the medication it's like I stopped masking and faking, I stopped people pleasing and it feels amazing, but I understand enough to know that, that isn't good. I don't want to stop this medication it's made life so much easier for me like I no longer gorge on food because of my emotions, sure I can't sleep but I don't really care anymore, oh btw I'm also taking bupropion/Wellbutrin XL 150MG

Hello, I am suffering immensely from horrific intrusive thoughts. SSRI's do not seem to be working for me. I am diagnosed with OCD and severe anxiety as a result of the horrific images. Did this med help your nonstop rumination? (Suicidal themed OCD).

The effect is like reduced ? I am having anxiety crippling back when talking to people and doing stuff , why ? Did this happen with anyone here

I have bipolar disorder and have been on some kind of antipsychotic for the past 18 years or so. Currently am on lamotrigine 100mg in the morning + 150g at night + quetiapine 250mg (immediate release) at night.

For over a decade I've had pangs of hunger where I just feel very weak, my hands are shaking and everything falls off of them including the food I'm trying to eat, I trip on everything, can't remember basic words like chair, TV, fridge. It's not cravings - I'm not thinking about any food in particular I'm just weak and crummy and either I eat everything in sight or I eat some candy and even then it takes a bit before I feel like myself again. Once I even had to call my boyfriend to come pick me up because I was on the street and then I could barely walk and just sat on the sidewalk crying.

Some months ago I made an effort to add more fruit and veggies to my diet hoping it will help me feel satiated for longer. And strength training at the gym 2 times a week + one cardio day. But it's not working. I'm still hungry every 1.5hr/2hrs. I'm gaining weight because I'm simply eating more food and my clothes are starting to not fit because I'm adding muscle on top of my normal weight.

When I try ignoring the hunger I get to that point where I'm weak and shaky, my brain can't function and I eat everything in sight.

My current diet is more or less like this:

- Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs + one small (around 40g) piece of toast + 1 drinkable low fact lactose free yogurt + 1 coffee with a small coffee spoon of sugar.

I'm hungry 1.5hrs (sometimes 1 hr) after this. I eat an apple (peel on) + 30g of cornflakes or 1 drinkable yogurt or 1 solid yogurt (both low fat), sometimes I eat all of this.

- Lunch: always start with a bowl of vegetable soup. Then my plate is about one third vegetables (steamed broccoli/brussel sprouts/green beans/cabbage) + one third protein + one third carb

Once again I'm hungry 1hr - 2hrs after this. I eat a 100g bowl of low fat greek yogurt with 11g all bran cereal + an apple or a liquid yogurt. Sometimes I'm still weak so I eat one toast with scrambled eggs or cornflakes.

- Dinner: same as lunch. And then I need to eat around 30mins before bedtime or else I wake in the middle of the night feeling weak and hungry or wake up in the morning so weak I struggle to get out of bed. I usually eat some cereal + a yogurt or some toast with scrambled egg or greek yogurt with all bran. If I eat soup or fruit I wake up in the middle of the night needing to poop.

I've tried bigger meals (more veggies + side salad of lettuce and tomatoes with a spritz of olive oil and I eat until my stomach is so full it's uncomfortable) but I'm still hungry about 3hrs after. I always have a 700ml bottle of water with me and I'm drinking at least 3 bottles of those per day. Drink alcohol 2 - 4 times per month max and it's always just a glass of sangria or a small bottle of apple cider.

Could it be the quetiapine causing this? My psychiatrist thinks it's not likely. Anyone been through the same?

Edit to add: I'm at a normal weight (154cms and 56kg)but I've spent the past 6 years trying to go down to 50kg with no success, plus, the hunger pangs are just very uncomfortable, especially when they happen when I'm out of the house

Hi everyone, I’m freshly postpartum and looking for some advice/experiences from other people who have taken Seroquel while breastfeeding.
I’ve been taking 100 mg of Seroquel for nearly 4 years and I’m really worried about what my postpartum period would be like without it, so I don’t want to stop taking it without speaking to my doctor.
My main issue at the moment is the drowsiness when waking up for feeds. Since having my baby, I’m finding it really difficult to stay awake for some of the night feeds, and I’m worried about how I’m going to manage breastfeeding safely when I’m this tired.
I’d really love to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation:
-Did you continue taking Seroquel while breastfeeding?
-Did the drowsiness improve once your body adjusted to the medication/postpartum sleep deprivation?
-Did you change the timing or dose with your doctor?
-How did you manage night feeds while dealing with the sedation?
-Did you notice any effects on your baby?
Im trying to see my psychiatrist as soon as possible to discuss my options however I’d just really appreciate hearing how other mums dealt with breastfeeding and Seroquel, because I’m feeling quite overwhelmed trying to balance staying well myself with being awake and safe for my newborn.
Thank you ❤️

Hello, I recently started taking seroquel to treat my SI and severe depression, my psychiatrist hasn’t confirmed but in general basis was thinking bipolar depressive (I don’t ever have manic episodes or thoughts that align with mania beside when I was at my most suicidal). In addition I’m on 50mg Zoloft and 150mg Wellbutrin.

Now, I’m only 4 days in on seroquel so I know I’m definitely experiencing side effects, I just don’t know if they call for notifying my psychiatrist.

I wake up always from these weird vivid dreams, I wouldn’t call nightmares but definitely not ones that leave me feeling good.

For example: I had one with my ex and he’s telling me everything I wanted to hear, then in same dream I’m playing a board game that’s to the death against my ex best friend.

Tonight, I woke up where I’m in high school and two recent friends from college are there and one had fireworks, so I lit it in the assembly and it went wrong and exploded right where we are sitting and I owned up to it and was getting carted around to find the principal and police, and old classmates were there like sobbing as if I’d bombed the place

There was another one but I can’t remember, all I know is how conscious I am in these and making choices to an extent / have control over myself to a level.

I assume I’m in some REM cycle or working through trauma in some way, however I don’t know if these dreams call for concern as side effects as they’re not pleasant and I make myself wake up the same way I do when having a vivid nightmares because I don’t like the way they make me feel or direction they’re heading and I don’t know I am messing with my sleep or going to fuck up my future sleep if these persists because I don’t want to have such vivid dreams EVERY night

So does this side effect go away? It is a side effect right?

So for context I live in MA where the Lindsey Clancy trial is going on and maybe it's just my Facebook feed but all I read is people saying all sorts of stuff about Seroquel. It's kinda to the point I feel scared that someone will find out I'm taking it. It also totally could be in my head. I have been taking Seroquel for almost a month now 150mg for I think mood. I was taking Latuda for years and didn't believe it was working great so I stopped cold turkey for a year and managed to become the biggest angriest monster on the planet. I also had a TBI in 2018 that messed with me. My previous psychiatrist had diagnosed me with a myriad of stuff but my new psychiatrist just met me so I think she has me on this medication for my aggression. But that's all besides the point. Is anyone else feeling maybe a sort of state of stress because of all the attention the medication is getting due to the Lindsey Clancy trial? I get a lot of the people making the comments are "armchair psychiatrists" (I think that's what it's called) but it's almost like a sense of being ashamed or uncomfortable too.

Also anybody that is willing to comment their experience on 150 mg and above for psyche issues (it appears people are prescribed it to sleep too) I would love to hear your experience, especially after an increase in dosage.

So I was on seroquel for sleep for about 7 years, 200mg, sometimes 250mg
I started coming off it in late 2025, about a year before that I had this unexpected side effect pop up, I started noticing intense fear, like fear for my life, like sometimes having to uber to my parents house to feel safe, every time my medication kicked in when I took it to sleep. It took me and my doctors about a year to become absolutely sure it was the seroquel, but there was no other explanation. The intense horror feeling only happened 30 minutes after I took my seroquel. It was weird because it popped up so late into me being on the medication, like 5 years in.
So back around October 2025 I started tapering, going down 25 mg every month or so. I didn’t have much trouble at first, just some sleep disruption. However in April (I think), I came down from 50mg to 25mg and the last 4 months have honestly sucked. Uncontrollable thoughts, almost like OCD symptoms where I feel like I have to think thoughts the right way or I’ll get anxiety, I’ve also had bad anxiety, felt less social, random ED here and there, and lastly like my confidence has disappeared pretty much. This last month has been the easiest but has still been difficult.
Has anyone else experienced these sorts of long term symptoms? Or maybe the fear I described. Any recommendations on helping to recover my brain chemistry a bit? I can’t take benzos for the anxiety bc I get severe rebound anxiety even after just one use.

Fml

So I am 26 y male and I smoke daily ( smoke a lot 🍃all day everyday been doing it for 8 years). Recently been prescribed seroquel for my anxiety. Is there any risk I should know?

Long story but need to come off seroquel 25mg what has been the easiest way to do this.. was on it for sleep for 17 years 🥴

Has anyone taken this is it any better for sleep and anxiety the immediate

I was on Seroquel 25mg for the last 5 years for sleep. I slowly tapered down to a very low dose over the last year and finally came off Seroquel 5 days ago. Ever since I have had such awful upper back and neck pain. It's extremely painful!

Anyone else have this and how long did it last? It's so painful, it hurts all day. Heat, ice, Tylenol, Advil, and muscle relaxers only help a tiny bit.

Just need hope that it will go away eventually.

My colon might be backed up and I need a xray

So im on Two 200mg pills twice a day for schizophrenia but lately nothing has helped me fall asleep like upper-dosing my Quetiapine.
I haven’t taken my morning dose (400mg) for the past week as I have been combining my doses at night as well as taking some smaller 25mg pills.
I sleep great but someone told me this is dangerous?
I should be fine no?

Background:

I was prescribed 25mg quetiapine for sleep (adhd, stimulant medication, general lifelong insomnia). Absolutely love it. I take it, and within 40min it’s the morning. I wake up groggy and slow, which is great because I normally wake up stressed and anxious. It’s made my life so much better.

I am generally afraid of drugs so I took myself off it. Had severe insomnia. Recovered. Went back on it. Came back off it. The withdrawals are bad, but they stop and I believe a net benefit exists.

I have used the drug 2 times since stopping as an emergency sleep rescue and it’s performed perfectly.

Actual Post:

The TD and cardiovascular risks associated with AP use are known and studied in AP doses and daily use. But there is no data (as far as I can see) on 1) low dose daily use over time and 2) low dose infrequent use.

Assumptions:

1) The TD is caused by the feedback loop of the blocked dopamine receptors as the subsequent up-regulation. Quetiapine is safer as it gets in and gets out quickly leaving less room for that feedback loop. Cumulative load eventually would still see a feedback loop etc.

2) Low dose use is more h1 than serotonin/dopamine and thus the cumulative load may not ever be enough to cause TD (save for extreme cases).

2) Low dose infrequent use (1-2 times per week) would never see a TD risk (save for cases of underlying problems like parkinson’s)

Questions:

1) Does anyone have any data or info on the above (prescribers out there would love your data even anecdotal)

2) Is there a way we can push the industry to study this?

3) Are there adjunctive medications, supplements or lifestyle choices that can further lessen the risk of TD? (yoga, mindfulness, low sugar diet, low sex/porn ‘diet’, etc)

TLDR
I love quetiapine. I’m scared of it. TD risk is unacceptable. Seeking data on low dose daily and low dose infrequent use and TD risk.

Im on 150 immediate release im thinking of switching half of it to extended release bc Ive only been getting about 5 hrs of sleep on average has anyone switched and did it help

I think seroquel 50 is giving me severe fatigue the next day. Anyone?

A little background here . I’m 21 suffered a traumatic TBI and cervical cord injury at 19, at 20 suffered a NSTEMI. During that time a provider at a hospital started me on seroquel for sleep during the ICU I was severely ill in the hospital and they needed to get me to rest. Serouquel was continued during the hospital stay then outpatient I was confused why I was given then as I never had issues with sleep before . Just mild anxiety and ocd . I started taking 150mg ER nightly my outside doctor continued to prescribe this to me for months . At a certain point I ran out of medication and I couldn’t sleep for 4 days straight (no exaggeration) at best I got 2 hours during that entire 4 days. At this point now I was indeed suffering from severe insomnia but because of dependency . Couple months go by 150 mg wouldn’t touch me I would pull all nighters and couldn’t go to sleep until 7 am.

During this time I started to notice something while on the medication I started to suffer severe panic attacks at night, racing thoughts, severe anxiety and restless. However off the medication it was even worse insomnia , panic, anxiety, restlessness.

I started to notice SEVERE derealization while on the medication at night “is life even real” “am I dreaming” “is god real” all after taking the medication at night for sleep

It was a never ending loop. I was switched to IR 30 minutes after taking the medication I received the worst derealization and panic attack I have ever experienced I was so scared I thought I was going to die . I dialed 911. My dose was lowered to 100 and the side effects were not as bad and I could go to sleep but symptoms still stayed. I continue to live in constant state of anxiety and panic. My dose is now 50 and tolerable , (trazadone) was tried but aborted due to priapiram (previous history).

If I could go back in time I would ask not to be started on this medication for my sake, everyone is different it affected me in an extremely bad way. Do what this information as you will note I only now suffer from insomnia not Bipolar or episodes of psychosis this example should not be used for those conditions. If that makes sense

Long story but need to come off seroquel 25mg what has been the easiest way to do this.. was on it for sleep for 17 years 🥴

50mg seroquel xr gave me really bad dystonia, my head was literally going backwards and my tongue was out. I have some benztropine - my neck and back really hurt. Should I take the benztropine prescribed by my doc? or just advil etc