DOSE:

25-400 mg

oral

Pharms - Quetiapine

(pill / tablet)

BODY WEIGHT:

140 lb

[Erowid Note: Driving while intoxicated, tripping, or extremely sleep deprived is dangerous and irresponsible because it endangers other people. Don't do it!]
I am bipolar and was starting to have some profound issues with mania around Thanksgiving of 2007. I felt extremely disoriented and uncomfortable in just about every situation you can imagine. If you have experienced mania like this before, you will know exactly what I am talking about. To get to the point, I was prescribed Seroquel, 50mgs.

The first time I took a dose, my doctor advised that I take half of a fifty. My first dose knocked me out flat. I remember trying to drive from my parent's house (after telling my mom) back to my apartment. I nearly collapsed in my car. It was the feeling of going from an extremely high energy state to a no energy state. My tense mind began to crash. I started to fall asleep instantly to the horribly irritating heat vents and the radio noise. I pulled into a local elementary school, now closed for thanksgiving and collapsed in the back of my station wagon. It was about thirty five degrees outside and I stayed this way for over an hour. I was out cold.

I brought myself back to life enough to drive to my parent's house. Once I got here I barely even said hello to my incoming family (from far away for thanksgiving). I went up to my little sister's bedroom and again, collapsed on her floor until eleven o' clock that night. I drove back home around twelve.

I was happy. I was so relieved that I was not experiencing the symptoms of mania. I felt cured, well sort of. Fifty a day wasn't going to cut it anymore. I would eventually increase the dose to 400 a day, 100am/300pm. The nightly dose would leave me incapable of doing anything for at least six to eight hours. Seroquel is the most highly sedating antipsychotic that I have taken so far. I will also say that I have taken Zyprexa, Abilify and Geodon. Seroquel topped them all for me. But everyone's experience will be different.

After about seven months on Seroquel and a failed attempt to switch to Abilify, Seroquel quit being as effective. I never gained any weight on the drug. The only side effect was immense dullness and sedation. My brain worked, but on a fairly low level compared to what I was used to.

My advice for this drug and any other antipsychotic is try it and don't listen too much to what other's say. Don't take their words as Gospel. You will have your own experiences with these drugs. They might work for you.

Exp Year: 2007	ExpID: 74291
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jun 3, 2021	Views: 691
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Pharms - Quetiapine (273) : Not Applicable (38), Depression (15), Medical Use (47), Retrospective / Summary (11), First Times (2)