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quetiapine and pregabalin for severe GAD

Posted , 7 users are following.

Annonymouss
Annonymouss

currently on 450mg pregabalin for very severe disabling anxiety

very confused about if its helping or not

started quetiapine a month ago now on 50mg

any experiences? does it help for anxiety

i am not keen on taking off lable drugs

0 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

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  • jeremy1979
    jeremy1979 Annonymouss

    Posted

    I take 25mg of quetiapine at night to sleep, and if the day is bad I take 25mg of quetiapine as well. It works well for me. I tried anti depressants but only lasted a week on each, as I think my anxiety of them was to much to bear. So I deal with it on the quetiapine and it helps, but its still miserable most of the time! lol. It makes you sleepy, if you take more it dosent make you sleepy. Ill take any help I can get, so its a blessing to me to be able to take something that helps, even if its just for 2-3 hours at a time. Hope this helps 
    • Annonymouss
      Annonymouss jeremy1979

      Posted

      hey thanks for your reply!

      i'm on 100mg at night now but i don't think it works? well not for a good few hours anyway.. how long does it take to make you feel sleepy? 

      i feel that it improves my general mood the next day, i dont even know if thats a side effect but i definitely feel thats the case lol

    • jeremy1979
      jeremy1979 Annonymouss

      Posted

      I take 25mg an hour before bed, and I read or watch tv before bed. Within an hour or little more I'm sleepy. Smaller doses work better for sleep, larger doses loose the effect for sleep and start working differently. Larger doses are not better in this case for this medication for sleep as larger doses act on different receptors. Start with 25mg instead of 100 tonight an hour before and see what I mean. I bet you'll be happy with it. At 25-50mg it is basically a heavy antihistamine which is what gives you the sleepy feeling.

  • barbara48848
    barbara48848 Annonymouss

    Posted

    Hi Annonymouss!  I would be careful with the Quetiapine.  I was first put on it in 2003 when my thyroid started malfunctioning for chronic insomnia, anxiety/panic attacks, adrenaline surges, depersonalization/derealization etc.  I was told to take 25 mg. more per night for every night I didn't slleep.  I finally ended up on the psych ward still not sleeping and being put on Gabapentin and Remeron.  I spent three months in there and still was no better when they discharged me.  It took them a year to diagnose my hypothyroidism at which time I slowly tapered off the Seroquel but stayed on the Remeron and Gabapentin.  I had gotten the Seroquel up to 850 mg. per day.  It took me about 8 months to get of it but I finally did.  In 2013 all my symptoms returned and I went back on the Seroquel as I thought I had a fairly easy time getting off it the first time.  I had also been on and off the Gabapentin and Remeron but was on them when I went back on the Seroquel.  I have been on the Seroquel for the past 3 1/2 years and have been able to get off the Gabapentin but still taking the Remeron with the Seroquel.  This time the withdrawal symptoms have been horrendous even though I have been really slow tapering it.  In January 2014 I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, Bartonella and Babesia (co-infections of Lyme Disease).  I am not currently treating the Lyme Disease and co's due to the horrific withdrawal symptoms from the Seroquel.  This time I was up to 550 mg. per day and am now down to 5.25 mg per day and am having chronic insomnia (no sleep most days and nights for weeks on end), burning, tingling, numbness, vibrations throughout body and head, adrenaline surges, heart palpitations, depersonalization/dearealization, blurry vision, sensory overload and the list goes on.  Also, my thyroid is completely screwed up due to the Seroquel and Remeron.  I am totally paradoxical to both of these poisons (the do the oppoiste to what they are supposed to due to the fact they have an antihistamine base and I don't tolerate antihistamines.  If it were me I would try everything else like acupuncture, massage, herbals etc. before taking any of these poisons.  Doctors know how to put you on them but have no clule as to how to get you off and they leave you to your own devices in order to do this.  I am not trying to scrare you, only lettling you know what my and millions of other peoples experience has been with the psychotropic poisons.  As far as I'm concerned, they should be banned except for those who truly need them and never prescribed off label. 

    • Annonymouss
      Annonymouss barbara48848

      Posted

      thank you so much for sharing your experience

      i'm so sorry to hear about what a horrible nightmare you have been going through i really hope that you find a decent alternative and that you can get better

      best of luck

  • bernadine97255
    bernadine97255 Annonymouss

    Posted

    I'm currently on sertraline 200mg just been increased a week ago from 150mg. Quitiapine 300mg a day and last week pyscatrist introduced pregabalin. All for server anxiety and depression. I feel awful . For the last 4 months it's been hell. Side effects terrible shaking , full of fear can't concentrate pains in my chest panic attacks don't know if the pregabalin will make a difference only been on it 3 days and still feel awful don't know if it's cause pyscatrist has increased sertraline at the same time. Really just want my life back I'm praying everyday I will be OK.

    • Annonymouss
      Annonymouss bernadine97255

      Posted

      hey thanks for your comment. how are you getting on with the sertaline and pregabalin now? i know everyone is different, but my advice is to watch out with the sertraline.. i started seeing demons when my dose increased.. which is crazy because i dont beleive in any of that stuff but i was terrified because thats the only explanation for the things i was seeing

      hope youre doing okay

    • lorz
      lorz Annonymouss

      Posted

      Hi

      Before i was properly diagnosed i was on Sertraline for depression and it was the worst antidepressant ive ever been on. It did not agree with me and i was so relieved to be taken off it.

      I was then diagnosed with Bipolar 2 and given 300mg of Quetiapine. Due to awful restless legs i changed to modified release tablets. Quetiapine has been a godsend for me. Im also on 300mg Pregabalin for GAD and this also has worked great.

      I no everyone is different but this is the meds that are working for me.

      All the best

      Lorraine

  • deborah91099
    deborah91099 Annonymouss

    Posted

    I have been taking quetiapine for sleep at night 50mg. for years but I take a different drug for anxiety called clonazepam which might be called something different there. I take 3 mg. of that drug throughout the day. I have been on both for a long long time but without it I do not think I could go to work even.
    • cynthia71088
      cynthia71088 deborah91099

      Posted

      I also have been on Klonopin for a long time. It is not even helping my severe anxiouness that lasts all day. I feel I finally hit tolerance / withdrawel these past few months because it has always calmed me down. Just wondering since you have been on it for so long have you ever reached tolerance and had to increase your dose.? I have to take Seroquel to sleep and since I've been on it my anxiety is so severe. I'm keep thinking it's the Seroquel causing it.

    • Annonymouss
      Annonymouss deborah91099

      Posted

      hey thanks for your reply. i'm on quitipine 100mg at night now and it's making me sleep in late and feel so groggy like a zombie when i try to wake up.. takes me  a good 3 hours to wake up and start to feel "normal" again.

      do you get this? does it go away?

      funny, i have just been prescribed 0.5-1mg of clonazepam to actually get me to sleep to work with the quitipine because it'll still take me 5hrs to get to sleep! does it help you feel more refreshed and less groggy in the morning\/ i feel like ive been told this, just so i will take it..

       

  • deborah91099
    deborah91099 Annonymouss

    Posted

    I have been on megadozes of the clonazepam as tolerance does occur but when you back it down again during a good period for a few months it works again. I have been on it since 1989 and do still benefit from it. I know that is not the common theory but after trying me on everything going I was left on it as for me it is the only thing that works. Other drugs in the same category do not because of their shorter life.
    • cynthia71088
      cynthia71088 deborah91099

      Posted

      Thank you for your response. I have decreased my Klonopin dose. I am prescribed to take 1mg 3x a day but I take 1 mg in the morning and .50 twice through out the day. It's probably not working as well due to my depression not lifting. I know one feeds off the other. I really want to stop the Klonopin to see if it is causing my severe flat mood and motivation. I just do not know how to stop it. Are you on any other meds? Pdoc wants to start ability to my low dose of Zoloft. Idk know what to do anymore ,Thank you

    • deborah91099
      deborah91099 cynthia71088

      Posted

      I am not on any medications for depression but am on other meds for diabetes and arthritis. Everyone is different I was once on a drug called Ativan which many people take for anxiety for me it made me very depressed. I think the long half life of Klonopin is what helps me it doesn't suddenly wear off before my next doze. Some people do find that Seroquel is depressing so don't rule that out. I take it as I need it to sleep but I never take more than 50mg. at one point doctor wanted me to take 100mg. and I only cried all the time so for me it is too depressing at higher levels. 

    • cynthia71088
      cynthia71088 deborah91099

      Posted

      Thank you for your reponse. I'm definitely not ruling out it could be the Seroquel , because it has gotten worse about 2 months after I started taking it. I truly appreciate you taking your time to help. Thank you very much.

    • deborah91099
      deborah91099 cynthia71088

      Posted

      I am happy to help if I can! I wish there had been someone with experience taking these pills to ask when I started! I got quite depressed on the higher doses but am doing ok although not sleeping as well it is still worth it!cool

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