Q:  Seroquel

Dr. Phelps:

Hello  I am Dx.with BPD TYPEII and I am a nurse.  My question is to you.  I was recently prescribed Seroquel. 4 daily during the day and 6 of them at bed time at 25 mg. each. Alot.  A total of 10 a day. My doctor is using this med for agitation and irritabitity. Has this medication helped anyone with BPD.  This is my third day on the med and I feel shaky, scared, my extremities are numb, can't work right now, took off for two weeks from nursing, can't take a whole lot of noise. Very timid.  Very out of character for me.  What is Seroquel like that you know of from any patients that have been on it??? 

Thank You!!


Hello Ms. T' -- 
Oh yes, this has been quite widely used and many people with bipolar disorder benefit from it.  I had one fellow as a patient where it was better than any mood stabilizer except Trileptal, to which he was allergic, and it really saved the day for him.  He is taking 300, as 400 was a little too slowing.  You're taking 10 pills but they're the little ones (25mg); there's a bigger one at 100 mg, of which were you taking that you'd be swallowing 2 and 1/2 pills per day, not so unreasonable.   I think there's even a bigger one if it came to that.  

You might be going up a little fast given the side effects you're experiencing.  Call your doc' and ask if you can slow down a little, backing down until the side effects are gone then going up a little slower next time.  That can make quite a difference with this medication.  

Dr. Phelps