Question about half-lives and duration - quetiapine vs olanzapine

[Tripman]

I'd hasten to wager that yes, it is the Zyprexa. Most of the super out-of-it patients at the psych hospital were on Zyprexa, and sometimes even in combination with Seroquel, Depakote, Trazadone, etc.
It just didn't look like any kind of life at all. Dosage-dependant, of course, but in my experience even low-dose AAP's suck a bit of life out of me.

~ vaya

Trust me... It isn't much of a life.

 

[Anon54]

So yeah im thinking about changing to seroquel. As AP equivelence tablet ive seen says 5mg of zyprexa - approx 75mg seroquel. So id probably be taking a 100mg or 150mg tablet.

Has anyone out there taken doses simlilar to this for long term?
it says on wikipedia that lower doses arnt reccomended for long term. maybe something to do with it being primarally only a sedative antihistamine at these doses which out much actually antipsyhotic effect
I use in generally for sleeping anyway & ive seroquel is going to have less levels on my body during the day than zyprexa than i'll switch back to Seroquel. I just dont understant why wiki says it's not reccomended.

I really think i do need something as strong as seroquel at times. ive had 250mg of temazepam tonight would still not be able to go to sleep unless i had atleast 5mg of zyprexa.

so yeah is there anyone out there who has taken low doses of seroquel long-term?
was the dr ok with that?

i wanna eventually quit them. maybe after i quit smoking cuz it seems to make it harder for me to get to sleep when i smoke a pack a day & dont to any exercise.
& the few days after i drink i aways have bad insomnia so i gotta stop doin that bad for the time being i need a sleep aid. & I do have mild pychotic symptoms & bad anxiety. hopefully in the future they're come up with a benzos type drug that ya dont get a tolerance too. that would be great

 

[Anon54]

Can anyone give me an answer? (I couldnt notice my thread on the first page of BDD & I need an answer
im not taking any AP tonight im tired. I tried poppy seed tea for the 2nd time tonight with 1kg & its working quite well with the 250mg of temaze ive had. I did have a cup of tea though which came right back up in the sink

 

[effie]

^ 250mg temaz? I hope you have a benzo tolerance mixing that with poppy seed tea! Stay safe

Give it a bit more time to get some responses - I don't have any personal experience in it but the general rule is the longer you are on antipsychotics, the more risk there is of developing side effects. Have you discussed this with your doctor?

 

[Anon54]

yeah im gunna talk to the dr about it soon. I was never warned about any of the potential side effects of deseases u can get.
I have GAD. i only occationaly take benzos but it's like I have a natual tolerance to em or something. I dont even feel tired.
Im going to take the lowest dose I can possibly take just to get by otherwise I'll be staring at the ceiling every night waiting to fall asleep. WIth the APs I dont get insomnia any more. but I sleep the day away.
Im thinking 100mg/night of seroquel. a fairly low dose. it will help with the really bad allergies I get too.
according to info on APs I found Seroquel isnt effected by smoking where Zyprexa is. so consitering im a smoker i'll probably have to take less of the equivelent dose.

I dont have skitzophrenia or bipolar. the dr is giving it off label for anxiety.
so yeah id like to know if anyone out there has been taking low doses of seroquel each night because wikipedia says its not reccomended. I just dont trust drs. they'll throw u on anything as long as it's not addictive.
before i had my wisdom teeth taken out a few yrs ago I was on a waiting list for like 6 monts. they wanted me to take 4panadeine fortes a a day, it might have been 6 actually cant, remember (2-3g apap) & mix it with ibuprofen. I got the panadeine forte but didnt bother with the ibuprofen cuz the panadeine fortes were good for cwe
they dont give a fuck about ya liver & kidneys as long as they dont get in trouble for giving any drugs of addiction. . thats way to much apap to be taking long-term. they would have been better off giving me oxy. Id rather an addiction than liver failure
they should get rid of vicodin & percecet. not everybody knows about cwe. ppl are getting addicted to them & the apap is doing way more harm than the opiates

same with APs they dont care they it makes ya put on weight & can cause Tardive dyskinesia as long as it's not addictive.
it seems easy to get APs & ADs but god forbit ya get precribed valium & get hooked to taking 5mg a day

 

[Vaya]

All I can offer is that as far as atypicals go, Abilify and Geodon had no effect on me; Risperdal left me depersonalized, completely flat affect. Haven't taken Zyprexa, my knowledge of it is based purely on the many, many experiences with patients I had while working at the psychiatric facility. 12.5-25mg of Seroquel had me passed out for almost 30 hours; I know most are not as sensitive to it, but I would still suggest beginning with a lower dose than 100mg, especially if you're looking to minimize the likelihood of side effects.

~ vaya

 

[effie]

A good doctor should discuss the pros and cons of any treatment with you. A lot of doctors are scared of benzos, yes, but there are a lot of patients out there who would struggle to keep their dose at 5mg diazepam once a day - tolerance will set in, and it would be very tempting to up your dose, and before you know it you have a nasty benzo habit. Even if you don't up your dose, 5mg may well stop working after a while due to tolerance. Overall I would not consider daily benzos a good long term treatment for anxiety, for this reason.. however, in the short term or used occasionally for panic disorder they can be fantastic.

Antipsychotics do run the risk of side effects; the newer atypical ones (quetiapine, olanzapine, risperidone etc) have a lower risk of movement disorders (akathisia, tardive dyskinesia etc) than the older typical ones (haloperidol, chlorpromazine etc) but a higher risk of cardiovascular side effects and weight gain. They all tend to sedate people (some more than others) and can leave patients feeling flat. It's pretty variable and what works for one person won't necessarily work for you.

The problem is, the risk might be low, but this is meaningless if you are one of the few people who gets the side effects. I feel that overall antipsychotics are drugs with a reasonably high risk of side effects, and doses/duration should be kept as low as possible, and they should only be used if the benefits they give you outweigh the risks. However, for a lot of people, the benefits (no psychosis, for example!) do outweigh the risks..

Quetiapine (Seroquel) generally seems to have fewer side effects than other antipsychotics, but because it is a newer drug there are fewer studies around on long-term use and effects - this may be why wikipedia says it is not recommended for long term use.

This is a discussion to be having with your doctor however. If you feel your doctor is just throwing drugs at you and does not have your best interests at heart, change doctors.

edit: I have changed the title to make it clearer what this thread is about.

 

[Anon54]

thanks for changing the thread name Effie

All I can offer is that as far as atypicals go, Abilify and Geodon had no effect on me; Risperdal left me depersonalized, completely flat affect. Haven't taken Zyprexa, my knowledge of it is based purely on the many, many experiences with patients I had while working at the psychiatric facility. 12.5-25mg of Seroquel had me passed out for almost 30 hours; I know most are not as sensitive to it, but I would still suggest beginning with a lower dose than 100mg, especially if you're looking to minimize the likelihood of side effects.

~ vaya

it used to be written on wikipedia than any dose under 200mg of seroquel is consitered a low dose. I already take Zyprexa I dont need to start on 50mg. Id need to start at 100mg Ive got an AP equivelence chart.
It also states on wikiepedia that it isnt reccomended to take low doses (such as 100mg) long-term. I have no idea why & if i were to change from Zypexa to Seroquel than I would be consitered as taking a low dose of Seroquel.

Is there nobody out there that is prescribed to take 25mg-200mg of Seroquel each night. I can always ask my dr anyway if it's safe. I just dont trust drs all that much
like I said before doses below around 200-250mg dont block dopamine & have sedative qualities becase of it being an antihistamine. In no chart on the internet have i seen doses under 200mg being referenced as reccomended dosages for an AP yet 5mg of Zyprexa which is about as sedating as 75mg of Seroquel is referenced because it blocks dopamine at that dose.

I just wanna know if it's safe to take doses like 100mg of Seroquel each night. I dont care if it blocks dopamine or not cuz im only using it for insomnia & anxiety not for skitzophrenia which would require dopamine blocking

 

[kaiba]

Hey Anon54,

I'm prescribed by the psychiatrist 25 mg to 100 mg Seroquel as needed at night for sleep/insomnia.

I've tried Zyprexa/Olanzapine before and it had no effect on me.

 

[No. 13 Baby]

I'm on 2.5 mg Abilify daily only because my parents want me to take it. It hasn't helped the paranoia at all. And I miss my other medicine (marijuana). And I hope I don't get TD.