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Is it bad mixing Seroquel with Lyrica at the same time?

V

vekkersc

Greenlighter
Joined
Jul 3, 2010
Messages
47
Hi all, I have searched all over these forums for info on the interaction between these two meds, but haven't had any luck. I read that Seroquel is a serotonin and dopamine inhibitor, but I have not found any info on whether Lyrica acts on these neurotransmitters as well. I'm worried they might conflict with each other somehow. I am by no means an expert on this topic, so I wanted to see any of you guys have any thoughts on this.

I only mix these two meds because I have really bad insomnia and Lyrica doesn't put me to sleep, whereas seroquel knocks me out.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
They're both sedatives, I think the only danger lies in the whole mixing a sedative with another sedative thing. Their methods of action aren't the same, however (Lyrica works on the GABA system, Seroquel does not IIRC)
 
NeighborhoodThreat said:
They're both sedatives, I think the only danger lies in the whole mixing a sedative with another sedative thing. Their methods of action aren't the same, however (Lyrica works on the GABA system, Seroquel does not IIRC)
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Thanks for your reply NeighborhoodThreat. I am very new to this, so I don't quite understand how GABA and neurotransmitters are related. Is it easy to explain in layman's terms how differently these drugs act? I tried wikipedia, but it's still all very confusing. Thanks again.
 
That link is very helpful, thanks!

I did not get the combo prescribed by a doc. We were initially trying Seroquel/Effexor combo, but we decided to switch to Lyrica alone, as it's supposedly a good sleeping aid and has anxiolytic effects. However I still have some Seroquel left over from the previous prescription, so I just went ahead and mixed them, as I was desperate to get some sleep.

I used to be on just Flunitrazepam at night, and it worked wonders. It got rid of my insomnia, anxiety and depression. It was truly a miracle drug for me and it was the only way I could feel like a normal person, sympathize with others, it made me talkative, compassionate, etc. But it being a benzo, I grew tolerance and dependance to it very quickly, so we decided to try a different approach. We tried Pristiq and Seroquel, then switched to Effexor and Seroquel. My insomnia was fixed with both approaches, but I still felt debilitating anxiety, which resulted in depression, despite being on Pristiq/Effexor.

I'm on my third day of 75mg Lyrica + 100mg Seroquel at night, although Lyrica's anxiolytic effects are still miles away from what I had with Flunitrazepam. I am thinking about upping my dose of Lyrica to 150 or 225mg and cut off the Seroquel. Hopefully that might have a more sedative effect at night and help with anxiety a little better.

I could also try taking Seroquel at night and Lyrica in the morning. I'm not sure what to try next, to be honest.
 
Its possibly the withdrawal from your benzo thats causing the insomnia and anxiety.. Try some fish oil and b vits to repair your nerves, neurons etc.. Oh and coenzyme Q10 is really good to speed healing too. If you get nightmares cut out the bs for a while.

You can go higher on the lyrica.. 600 mg I think is the dose for anxiety and will help you to sleep too.
Seroquel, in my opinion is a nasty drug.. ive tried it a couple of times and its given me hideous nightmares. . If you do use it for sleep keep it at a low dose.. Doses of around 50mg have been found to be more effective than high doses for insomnia.

Be aware that lyrica can cause dependency.. Go and chat to the quack about all this ..

Peace, love and speedy healing to you..xx
 
Thanks a lot for your reply YellowPolkaDotHalo, that was very helpful.

I think you hit the nail on the head about the benzo withdrawal. Just last week I finished a whole box of 20 2mg Flunitrazepam in just 5 days. I had to take 12mg one night and still only slept for 3 hours. This was because of the 150mg Effexor I was on. A combination of benzo and Effexor withdrawal would really explain why Lyrica isn't having sedative effects on me. Thankfully I am slowly weaning off of Effexor though, currently at 37.5mg/day. Having even started taking it was a very regrettable idea.

I am not too sure about upping my Lyrica dose to 600 right away. I'm supposed to still be at 75mg and I'm afraid I'd build tolerance too quickly by upping the dose so much at once.

Weird, I've never had nightmares with seroquel. I will definitely cut down on the seroquel dosage though, which unfortunately I am forced to take when I absolutely need to sleep, as I have to wake up for work.

I will follow your advice for sure. I already have vitamin B, and will purchase the rest.
 
YellowPolkaDotHalo said:
You need a high EPA fish oil.. worth doing a bit of research.. Sure theres a thread or too on here about it.. crazymeds also has some good info.. check out Jerod Poores posts on fish oil.

This is the one I use http://www.gnc.co.uk/supplements/fish-oils/fish-oil-concentrate-capsules/product.htm
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Thanks again YellowPolkaDotHalo.

I just went to my local drugstore and purchased one of these http://www.pharmapacks.com/products.php?product=Sundown-Fish-Oil-1000-mg-Softgels-Cholesterol-Free-60-Soft-Gels with 120 tablets, 180mg EPA, 120mg DHA. It says I should take it 3 times a day, is that what you do?
 
aye . i take 2 or 3 times a day but usually once in the morning.. If you start to feel high stop taking them.. in a small percentage of people symptoms of mania were seen to increase. I dont have the study to cite right now.
Magnesium is lovely and soothing as is green tea which does lovely things for your Gaba relaxation chemicals.
 
YellowPolkaDotHalo said:
aye . i take 2 or 3 times a day but usually once in the morning.. If you start to feel high stop taking them.. in a small percentage of people symptoms of mania were seen to increase. I dont have the study to cite right now.
Magnesium is lovely and soothing as is green tea which does lovely things for your Gaba relaxation chemicals.
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Great, I'll start taking them 3 times a day. Too bad these 120 capsule bottles cost $25USD where I live. Might have to order them online.

Although this regimen should help speeding up the process, I haven't figured out what I'll do yet to fall asleep while I get rid of the benzo and Effexor withdrawals. I'm not a big fan of Seroquel because it makes me feel like a zombie for a good portion of the next day. A 50mg dose won't put me to sleep just yet (although it might once the withdrawals are gone), and I want to stay off Flunitrazepam. My doc told me to switch to taking Lyrica in the morning, so that's not an option either.

I was thinking perhaps Ambien might work for sleep during this recovery process, I suppose just for a week or two, as I find Ambien withdrawal amazingly easy to overcome and it doesn't leave me groggy like Seroquel does the morning after.

My psychiatrist is pretty open to my own med suggestions, so if you have any thoughts please let me know and I'll bring it up with him.
 
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Eat plenty of fish as well.. Tuna, salmon, pilchards .. all lovely oily fishys.. Seeds and nuts have loads of natural magnesium.. Throw the love into yourself with beautiful food. try to get some
excercise. lovely long walks. Autumn is beautiful..

Yoga is really healing and strengthening too. Get some lovely smelly oils and give yourself a gorgeous massage.:)

Why not ask the shrink if you can have a couple of lyrica at night? I was on 600 mg once.. it definately helped me to come of Seroxat.. A couple of hundred mg at night helped me to sleep.
They can be addictive though aswell and you might gain some weight.. But in the short term they really help with pain, insomnia and anxiety.

Dont underestimate the power of Green tea.. Its like one of the Japanese national drinks..
I think they are one of the most chilled out nations on earth.. Look at the way they
handled that tsunami.. Might be all the Green Tea. It has an agent in it called Theanine which acts on your gaba bit like lyrica. Tastes bloody vile though :D

<3 Peace love and healing vibes to uuu :)
 
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YellowPolkaDotHalo said:
Eat plenty of fish as well.. Tuna, salmon, pilchards .. all lovely oily fishys.. Seeds and nuts have loads of natural magnesium.. Throw the love into yourself with beautiful food. try to get some
excercise. lovely long walks. Autumn is beautiful..

Yoga is really healing and strengthening too. Get some lovely smelly oils and give yourself a gorgeous massage.:)

Why not ask the shrink if you can have a couple of lyrica at night? I was on 600 mg once.. it definately helped me to come of Seroxat.. A couple of hundred mg at night helped me to sleep.
They can be addictive though aswell and you might gain some weight.. But in the short term they really help with pain, insomnia and anxiety.

Dont underestimate the power of Green tea.. Its like one of the Japanese national drinks..
I think they are one of the most chilled out nations on earth.. Look at the way they
handled that tsunami.. Might be all the Green Tea. It has an agent in it called Theanine which acts on your gaba bit like lyrica. Tastes bloody vile though :D

<3 Peace love and healing vibes to uuu :)
Click to expand...

Thanks again, YellowPolkaDotHalo. I appreciate your advice and the time you have taken to answer my questions.

The whole yoga and massage thing just doesn't feel right to me (I'm a 23 year old male). I think I'll stick with walking and some weight lifting for now. :)

Taking Lyrica at night does not help me sleep, as I am coming off Flunitrazepam and Effexor withdrawals, but it does work VERY well for anxiety when taken in the morning, at 150mg. My doc prescribed me Ambien to take for a week or two, until the withdrawals subside.

I don't drink tea at all, as I don't like drinking water (even filtered) from where I live, as it contains chlorine and a bunch of other harmful chemicals. I usually stick with drinking milk, soy milk, and natural fruit juice.

I purchased a bottle of vitamin B complex and one of magnesium oxide today. I am taking two fish oil tablets three times a day, and one vitamin B + magnesium oxide with food, during lunch time. Do you think that's a good regimen? Thanks again!
 
Sounds good vekker.. Check this link out to Paxil Progress- a site originally devoted to helping people withdraw from paxil ( seroxat) but supports people coming off of all sorts of psychiatric drugs now.. This is
a good post about the 'miracle of magnesium'. Gives you some insight on how it works and which kind to buy. ( dont take too much to begin with it can give you the trots lol )
Another good vit if you see it is niacin ( vit b3).. really cleansing and supportive of the nervous system.

Peace :)<3
 
To all:

I have GAD and severe depression caused by Bi-Polar type II (recently diagnosed). In the past, I have taken Paxil (which literally made me completely emotionally numb and made me gain a TON of weight), and Zoloft (which had only minimal results in treating the depression, and did NOTHING for the anxiety. Also gained weight on Zoloft as well). I also have pain from shrunken, bulging discs (S1,S2), and pain from a still undiagnosed issue in my epigastric area (believed now, to be GERD that does not respond to traditional medicinal treatments, and in order to get relief, my hiatal hernia will need to be corrected). Anyway, I have been given Ocycodone (which works very well for both the back and belly pain), and switched to Gabapentin (which worked well for a few weeks, and then constantly needed to be upped to help with the pain. It made me a zombie and made it nearly impossible to do anything because of the EXTREME memory loss it caused. It is so not worth it in my opinion). Anyway, back on Oxycodone for pain, Seroquil for the Bi-Polar II, and Lyrica for pain as well. The Lyrica makes me forgetful like the Gabapentin (Gabapentin- aka neurotin, is ONE of the components contained in Lyrica, by the way),but I think maybe if I just Keep taking only 150 mg of Lyrica twice a day, during the day only, and switch the Seroquil (100 mg total per day) to only taking it at night, I may feel less groggy and we might have a winner that is good enough to stop taking the Oxycodone 15 mg every 6 hrs for my pain and switch to Tramadol 100 mg every 6 hrs. Does anyone here have any experience with this or any suggestions that might work for me? I am open to anything at this point. I just want my life back!
 
Also-- does anyone here have any experience with Xanax? I was given .25 mg one a day at bedtime for 2 weeks, and one or twice, I took it during the day and felt like it helped a LOT more with my GAD than anything else (the Seroquil makes me sleepy enough as it is, honestly). I think maybe if I could have .25 twice only during the day, it might help a LOT. Also, I am thinking I may be able to get off the Lyrica if the Tramadol works well enough at this point. I really, REALLY need to get off these narcotics. They are making my belly issue worse for sure, and I just don't want to be dependent on them anymore, because at this point I KNOW that I am. Maybe Seroquil at night, Tramadol throughout the day, and Xanax throughout the day would work well. Although it proabbly isn't such a good idea to use a benzodiazepine on a long-term basis, is it? (I know that Tramadol IS actually a narcotic as well, but most folks who end up taking it long-term seem to have less issues than those on stronger, less synthetic narcotics). Thoughts, suggestions, opinions?
 
I have been prescribed both seroquel and lyrica at the same time. Seroquel does not interact with any of the neurotransmitters that lyrica does so the only interaction is added CNS depression.

Jane: Gabapentin is not one of the components in lyrica. Lyrica has a method of action very similar to gabapentin but is without the bioavailability issues and works better for some people. Plus you don't have to swallow huge pills like you do with gabapentin.

As for xanax i would say be very careful with it. It's short half life combined with it's fast method of action makes it more addictive then other common benzos for many people. For GAD i would recomend clonazepam, Valium or even lorazepam over alprazolam aka xanax.

Tramadol since it is a SNRI that lowers the seizure threshold along with being a weak mu opioid agonist does interact with many psychiatric meds. Taken with seroquel it will lower the seizure threshold more then either alone and seroquel may block some of the anti-depressant effects of tramadol.
 
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