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Lithium or Seroquel

K

Kudos

Bluelighter
Joined
May 3, 2007
Messages
172
In the treatment of bi-polar disorder and dysthemia, is lithium a more effective treatment than seroquel, in your experience/opinion?

I've been diagnosed with both and put on the latter, plus aplrazolam for related anxiety, with the suggestion of lithium as an alternative. So far the seroquel has just been stupifying and exhausting. It seems like it would be more effective for those who tend to more mania than depression. But I, unfortunately, tend towards the latter.

In spite of the many potential side-effects with lithium, would it be a more effective treatment? Is there anything else I could talk to my doctor about?
 
this forum is about getting high not about prescribed uses lol, ur best bet for that question if this one dosent work, because drug addicts have problems and go to doctors to so they might know, then if this dont work goto pharmer.org they have a forum basically comparing what drugs are better than others in certain circumstances
o and btw, seroquel turns you into a rock its prescribed for untreateable insomnia in higher doses at about 300mg but my dad is rxed 1200mg at a time! can you believe that?
btw if your on a small dose of seroquel now, u build tolerance real fast and the sleepiness and stupifying will go away in about a week i think it is. small dose anpit under 100mg i believe that is the dosages used for bi polar. sp after the affects go away see if it works, unless your doctor will keep upping the dose, but im sure that is only for the sleep thing.
 
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Ehhh I hear lithium has some nasty side effects not that seroquel doesnt. have never used either but there are lots of anti-phycotic drugs out there why did your doctor suggest such an old school one like lithium
 
Lithium is a mood stabilizer, seroquel is an antipsychotic. Both must be the worst substances the human kind has ever spawned. If you're already more depressed than manic, both of those would just propel you into a stupor.
 
gethigh said:
this forum is about getting high not about prescribed uses lol, ur best bet for that question if this one dosent work, because drug addicts have problems and go to doctors to so they might know, then if this dont work goto pharmer.org they have a forum basically comparing what drugs are better than others in certain circumstances
Click to expand...
You sir, are a jackass.
 
I was prescribed Seroquel on the recommendation of a psychiatrist who advocated the use of lithium, despite it's side-effects, but left the option open to my GP (just the way the system works here).

I'm prescribed 25mg twice a day. Today it made me exhausted and then, once the exhaustion passed, vomit. My pharmacist told me the vomiting and extreme fatigue is rare on such a low dose, and now I'm waiting for a call-back from my GP.

So from this I was hoping to get some experiences to take notes from. It's possible the vomitting was from dehydration, or maybe some blood sugar fluctuations (I'm severely hypoglycemic and seroquel apparently can make you hyperglycemic). It's also possible I'm on route to serotonin syndrome, no?
 
Serotonin syndrome? Not from seroquel. If you aren't manic, there really is no need for seroquel. It will only exacerbate the depressive part of your supposedly bipolar condition. Are you positive that you are indeed bipolar? Have you confirmed it by second opinion? Either way, this treatment you are on currently seems self limiting, seroquel is no long term solution for anything unless you're senile or psychotic and you are neither.
 
Seroquel would be the much worse option. Unless you have chronic problems with psychosis (voices, delusions, etc) then stick to real mood stabilizers- not neuroleptics with fancy packaging.

Lithium, Depakote, Carbamazepine, Lamictcal, etc.

Stay away from things like Seroquel, Clozaril, Zyprexa, Risperidone, Geodone, etc. They'll leave you in one really boring fog. They literally feel like "mental handcuffs"- they leave you unable to think normally, destroy your 'love of life,' unable to perform in bed, kill your ability to express yourself.

Unless you have very serious issues involving psychosis, DON'T EVEN CONSIDER USING ANTIPSYCHOTICS TO CONTROL A MOOD DISORDER!!
 
since i know a lot of crazy people, and even more drug addicts i have easy access to and have tried both. since im a moody motherfucker, but not bipolar, i can put in my 2 cents for what its worth.
seroquil is a lot like a major tranquilizer for your mind. its great for sleep but leaves me with a flat affect the next day. it takes a lot of your personality with it, as hamilton said. i absolutely hated it. i just couldnt be me.

when i took lithium it was even more off putting and i couldnt even feel ANY emotions at all. it was like being a robot without any of the cool plusses.

if you have a personality disorder or some condition that needs treatment, talk to you psychiatrist about it, not a bunch of chumps like myself on the internet.
to anyone else whos reading this out of curiousity:if you arent crazy dont take crazy pills.
 
if you have a personality disorder or some condition that needs treatment, talk to you psychiatrist about it, not a bunch of chumps like myself on the internet.
Click to expand...

This treatment regimen was suggested by the psychiatrist. The fact is, chumps on the internet can be more beneficial to those of us with some awareness and introspection than doctors. The "mental handcuff" metaphor is perfectly fitting. Given that one of my major concerns with my normal mindset was similar emotional vacancy, I'm not sure why something like Seroquel would have been even remotely considered.

I have since spoken with my Doctor who told me to drop the drug. I have an appointment next week to discuss the lithium. Is this even worth trying?
 
IMHO, not particularly, but never say never.

oh, and you dont have to stick with just one doctor. if you dont like yours, change it up. the answer is out there waiting for you.
 
I am amazed that lithium is still even being used in psychiatric medicine! There are so many superior alternatives now. Your doc must be hard core old school or just a cretin like so many of them. Are you at all manic?
 
I don't think Seroquel is any good for mania when it isn't combined with something else such as Depakote... if taken in combination it may be as good/better, otherwise Lithium is pretty well proven in standalone use fwiw.
 
Lithium has been proven to be very effective for bipolar disorder thats why it's still used today. It's one of the only 2 true mood stabilizers on the market the other one being lamictal. Drugs like depakote, carbamazepine, topamax and gabapentin ( thats a laugh for sure) are all really just anti-manic agents. They don't treat the depression side of bipolar thus you often need to take a anti-depressant with them.

There is some debate if the atypical anti-psychotics help bipolar depression i found seroquel to help a little bit but not that much. Plus atypical anti-psychotics have nasty long term side effects and we probley don't even know some of them. Atleast with lithium we know the side effects.

Ive never been on lithium but i know a few people who have been on it and it worked great for them. It stopped their mood swings and it also helped their depression alot. One person i know who took it complained of the fatigue but thats about it. Most peoples main complaint and the reason i chose lamictal over lithium even though lithium is covered under my drug plan but lamictal is not (unless my request comes through) is the shitload of blood tests during the first few months of therapy.

I took seroquel for about 8 months and most of that time i took it in combination with depakote. My top dose was 300mg's a day and although it did help abit it didnt help nearly as much as lamictal which is the drug im on now.

Im bipolar 2 (or atleast that's the category my shrink says i fit into the most either that or NOS) and i get the depression alot more often then the mania. Or atleast the depression sticks around alot longer and is much more severe.

If i where you i would go with the lithium and try that. Or if your doctor is willing try lamictal. Lamictal is supposed to be better then lithium for the depression side of bipolar anyway and i can personally say that it has worked great for me. The only pain in the ass with lamictal is that it takes a hell of along time to get up to a therapeutic dose due to the risk of the very rare but sometimes deadly rash.
 
hmmm i've just been put on seroquel....like today....and thought i'd read the threads on it first! (goes to show who i trust more doesn't it...lol).....my psych gave it to me to try because she said it will take the edge off my anger.....she said it's usually used for schyzophrenia.....but i don't have that but she wants me on it anyway........i'll read up on the side effects on it first though me thinks!

erm....and just out of curiosity for when i get off temazapam and codeine....is there any recreational use for this drug?....like could it zombie me out like codene and tamazapam?.....just curios of corse ;)
 
fuck no its not the least bit recreational. btw I would get a second opinion anti-phycotics for anger no thanks.
 
i did notice that the seroquel's definitely more for people who get manic (which is weird because i don't, like, ever, diagnosed bipolar but depressed all the time). i got prescribed to 300mg a night because my tolerance built so quick. it's good for getting me to sleep (chronic insomnia) and it does have some antidepressant qualities. not very good ones though and being an anti-psychotic it's better at preventing persistent thoughts (for me suicide). personally i love it, but i'm going to get prescribed prozac as well to further combat the depression since seroquel really doesn't work for it, like weed it just keeps me from killing myself.
lithium i don't know much about but it's pretty common for bipolar disorder. i'm pretty sure it was a consideration in my diagnosis but we didn't do it.
if you don't like the seroquel switch to the lithium
or
do what i'm gonna do and get a straight antidepressant added to the regiment. that would keep you happy and if it triggered a manic episode being on seroquel would counteract that.
that's just me though and you might want to switch to lithium.
the only thing i know about lithium is what Violent J says in the song The Raven's Mirror
"I drink lithium and I don't even know what it is.
The only reason YOU diss me is 'cause YOU want a sip.
Every time I drink it I piss out a laser
and cut holes in the wall with my DICK PHASER!"
i know, that doesn't help
it's humorous though.

as for that person a couple spots above me it's an anti-psychotic but i got it for bipolar depression. i think it's because my shrink secretly doesn't want me going psycho and killing a bunch of people. it keeps you effectively sedated to not hurt anyone or yourself.
good for anger, imo.

not recreational, one pill will knock your ass out every time
although it does make you feel really good and stoned as long as you manage to stay awake (also gives munchies and cottonmouth like weed). i gave 150mg (half pill) each to 2 of my friends when we were camping, they were thanking me for making them feel so good (and they were reluctant to try it, lol). it's short-lived though as everyone passes out quick.
how good it feels though i was thinking it'd be awesome on ecstasy, maybe you could actually stay awake and "ride the wave" (from my homie, his gf asked him how he felt or somethin like that and he was like "just ridin the wave...")
 
oh no...i'm on a diet....i can't get the munchies! 8o

actually i'm only on 25mg a day and she said to take it at night.......hopefully its only temporary till i can sort my life out in a way so that i don't kill my kids =D

i told her the truth about everything......that i was tapering off codien and tamazapam.....i said i was low.....and didn't have enough for the tapering....but she just laughed at me when i asked her for scripts 8)

i can't get a second opinion cause i can't afford $200 for a visit....she sees me for free cause i saw her like 15 years ago :)
 
I didn't have time to read the thread, but seroquel is an atypical antipsychotic and lithium is a mood stabilizer. I would recommend asking about Lamictal, as it has very few side effects and has worked great for most people. Lamictal is an anticonvulsant though, so if you work your way up the doseage pyramid, make sure you don't stop cold turkey. I would suggest the same thing with seroquel. Good luck!
 
DO NOT FUCKING TAKE SEROQUEL UNLESS YOU ARE PSYCHOTIC. It is a horrible, evil medication and any doctor who would prescribe it for bipolar disorder should have their medical license revoked.
 
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