what's wrong with antipsychotics?

[Somethingelse3221]

I took 200mg of seroquel an hr ago. im just listening to music. i feel settled. & I know i wont have any trouble sleeping. i dunno I like the stuff. why dont ppl like antipyschotics?
they actually work at there prescribed dose unlike benzos. It's about epipotent as temazepam. But no dr will prescribe 200mg temazepam for sleep. Well im going to go to bed.
...Think of all the comedowns & nights of insomnia I could have avoided

 

[Alex000]

Neuroleptics are not really recreational drugs, however, they can be quite useful in some therapeutic purposes. They can be extremely sedating depending on which neuroleptic you are using and the dose, and some recreational drug users place value on heavy sedation alone. Seroquel in particular is treated as if it is a recreational drug by some, and I cannot deny this, but I never found a neuroleptic recreational. I have found neuroleptics to be useful, and even relieving, depending on circumstances, but I have found others to be quite unpleasant. Neuroleptics, on the whole, are not safe drugs and not healthy drugs. I certainly would not resort to them for insomnia if that was I was treating. I have been on neuroleptics daily before and they really do zombify you and take away from the "fun" of life to a significant degree. And, they have real potential to cause side-effects, some of which can be serious and permanent. I do have a prescription for Compazine, rarely used in psychiatry any more, to take as needed by my own request. It is usually indicated for nausea and vomiting, but is a very close relative to Thorazine. Anyhow, rarely is it that I do use the Compazine, but if I am very worked-up and feel out of control or on the edge, it can help. I suppose I want to stress that they are not recreational drugs, but can be of help in certain circumstances, but do have potentially serious side-effects, both acute and chronic.

 

[Condumbpope]

I took 200mg of seroquel an hr ago. im just listening to music. i feel settled. & I know i wont have any trouble sleeping. i dunno I like the stuff. why dont ppl like antipyschotics?
they actually work at there prescribed dose unlike benzos. It's about epipotent as temazepam. But no dr will prescribe 200mg temazepam for sleep. Well im going to go to bed.
...Think of all the comedowns & nights of insomnia I could have avoided

I wouldn't say people like, or dislike them. They just use them as necessary and prescribed most of the time, as they have little to no recreational value.

 

[effie]

Antipsychotics are powerful drugs with a whole host of unpleasant and in some cases permanent side effects. They are good drugs when needed, and if used sensibly and appropriately you can minimise any adverse effects, but it's all about risk:benefit - I would never advocate an antipsychotic for sleep, for example.

The older "typical" ones (haloperidol, chlorpromazine etc) cause movement disorders (known as "extra-pyramidal side effects") which stem from the antidopaminergic properties of the drugs. These include akathisia (unpleasant restlessness), tardive dyskinesia (long-term and hard to treat involuntary spasms and tics especially of the face), acute dystonia (painful acute spasm of the neck/eye muscles) and tremor. They can cause a Parkinson-like syndrome (Parkinsonism stems from low dopamine in the substantia nigra of the brain). These effects are all difficult to treat and can be very disabling.

The newer "atypicals" (olanzapine, quetiapine etc) can still cause extra-pyramidal side effects but the incidence is much lower; the main problem with these drugs is an increased risk of weight gain, diabetes and cardiovascular complications. People on these drugs seem to be about 1.5 times more likely to develop diabetes than people not taking the medication. As diabetes and cardiovascular risk are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, this is a significant problem and is something that should be monitored carefully if people are taking the drug long-term.

At lower doses quetiapine does not have antipsychotic action; it is an antihistamine only. 200mg is definitely in antipsychotic territory however.