is it safe?

Question

i take 35 mg of effexor, 2 mg twice daily of xanax, and 3 tablets 450 mg of lithium daily..last week the doctor prescibed me seroquoel(sp} i am scared to try new meds..she told me that they were safe to take together. but i have heard that seroquoel and respidal are in the same family and i had a terrible reaction to the respidal.......please help

Answer 1

What was your reaction to respidal? If it was an allergic type reaction, I would check with a pharmacist before taking the Seroquoel. If you had a bad reaction such as nightmares or the way it made you feel, you should be OK to the take the Seroquoel. Just plan a few light days in your schedule when you first start the new medication.

If you don't live alone, ask whomever you live with for help. Ask him or her to let you know if you are acting differently or don't seem to "be yourself."

It is worth trying the medication, it may be a great help to you and improve your quality of life.

Good luck to you.

Answer 2

Yes, they are the same type of meds, but they aren't exactly the same. If your doc says they are safe, it should be fine.

Answer 3

It's okay to take them like that, just take it how you should take it though. Be careful of the side effects though.

Answer 4

Hi Gen,

It should be safe. Trust your Physian and continue to get a second opinion primarily from another Psychiatrist when you feel it necessary. I too take Seruquel, at the present, approximately 300 mg (150mg in the morning and 150 at night). I too tried Risperdal, & like yourself I had a terrible allergic reaction and immediately discontinued. These two 'new class' of meds are supposedly better than traditional anti-psychotics, but everyone's brain chemistry may respond differently to similar meds, so there's really no one drug regimen to fit everybody the same, although anti-psychotic's, 'in general' have the same effects on psychosis regardless of the disease label.

This difference is due to different temperaments. Temperament is a pesonality trait/a pre-disposed mood, of an individual, and is either excessively positive or negative in the mentally ill person). It is partially inherited and partially as a result of your social and environmental influence from birth, which have shaped the type of personality you have. So yes your temperament affects your normal brain chemistry (neural networks & brain activity/function) as does the meds you take and your environmental stressors.

You and I and everyone else are on these meds to bring our unfavourable moods e.g. (mania and depression) and/or abnormal thought patterns into remission. It is important to note that these symtoms are generally never present at birth or during childhood, so they can be reversed.

Sinse the brain did become sick; either from brain damage or chemical imbalances; medications, therapy, time, your support groups and your own efforts/actions will inevitably heal/cure it over time. For now it appears you 'must' stay on your meds under a Psychiatrist's direct supervision as I suspect your condition may not yet be fully under control both from your own evaluations and your Psychiatrists'.

For myself I do not suffer from manic-depression, but was diagnosed schizophrenic or only partially schizophrenic (initially had clear psychosis, but not full-blown schizophrenia). I too have been treated for a mood disorder (i.e. abnormal clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression). I have been on treatment (i.e. a drug regimen very consistently for 14 years) and am now completely normal clinically. I have no depression (it has disappeared), no abnormal anxiety or phobia(s) (both also have disappeared) and no psychosis (has disappeared). This has been confirmed by my doctor(s). So I have no more need for meds and am about to be dicontinued from them, under a doctors supervision. Even though I expect possibly severe side effects due to habituation or addiction to my meds over time I believe I can 'sweat it out' with his help.

Some people come off meds (for various reasons) too early. A well respected doctor told me several years ago he had helped several persons initially afflicted with mental illness to come off meds but I was not yet ready to try with him. I am now.

John Grey, (Men are from mars, women are from venus) has a book out on 'Diet/Exercise' and meds where he supports the Dopamine hypothesis in men and the Serotonin hypothesis in women as the primary factors whoose imbalance (for various reasons) cause mental illness but which can be restored to healthy levels after some time & without life-long dependence on meds. He cites leading medical authorities in support of this. (Find the book if you can and continue to take an active not passive approach to your mental health). Read everything you can about bi-polar disorders (mania & depression), mood disorders (depression & anxiety) & schizophrenia.

Let your brain heal with time, meds, diet, exercise, rest, relaxation, entertainment & positive thinking in your relationships and work. In other words get a life to promote mental health in your life & please don't stop the meds until it is time to do so. Yourself and your doctor(s) will know when is the appropriate time. What also has helped me greatly to get to this point in my life is my continuous faith in Christ over the years. People in Christainity believe any illness can be cured and as you may know there are several such stories including cured mental disorders in the Christian scriptures). Be careful however not to be fooled by so- called 'Christian authorities' promising healing for money.

By the way the other drugs I take are Stelazine 4mg/daily, Cipramil 2mg/daily, Propanalol 40mg/daily and cogentin 3mg/daily for any possible side effects. You may even want to join a support group for a while in your area if possible, for persons recoverring from mental illness. As a note, John Grey claims in his book (see sources) that reputable physians, (at least one he has collaborated with (see sources) have helped thousands recover from mental illnesses to good health and conclusively reamain so over time. I'm sure you'll be one of them.

Finally, talk therapy with your doctor is also essential to help you relieve and deal with stressful reactions to stressors in your life which do affect your brain chemistry. Talk therapy also helps to develop coping skills which in the bi-polar individual helps with the 'reality check'/by eliminating grandiose thinking.You need to have normal & not 'grandiose thinking' or 'excessive' negative thinkining in order to be restored to health, and re-adjust well to your surroundings and to others in your family/community. Your condition does affect them also.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Barry Hagley
MSc. Lecturer Sociology/Social Psychology & Research Methods.