anyone on seroquel or cymbalta care to share there experience?

Answer 1

I started taking Cymbalta in December.. Currently taking 60 mg. When I first started taking it, I was extemely tired, no matter how much I slept, and I also didn't have much of an appetite. It also made me feel a bit sick to my stomach, so I had to take the pill right before dinner just so I wouldn't feel sick. I was so off, off balance too at times... But after a few weeks the tired feeling and loss of appetite passed. Now I sleep and eat normal, no problems, although I still need to take my pill before I eat.

Answer 2

Watch out for weight gain with the Seroquel!
While it can be taken throughout the day, it is primarily prescribed to take in the evening. While it is helpful to me sleep, I usually find I am starving about 40 minutes after I take it! So I wind up eating what ever I can find in the ice box at night. No matter how “good” I try to eat, it’s never a good idea to eat just before going to bed. Unfortunately, the way Seroquel works (first it makes you VERY hungry and then it makes you tired) you are bound to pack on some pounds!
For some reason, I also have a lot of dreams when I take Seroquel (they are almost always good dreams). I usually wake up feeling well rested and in a good mood (partly because I slept well and partly because I had good dreams).

I have tried Cymbalta. It did not help over the long haul.

Please keep in mind: Every person is unique. We all have different chemistry in our bodies. What works for me may not work for someone else.

Treatment for depression has been most successful when you combine medication with “talk therapy”.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Low dose Seroquel is a great sleep med for many mentally interesting folks with refractory depression, bipolar, or one of the schizos. It can be too sedating for some who are wiped out half the next day. That fades for many. It's also a fairly good anti-anxiety med. At higher doses it has some anti-depressant qualities for some, helps control bipolar hypo/mania, and of course is pretty good at combating psychosis.

The trick on this med is if you are only taking it at night, from the beginning, do not allow yourself to eat after you've taken it. Weight gain is a real issue. Some, not all, will have elevated blood sugar levels due to it, not cool. It can also effect blood pressure, not so common. Congestion may be the most common side effect.

I was on 100mg for some months. I didn't have much of a sedation problem. I didn't gain weight. I had lots of congestion. I'm down to 50mg and would like to get off altogether, but I don't hate the stuff.

IMHO, antipsychotics are over kill for people who do not have a serious MI. There are some docs out there who will prescribed it for insomnia or anxiety. Then again, there are some docs will prescribe anything to anyone.

Can't say anything about cymbalta other than it's an SNRI. If norepinephrine is your challenged neurotransmitter, it should be a good med for you.

Answer 4

Yes, I take both. Seroquel calms me and helps me sleep better. Sleeping better is always essential for good daytime functioning and for handling stress. I think it calms the underlying anxiety that interferes with sleep and has an antidepressant effect. I've been on cymbalta for about 6 months. I'm doing ok on it. But I also take Lamictal. The combination seems to be working. I still feel pain (from, say, family problems), but I guess the meds keep me from going totally downhill.

Answer 5

I took seroquel for schizophrenia a couple years ago. It gave me severe nightmares. I had dreams of wild dogs eating my friends and I could even smell their dead corpses.

My doctor put me on Imipramine for the nightmares after I quit taking seroquel. They went away after a few weeks, but I was afraid to go to sleep.

Also, I gained 50 pounds on seroquel in about a year.

Answer 6

I took Seroquel 300 mg for Major Depression; I was on a trial study for a few months.

It made me sleep a lot better, I felt like it was too strong for me--I had a conscious feeling of being "drugged." I went back to Paxil which doesn't make me feel that way.

Answer 7

Yes, I take 200mg of Seroquel at night about 30 minutes before I go to bed. It helps me to sleep well and to no longer have constant nightmares. I don't feel that I have any side effects from it and I have been taking this dosage for little over one year.

But of course, medication like this effects people differently and doesn't work for everyone.

Answer 8

oh I was on seroquel and I HATED it. I was prescribed Seroquel to help me sleep because I had restless leg. Seroquel is mainly for schizophrenia but they gave it to me as a sleeping pill. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT I had nightmares about vampires and the nightmares were SO vivid. I woke up shaking. I stopped taking it.

Answer 9

I was on Seroquel and it worked for me except it made me gain a lot of weight, and it lowered my blood pressure and that caused me ta faint several times. I don't take it anymore because of the fainting.

Answer 10

The Cymbalta worked great but caused such horrible nightmares, I had to change meds.