Why is Seroquel being prescribed to those not even remotely psychotic?

[[Sh...]]

I recently had my first experiences going to a psychiatrist. The purpose was for help with my insomnia towards the end of my valium taper (getting almost no sleep). I'd already researched the possibilities and had narrowed it down to either remeron or trazondone. On the first visit, I was prescribed remeron, and it did help for a few nights before pooping out. On the second visit, I was prescribed seroquel, which I'd come across in my research but couldn't recall what I'd read. When I got home and looked online, I discovered it's an anti-psychotic used primarily for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and sometimes for severe depression, which seemed totally inappropriate for my problem. Not only that, her advice was to take up to 200 MG/day, which seems like a massive amount. I decided against taking this drug and cancelled my next appointment with doctor.

 

However, I do see seroquel listed in some people's signatures. So I'm just wondering why. It just seems so wrong unless you're psychotic/schizophrenic/bipolar or maybe severely depressed. (I'm really not even depressed, just sleep-deprived.)

[[La...]]

Looks like it's often prescribed "off-label" for sleep in low doses, but based on this article, it seems you made a good decision not to use it:

 

http://www.ti.ubc.ca/letter79

 

I lean towards non-drug methods as much as possible these days. When I was going through the worst of the  withdrawal, I preferred to just go without in the hopes that my sleep would normalize after awhile. I have so many concerns about side-effects now, and it's hard to trust that we're getting all the information we need in order to make good decisions about treatments.

 

 

[[bu...]]

I've said before, but I'l say it again:

 

Using an antipsychotic as sleep aid is like swatting a fly with a sledge hammer!

[[Di...]]

Shirah - I know this isn't really what your post is about, but I think instead of going to a psychiatrist for help with insomnia because of your taper, you'd be far better off slowing down your taper. You're really cutting your dose VERY quickly.  That won't be helping your insomnia at all. You've come down more than 8mg in the last 3 months. 

 

At your dose most people have already switched to doing a daily taper, which is very easy to do. Speed does not mean you are going to be better quicker. All it means is that you will have increased side effects for an unknown period of time after your taper is finished.

[[La...]]

Yes, I noticed that too! How about going down by 1 mg every two weeks or so? It'll give your body a bit more time to adapt. Be gentle with yourself!

[[wh...]]

Good choice in deciding not to take it, that is some nasty "medicine".... more like poison. I was given that for sleep as well, and while it did make me tired I would wake up in the middle of the night feeling like my head was going to explode. 

 

 

[[be...]]

I recently had my first experiences going to a psychiatrist. The purpose was for help with my insomnia towards the end of my valium taper (getting almost no sleep). I'd already researched the possibilities and had narrowed it down to either remeron or trazondone. On the first visit, I was prescribed remeron, and it did help for a few nights before pooping out. On the second visit, I was prescribed seroquel, which I'd come across in my research but couldn't recall what I'd read. When I got home and looked online, I discovered it's an anti-psychotic used primarily for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and sometimes for severe depression, which seemed totally inappropriate for my problem. Not only that, her advice was to take up to 200 MG/day, which seems like a massive amount. I decided against taking this drug and cancelled my next appointment with doctor.

 

However, I do see seroquel listed in some people's signatures. So I'm just wondering why. It just seems so wrong unless you're psychotic/schizophrenic/bipolar or maybe severely depressed. (I'm really not even depressed, just sleep-deprived.)

 

Many of us were prescribed Serequel for the side effect of sleep. At low doses it can be very sedating.

[[wh...]]

Wow, I just looked at that article on Seroquel stating it is not appropriate for sleep!

 

If you're still wondering what motivates most psychiatrist's, take a look at this website from the Citizens Commission for Human Rights:

 

http://www.cchr [sCIENTOLOGY ANTI-PSYCHIATRY FRONT GROUP] .org/

 

All the videos are good (shocking) but "Making a Killing" is an eye opener...

 

Ummm, yeah, creepy, that scientology thing is NOT in the web address. Hmm, a cult exposing another cult....where are we going and why are we in this basket?!

 

 

[[wh...]]

wow, it really is a Scientology website.

 

https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Citizens_Commission_On_Human_Rights

 

Good night, no more google searches for me today....

[[La...]]

Yes, according to the article I linked in my above post, it looks like it's approved for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder -- at least, here in Canada. I'm not sure if it's the same elsewhere. But the article does clarify why it's not approved for insomnia (again, here in Canada).

[[sa...]]

This is why I'm so pissed I was given it in detox. Very scared of td and of not getting off of it ever

[[Sh...]]

Thanks to all who responded...

 

In particular, the personal experience and article sent by Lapis2 backed up my decision not to take seroquel. I do think that psychiatrists tend to prescribe based only on incentives from drug companies, and actually just submitted a complaint against my psychiatrist to my state's medical board.

 

I watched the entire documentary sent by who-am-i: what an eye-opener! My son-in-law's brother blew his brains out after coming home from a couple of tours in Iraq as a Marine; now I wonder what drugs he might have been given.

 

And I love your analogy, builder!

 

Regarding the off-topic responses on the method and speed of my taper: It seems most people here use a slow daily titration method. I'm glad that's working for people so well. But for me, those methods seemed too complicated, so I opted to follow the old-fashioned Ashton cut-and-hold method. I was initially only on a benzo for a month when I tried to C/T, and I'd read in the Ashton Manual and elsewhere that shorter-term users could do a quicker taper. However, there's no such sample schedule in the manual, so when I reinstated I tried to stay on the quicker side of the recommended 7-14 days shown in the slow taper schedules. I do listen to my body and have held longer than 7-10 days on occasion. But when I feel able, I've cut as close to weekly as possible. And thankfully, I'm almost there! I hope to be able to cut by 0.75 MG (a compromise between 1 MG and 0.5 MG) the rest of the way: 2.25, 1.5, 0.75, and done. And I'm taking very small doses of trazodone or remeron as needed for sleep during this time, which should be fairly easy to stop...Anyway, thanks for your concern!

 

Shirah

 

 

[[La...]]

Hey Shirah,

I'm so glad your taper is going well. Clearly, there are no hard and fast rules and each one of us has to figure out what works best for us. I'm glad some of the info I shared was useful to you!

Best wishes,

Lapis2

[[wh...]]

I'm glad you have made a well informed decision, Shirah. Sounds like a good one to me.

 

I'm glad I read your response, as I am going to file a complaint with the state medical board in addition to reporting to the FDA Med Watch program.

 

I was curious to see if there were any other documentaries (not actually funded by Scientology) to shed light on why so many people around the world are finding themselves struggling to recover from a medication that was "intended" to help them. I just watched "American Addict" on Netflix, and you might be interested in that as well. I am going mention that film to my physician. Peter Breggin is in it, as well as Jon Rapport. Excellent film. According to the film, Americans make up 5% of the worlds population but we consume 50% of the pharmeceuticals produced in the world. That is just one of many alarming facts brought to light.

 

Take good care of yourself

 

 

[[Sh...]]

I choose to believe that most doctors mean well when they prescribe these awful meds. But they're at fault for not doing thorough research on them and just going along with the load of crap pharmaceutical reps tell them.

 

But others, like the psychiatrist I went to, seem to be doing so for financial reasons. She specifically prescribed brand-name Seroquel XR, a time-release pill that is not supposed to be cut, but told me to ignore the warnings and begin by taking 1/8 of a pill (less than 6 MG), increasing the dose daily if not getting 8 hours of sleep until I got to 200 MG. Why would she prescribe that particular pill unless she was getting some financial incentive to do so? It makes no sense otherwise (not that it made any sense to prescribe the drug in the first place). She even gave me a "goody bag" of free samples. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a free trip to Hawaii for churning out the most Seroquel XR scripts within a give timeframe!