How *should* meds make me feel, and when do the side-effects outweigh the benefits?

[Banned]

I've been on Seroquel for about four months now, give or take...my dosages have been all over the place as I struggle to function on it...at one point I finally figured out if I halved my dosage and took it twice a day I could almost stay awake through school...but it was tough. I had a two hour break and always slept through it.

I've suspected for awhile that Seroquel might not be the right medication for me...it doesn't seem to have done alot for me mood-wise, but it definitely helps me sleep (I just had a four hour nap), which gets me off my other sleep med which is not good for long-term use.

I've also gained a significant amount of weight on the Seroquel...it doesn't happen to everyone, but it happened to me. It has seriously impacted my self-esteem and how I view myself.

So...I go see my doctor on Monday...and am going to bring all this info forward...but my fear is he'll take me off the Seroquel and put me on something else, which might have even worse side-effects. I know I can't handle that...so I'm not sure what route to go. If I *have* to be on a mood stabilizer, I could try Lamictal, but I also want to go back to Cipralex because my anxiety and irritability and paranoia have spiked since being off it. But...how many drugs does one take and at one point do the side-effects outweigh the benefits? What should I expect to experience if they are working for me? It could take months to find out if they're controlling the hypomania and depression...

 

[Daniel E.]

but my fear is he'll take me off the Seroquel and put me on something else, which might have even worse side-effects.

Unless it's another antipsychotic like Depakote, that's unlikely. It's the antipsychotic meds that tend to have the most side effects, especially compared to, say, Lamictal or benzos.

Regarding Seroquel's side effect of weight gain:

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/prescrip...bat-weight-gain-caused-by-antipsychotics.html

As you probably know, the side effects of antipsychotics are dose dependent, and it's possible that another, newer antipsychotic works best with your system. But even with Seroquel, if you can mostly maintain a lower dose by augmenting the medication with mood stabilizers and/or other medications like benzos, you will probably experience less side effects over all.

 

[Banned]

I'll talk to my doctor about the Modafinil...I'm not sure if it's even available yet...but I'll tell him the weight gain is a significant concern...I've been actively trying to lose weight and it's just not coming off at all...which I think it's leading to a bit of depression. I'm only on 200mg of Seroquel so I'm not even on a huge dose, but maybe Lamictal is the way to go instead...or at least to try...