Hi. I've been on Seroquel and then Seroquel XR for about two years now. I was initially prescribed it for bipolar mania, and the resultant insomnia. I have had panic attacks before prior to taking Seroquel, however never constantly, and never for no reason at all. I would have a panic attack after a traumatic event, or when I smoked pot as a teenager, but otherwise I never had them. When I began taking straight Seroquel (I don't recall what the initial dosage was exactly but it was around 500-600 mg daily I think), I used to have panic attacks within a half hour of taking it. My psych recommended I switch to Seroquel XR because she thought it would lessen the panic attacks, and in the same breath said that Seroquel doesn't cause panic attacks. Well, I've been on XR for about half a year and I have a low level of panic almost constantly. At times it explodes into a full-on panic attack as it's doing now. My psych won't listen to me and says it's impossible for Seroquel to cause such a reaction. However, a coworker of mine told me how he once had taken Seroquel that his mother had given him, and wound up having an episode of nightmarish hallucinations and lots of panic as a result. I've seen people online claiming that they believe Seroquel is making them have panic attacks, too. Does anyone know about this? I read the indications for Seroquel and it didn't seem to discuss panic attacks as being a potential problem. It had a general warning to notify your doctor if you have experienced increased anxiety or panic attacks or a whole slew of other mental problems but it didn't act like it was a common problem.
So, could this be the culprit, and what should I do about it? I've read that stopping Seroquel can cause withdrawal and I'm not sure how I'm going to sleep without it. I've tried every kind of OTC sleeping aid and most of the Rx ones and nothing ever worked but the Seroquel.