Hypomania ... Seroquel and depression .... What to do?

Hello,

I was diagnosed with hypomania a couple of days ago .... I had a sexual encounter with a CSW on Wednesday and - unlike a previous encounter a month before - I did not feel guilty, worried about STDs/HIV or anything ...... This has worried my psychiatrist friend who meets me almost daily and knows me very well (I tend to worry very much about the most trivial diseases and I freaked out about HIV after a protected sexual contact a month before) ......I was feeling promiscuous, daring, and very happy ....... I wasn't feeling guilty (as usual) or anything ......

He called another psychiatrist for counselling (it was the weekend) and after a long phone conversation he put me on 400mg of Seroquel daily by bedtime and asked me to visit within two days.

The first dose was very strong and made me sleep within 20 minutes for almost a day ......next day we lowered the dose to 200mg and Hypomania started to come back slowly but surely so during yesterday's visit after he listened to the whole problem and assessed the situation he put me back on 400mg ....

I took the 400mg dose yesterday and it is not as sedating (started to work about an hour after I took it and I could wake up after about 6 hours to go to work but very dizzy and hung over) .....

It is worth mentioning that this third dose gave me the worst night sweat ever ..... Is this dangerous?

Problem is, now I am leaning towards depression and I feel self-pity and am very irritable at the moment .... I keep going to the bathroom to lock myself up and cry ..... Suicidal thoughts have passed through my mind, but not seriously ..... I fantasized for a second or two about jumping off the roof of the building but it never manifested or materialized into serious thoughts .......

I f*****g hate Seroquel ...... and I dunno what to do

To maintain minimum functionality at work (I work in IT so I need to keep focus all the time) I have been gulping lots of coffee (risking a cardiac arrhythmia attack, which I suffer from) but no avail ........ I cannot take a leave since all my days off for this year are depleted ....... Help me please :(

[AnonymousGuy888]

suddenly death doesn't seem a very bad thing ..... I never thought like this before .... I am having urges to go out, drive recklessly and crash ...... I keep resisting the urge ..... No one around would understand me ..... No suicide help lines where I live and it is illegal to involuntarily commit anyone ...... HELP

[MMahon]

I think you have to give the medication some time and the side effects will subside.
Drinking too much coffee is not a good idea.  
Try to hang in there and stay in touch with your doc if things don't improve.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seroquel#Side_effects

[M4Y0U]

Seroquel is one of the most sedating antipsychotic and not everyone is able to take Seroquel or telerate Seroquel.

Hypomania is not a really bad thing in my book. A recent study shows that hypomania are driving succesful business men. If you would have been experiencing manic episodes that would be interefering with your daily activies then yes I would have say it is a bad thing that needs medications.

I think what you need to treat is the depression. I highly suggest trying an antidepressant with your psychiastrist and also seek the help of a psychologist.

M4

[AnonymousGuy888]

@MMahon:

Yes the sedating effect has subsided now after five days. I also started taking my dose a little earlier (10 PM instead of midnight or 1 AM) ..... It is working better now.

@M4Y0U:

Hypomania was causing me to want to have lots of illicit sex, drive recklessly, feel very irritable, feeling of superiority, and total apathy .......  and some other dangerous behaviors  ..... Mania in my case was dangerous ..... I see your point about success in business because I always tend towards mania .....

The depression is now gone .... My psychiatrist wanted to give me a mood stabilizer along with Seroquel but now there is no need for that ... He said depression was expected as a side effect of treating mania but it will be gone and that's what happened .....

[Pleiad007]

Glad you're feeling better, AnonGuy.

Hypomania can wreak havoc with friends and family. I've been on 300 mg of Seroquel for several years. My mood stabilizer is Lamictal. For me, both of these medications are essential in reducing the severity of mood swings. I'm also taking Celexa for depression.

A depressive phase could come crashing down---stay vigilant and proactive in managing your moods!

[AnonymousGuy888]

Thanks man ....

Yes it can ..... I am on 400mg of Seroquel now .... My doctor threw in 1mg (500mg twice a day) of Depakine (Sodium valproate) as a mood stabilizer. My mood is now as good as it gets. Going today for a follow up visit .....

My wife has left me now after she knew I am on therapy because she doesn't like the new "calm" person .... She used to irritate me, make me mad then make me apologize and succumb to her wishes. Now that I am more stable and calm, she hates it ......

[AnonymousGuy888]

btw .... Seroquel and Depakine are making me eat like a pig. I am gonna gain lots of weight this way :( .... any advice?

[Pleiad007]

When I was on Seroquel and Sodium valporate my appetite was out of control. After I switched from sodium valoprate to Lamictal, appetite decreased a bit. Seroquel in itself brings on extreme cravings for carbs. If  I go to bed within one hour of taking Seroquel, I avoid night eating. Unfortunately I'm not very consistent.

Sorry about your wife. Sounds like she liked the drama of your episodes. In my experience, people who liked me better when unstable turn out to be Toxic. I've just come out of a two month depression, the longest since PiBo diagnosis. Finally I asked myself why I couldn't climb out of the doldrums, and Duh!! identified three Toxic People in my life. No big announcements, simply avoiding them and creating new boundaries. The very day I decided to avoid these individuals my depression began to lift. Sometimes the obvious solution to is at the tip of my nose and I can't see it.

Weight gain can make a person even more depressed and worsens other health issues. It's nearly impossible to avoid the extra pounds.  I wish you well.

[M4Y0U]

You can talk to your psychiatrist about Wellburtrin, it can work well to decrease your appetite and make you lose weight. I think amphetamine like Adderall (adderrall) should be avoided but they work really good at losing weight and decreasing appetite. In fact this is what works the best for appetite suppression and losing weight issues.

M4