Aa
the EXACT meaning of a mood stabilizer
Forget about what the FDA says about seroquel: monotherapy and only AP approved for depression etc... What is the exact I mean the EXACT meaning of a mood stabilizer. Some would say seroquel is one, but I began to wonder. OR else I am getting worse perhaps:
1. 12 years ago, it was depression only (took antidepressant+risperidal)
2. with an antidepressant only (didn't know yet my case I was trying to stop medications) after a while got mania (things changed since then)
3. so added again the risperdal
4. after a while with both the antidepressant and risperdal got my 2nd mania
5. stop AD completely and added seroquel to risperdal (3 years ago)
6. nowadays I was elevated without any antidepressant but added 50mg seroquel to be on 150mg+my risperdal
assumptions:
1. either I was BP2 became BP1 and will accelerate upwards
2. will my dose of seroquel increase e.g. is it tolerance to seroquel if addictive
3. will the illness usually get worse and my drugs have to increase automatically
Please
1. 12 years ago, it was depression only (took antidepressant+risperidal)
2. with an antidepressant only (didn't know yet my case I was trying to stop medications) after a while got mania (things changed since then)
3. so added again the risperdal
4. after a while with both the antidepressant and risperdal got my 2nd mania
5. stop AD completely and added seroquel to risperdal (3 years ago)
6. nowadays I was elevated without any antidepressant but added 50mg seroquel to be on 150mg+my risperdal
assumptions:
1. either I was BP2 became BP1 and will accelerate upwards
2. will my dose of seroquel increase e.g. is it tolerance to seroquel if addictive
3. will the illness usually get worse and my drugs have to increase automatically
Please
Best Answer
I never have, but Seroquel has actually been abused by many people, they call them Q bombs or Q balls or something like that. So since they can be abused I'm sure they could be addictive if not taking the dose as prescribed
In Egypt Dr & patient care may be substantially different.
My Psychiatrist assesses the medications I am on, & through our sessions determines if I am stable on my meds.
Here it is also good to have talk therapy with a Psychologist.
Once per week I attend a support group with others who are diagnosed Bipolar. My husband knows to demand less of me & help keep the stress levels in the home to a minimum.
Good nutrition, exercise & some sunshine are helpful.
I believe this Disorder needs to be attacked on all fronts. Medication is just one part of the quotation.
Seeing friends, not isolating. Getting plenty of rest, are all important.
My Psychiatrist assesses the medications I am on, & through our sessions determines if I am stable on my meds.
Here it is also good to have talk therapy with a Psychologist.
Once per week I attend a support group with others who are diagnosed Bipolar. My husband knows to demand less of me & help keep the stress levels in the home to a minimum.
Good nutrition, exercise & some sunshine are helpful.
I believe this Disorder needs to be attacked on all fronts. Medication is just one part of the quotation.
Seeing friends, not isolating. Getting plenty of rest, are all important.
As you I was diagnosed with depression for years. All other symptoms weren't noticed as I am BP2. So years on AD ended up with rages and even deeper depressions and in the other hand bit manic times. It defo became worse with time. I am sure I was always BP2. Not sure what to think about it. My poor brain is probably getting tired of it and can't cope with all the swings better.
You can build up tolerance to a medication, but I wouldn't say Seroquel is an addictive med. I certainly experienced no problems (I had others related, which made me stop, but addiction is not one I experienced nor have heard of). So, yes, you could need to increase in Seroquel as your symptoms change/increase. At the same time, Seroquel dosage could stay the same and another drug be added or the Risperdal be increased. It will be dependent upon your case.
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Your seroquel dose is still quite low, and only starting to get to the true antipsychotic neurotransmitter effects. In fact, 300-600 mg is more the usual range, but that should be discussed with a doctor. People generally stay on a constant dose of seroquel once they find one that works, although you might have to tweak the dose depending on how much the underlying issue is being exacerbated. For instance, I increased my buspirone over the summer to 20 mg b.i.d. from 15 because of increased anxiety, but then went back down again when the anxiety was feeling pretty controlled and it was giving me some brain fuzz. I did not get stuck at a higher dose.
Seroquel is weird in that it is supposed to get less sedating as the dose increases, up to a point, due to its really weird pharmacokinetics.
Tolerance is not the same as addiction. Tolerance is more getting rid of side effects, and sometimes main effects, which can cause a need for increase. It doesn't happen with all drugs. Dependence means that you get withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop--you can become dependent on nasal allergy sprays if you use them too many days in a row, getting rebound congestion because of the drug withdrawal. Many drugs taken on a regular basis create a certain amount of dependence, but a reasonable taper is enough to deal with it in the vast majority of cases.
Seroquel is not considered to be addictive, has a very low risk of movement problems, and is considered by most to be a mood stabilizer (helps with mania and depression).
Why were you on the risperdal in the first place with a "plain" depression diagnosis, though? It's not generally one of the ones used to augment ADs, although every combo has been tried by some desperate person.