Quetiapine

[Maverick319]

Saw my doc yesterday because I was feeling that my Effexor was no longer working and my depression was getting worse. He upped my dosage and also put me on 25mg of Quetiapine. Has anyone else ever been on this? Did it help? How did it make you feel? Any side effects?

Oh and he recommend I see a psych because of the feelings I am having and have been hiding.

I have insurance but my deductible is so high that I can't afford it!! Are there any other options for payment? I don't know what to do 🤷🏽‍♀️!!

[StarryNight72]

Hi Maverick,

I am on Effexor and Risperidal. Risperidal is an anti-psychotic like Quetiapine but not the same one (obviously, ha-ha). I am not a doctor or a pharmacist so I can only tell you my personal experience. For me, it really helped. The addition of the anti-psychotic helped me feel much less anxious and able to eat and sleep again. It just makes me feel so relaxed. I love it. They tried me on Xanax and Valium and Klonopin but none of those did anything for me and were like taking a baby aspirin for a migraine. I had no side effects from the Risperidal other than feeling relaxed and sleepy. Just sweet, blessed, relief. I hope you have the same with the quetiapine.

As far as the counseling is concerned, have you spoken with your psychiatrist about not being able to afford a therapist? They often have a list of therapists that will either work on a sliding scale based on how much you could afford or they can get you a referral to community based free therapy. It’s worth asking about it. I will warn you, however, that the waiting lists for these types of therapists can be quite long, but don’t give up. Something else is to ask your psychiatrist about getting set up with a case manager. A case manager, at least where I live, has the job of helping you get accessible, mental health services including counseling and affordable meds. I know during one period when I couldn’t leave my house my case manager used to hand deliver my medications since I couldn’t get to the pharmacy and she arranged for my counseling to be done at my home since I couldn’t get into the office to see my therapist.

Best of luck to you!

[Maverick319 in reply to StarryNight72]

Thanks so much for your personal experience!! I was curious as to how the Quetiapine would help and how long it would take to see results

I will talk to my psych about my not being able to afford a therapist and hopefully he can recommend some good ideas!

Thanks for listening, sharing and caring!!😘😘

[StarryNight72 in reply to Maverick319]

My pleasure! The Risperidal, for me, helped instantly. No waiting for weeks like antidepressants

[Maverick319 in reply to StarryNight72]

Good to know 👍🏼 I only took it last night per instructions and I noticed today that I am quite sleepy Lol haven't noticed any mood changes but it is still early so we shall see!

Thanks again for your insight! 😘