How long does Seroquel XR last?

[gcvmom]

difficult child 2 started Seroquel XR 300mg just as we started our trip last month, and since I was with him pretty much 24/7, I could really see how it was working for him.

It seems that after about 16 hours it wears off. I'm wondering: What do other people do about covering the rest of the day until it's time for the evening dose? (Haven't checked in with the psychiatrist since we've been back, but will be doing that on Monday -- and it's good for me to get this down here to clarify things in my own head.)

I see that it makes hiim REALLY sleepy and REALLY hungry. He is not as agitated and seems pretty well focused when he gets up in the morning (although he's tired), and he's fairly cooperative. But by lunchtime, he's increasingly restless, bored, hyperactive, emotionally reactive, easily frustrated and prone to loud outbursts and tantrums (not very long, though) which can include hitting (usually sibs) or throwing things. He also starts bugging people A LOT.

Clearly, more tweaking and possibly an additional medication needs to be considered. He's still taking 500mg Depakote at night, too. I tried giving him 300mg of regular Seroquel during the day when we were on our trip, and it seemed to help get him through the afternoon and early evening, but he is just so sedated I don't see how this will be helpful in September.

The food issue has to be addressed too. I could see the fat accumulating on his torso during the trip and he quickly found that the shorts I packed for him were too tight. I haven't weighed him, but I'll bet he's gained at least 10 pounds in the last month.

Thanks in advance for any feedback or experience you can share!

 

[smallworld]

Seroquel XR is supposed to cover for 24 hours. Clearly, it's not doing that in your difficult child's case. It may mean that the dose has to be higher. I've heard that Seroquel XR doesn't work for everyone, and some go back to regular Seroquel. My daughter's psychiatrist told me she's prescribing Seroquel XR with good results (but at higher doses).

My son was taking 800 mg regular Seroquel all in the evening, and his mood was stable all through the day. I know it's not supposed to be dosed that way, but his attending psychiatrist at the day treatment program said he's had good results giving regular Seroquel all in the evening. Because J was still sedated in the morning following this whopping dose, his outside psychiatrist brought it down to 600 mg a couple of months ago. He still seems a bit listless in the mornings (and perks up in the afternoons), so we're bringing his dose down to 400 mg this weekend. Not sure yet if his mood will stay stable, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.

For weight gain and adjunct mood stabilization, his day treatment psychiatrist added in Zonegran, an anticonvulsant that suppresses appetite. From December when it was started to his checkup in June, J grew 1.5 inches and lost 7 pounds while taking large doses of Seroquel! Zonegran is definitely working.

Good luck with the medication merry-go-round.

 

[gcvmom]

Thanks SW, that's good to know how it worked for your son. I'm inclined to think the dose is not high enough, because it does seem to help some of his symptoms.

I'll put that info about Zonegran in my notes to ask the psychiatrist, too. We've got type 2 diabetes on both sides of our family, so I really need to keep difficult child's weight under control before he ends up with MORE problems.

 

[Belzog]

My son's been on Seroquel XR for a week. He has been a new man the last 3 days. He says he doesn't feel like **** anymore. Yesterday he did chores and had a shower, both are not regularly performed activities. He is also on Zoloft (since Jan.), but I haven't noticed any improvement from that alone.

I love Seroquel. I give it to him at night and the Zoloft in the morning. We'll see how long this upturn lasts. Hopefully a while.