Skip to main content

Trying Seroquel

Earlier this week, I started on the medication Seroquel. I'm on 100 (milligrams, I think) and will gradually increase to the therapeutic dose of 250, if all goes as planned. I just wanted to give a quick update on my experience so far.

Issues It is Intended to Treat

  • Insomnia
  • Paranoia
  • Delusions

Benefits so Far

  • Mood stabilization- My mood fluctuates a lot less throughout the day. I did not realize that the amount that my mood changed independent of external circumstances was unusual, but it stays steady more now. 
  • Insomnia Drastically Reduced- I fall asleep without trouble and only wake up 1-2 times per night. I have NEVER experienced that before. At first, it made me sleepy during the day, too, but melatonin and a little caffeine sorted out my sleep schedule well.
  • Increased Focus

Side Effects so Far

  • Drowsiness- It puts me to sleep about 1-2 hours after I take it, and it's hard to wake up in the morning without caffeine.
  • Nausea- I experience nausea right after I take it and also if I consume caffeine.
  • Dry Mouth- I experience dry mouth for the first few hours after I take it.
  • Mania- I feel manic for a few hours a day, ever day. Update 8/4 My support team says I seem "elevated" "reactive" or "hostile" for a few hours a day. It's hard not to hurt my service dog or myself (but like a meltdown, not like intention to hurt; it's reactive not premeditated).
  • More meltdowns- I'm not sure if this is because of the medication or because I'm trying to do more as a result of being on the medication
  • Not negative, but I switch from more vocal stims to more movement stims.
  • Not negative, but my brain "feels weird" after I take it

No change

  • Delusions- No noticeable change, yet. 
  • Paranoia- No noticeable change, yet.
  • Issues, like autism things, that it was not intended to treat
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Distress Tolerance Skills Part 3: When the Crisis is Addiction

All posts in this series reference working through  DBT® Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition , and all quotes come from that book unless otherwise specified. To learn more about distress tolerance skills as a whole, why they are important, and the goals the book sets forth for studying them, click  here .  The Distress Tolerance Skills section of the book is divided into two main types of handouts: Crisis Survival and Reality Acceptance. There will also be some material for "When the Crisis is Addiction". This blog will cover "When the Crisis is Addiction". Everyone Has Addictions: In this section, the book first makes the point that everyone has addictions. It lists everything from alcohol and drugs to spiritual practices as potential things to which someone could be addicted. For me, I will be working through this section with regards to self harm.  Dialectical Abstinence: The second subsection of addiction distress tolerance ski...
Post a Comment
Read more

Autism and Teaching English

In many ways, autism makes me a good teacher. I explain things clearly and systematically. I keep detailed notes on each student because I have to do so to remember. I have formulas for everything and provide data-based feedback on student progress after every lesson. It also makes me a good English as a Second Language teacher. I pinpoint specific, recurring issues in students' speaking (accent, pronunciation, and oral fluency) and take a structured approach to addressing these issues. I do the same with academic writing (structure, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, coherence and cohesion). However, it makes me a lousy literature teacher. I'm good at poetry, but stories are not my thing. I take them at face value. It's hard for me to see symbolism behind the words. A story about talking rabbits ( Watership Down ) is, to me, just about the talking rabbits, and I'm totally into the narrative of those rabbits. I also cannot empathize with character emotions unless I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Increasing my Testosterone Dosage

TW: Body changes, sexual changes, suicide mention   I started low-dose testosterone on February 1, 2016 . My step-dad had just taken his own life, and I felt the need to take control of mine. I was on testosterone for a long time before I was sure that I really wanted to be on it- that it was the decision that would reduce dysphoria the most for my nonbinary self. Part of this indecisiveness came from my autism; I've always had trouble making decisions due to being overwhelmed by the options and fearing regret. I talked a lot with my therapist about my uncertainty around testosterone, and the ongoing theme was that I was happy about the current changes; I was just afraid that I would regret future changes. So, I stayed on testosterone, reasoning that I could always go off of it if the changes started causing dysphoria from being too masculine. Since then, I've started trying my hand at online dating. Through answering the many, many questions on the sites, building my profil...
Post a Comment
Read more