Severe bad reaction to Quetiapine

Hello.

3 nights ago I had a seriously frightening bad reaction to Quetiapine medication.

I had been taking this medication since 19th February 2014, having the dose gradually increased slowly to 300mg, but I think my body had a severe reaction to this new higher dose.

What happened?

On  the evening of Thursday 20th March I got into bed, at about 11pm, and took a 300mg tablet.
I very quickly after 10-15 minutes began struggling to breathe, and had difficulty swallowing.
The next and extremely scary thing that began happening to me was that I started to feel like I was losing consciousness.
I fought this feeling, and got up from my bed and phoned a friend ( a London taxi driver, who I knew would be awake).
''help me, I said'' tearfully, panicking.
''I'm struggling to breathe, and I feel like I'm going to pass out''.

''I cant do anything''  he said sympathetically but realistically, and told me to phone the NHS 24 hr helpline.

I did phone them, and tried desperately to explain that I had taken a 300mg tablet of Quetiapine, and explained what was happening to me.

The nurse said that her screen was telling her I should go to A&E.

I was reluctant to do this, take this drastic action as I am a carer to my adult son, and so if there was any other way to feel better.......?

She said she would get the 24hr on call doctor to phone me. She also advised me to inhale through steam a vicks vapour rub thing.
I did that and it helped.
I was able to breathe through my nose again, and by this time the overwhelming feeling to sleep came upon me.

I sat up in my bed with the phone by my side.
When he phoned I explained what had happened to me.

He said I should stop taking this med and see my GP the next day.

I slept for 11hrs from 12.20am to 11,20am when my son woke me up with a mug of tea.

I booked an emergency appointment to speak to a GP, who told me to stop taking this medication, for 1 week, and to see my 'usual' GP who would probably advise me to begin taking this med again increasing it slowly again until I reached a dose my body could tolerate, which would probably be 150mg.

In the couple of days prior to having this bad attack, I had suffered with an extremely high temperature, reduced need to pass water, and trembling hands.

I am now terrified to take this medication ever again, as it seemed like I had experienced what is known as 'Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome'.

The trouble is I don't think its safe for me to just suddenly stop taking this medication.
One of the side effects from suddenly stopping taking it is insomnia.
Insomnia I can live with, but I do feel I've been given the wrong advice.
After all this is a 'general practitioner', and with respect they are not 'experts' in 'psychiatry' are they?

I want to speak to my psychiatrist about what to do.

Since I stopped taking this medication, I have stopped getting that horrible high temperature, and been able to pass water again normally for me......and also the hand trembling has stopped.
Also in my mind, my minds health I have felt so much better and on an even keel. This is the first time I have felt on an even keel mood-wise since before I began taking this medicine.

So I personally conclude that this medication is NOT RIGHT FOR ME.

I don't want to take it again. If I am advised to 'wean-off' it on a low dose I will listen and comply.

Has anyone else ever had a similar experience on this medication?

Ideally I'd like to try a holistic approach to my own personal management of this Bipolar.
I have begun taking cod liver oil capsules as a volunteer at BipolarUK website suggested.
Apart from being unable to sleep, I'm feeling the most 'well' in my mind than I have felt for ages.

I now think on hindsight that the Quetiapine was affecting my mental health making me worse.

Your thoughts?

Thanks for reading.

My art ( Art as therapy ) Poetry & Paintings

My art.

( Art as therapy )

Observational art, from real life images, or raw emotion art, from my heart!

I use art as a way of expressing myself, and as an outlet to vent my emotions.

So far I have used pencil, charcoal, oil pastels, and water colour paints.

Very often I will notice the beauty in nature around me when walking my dog, such as wild flowers, and I will then take a photograph of those things that catch my attention and interest, and then I will draw it from my observation of the photograph, then create the finished picture later on at home.
This tends to be when I am feeling fairly calm or in a stable mood. ( That's what I've noticed so far when doing this.)

Then there is the other type of art, where I just use my imagination. No pictures, or photo's, just my raw emotion onto paper, again using any of the mediums mentioned above.

The following is a few examples of my most recent work.

This was a water colour from a photograph that I took. I drew  it in pencil first, from observing the photo, then used water colour paints to colour it in.

This one was created from memory, of a place I had been to on the Isle of Wight in England UK. It is of an outdoor swimming pool, with a view of the sea beyond. It is made using oil pastels.

This one above is what I described as my 'graffiti' art created using just my emotions alone. I created it from how I was feeling at the time. ( yesterday late afternoon, early evening )
( 17th March 2014 )
The other two pictures above are rather self- explanatory, but this above I would like to say a little about.
I was feeling extremely agitated, and frustrated when I created this.
I wanted to offload and express how I was feeling.
This painting started as cyclone-type spirals in black and shades of blue. Rather like tornado's or  cyclones.
Getting the 'picture'?
Sheer and utter TURMOIL is how I was feeling. See I have painted the word 'LIAR'? That's because I get unwanted negative nasty unhelpful thoughts in my head, which is due to the Bipolar. Thoughts and statements such as ''No-one gives a f*** about you, no ones interested in what you've got to say.......etc etc etc.......

I had drawn 'cyclone-type' spirals, with words to describe how I was feeling inside. I then took this flow of thought to create this graffiti art.

This is what I had written just before I painted this.

'' I feel as if I'm screaming inside, this awful feeling is so hard to hide.
I want to try and find a way to describe, this turmoil within.......like a tornado......or a cyclone.......I'm caught up in it's path.............and when it's passed.........?
I'm left with the aftermath.........
of what's left.

My face contorts with the agony inside.
Every fear I've ever known- is now magnified.
Treacherous, continuous, there is no end in sight,
only death itself will end this fight.
I want to cry, but I don't make a sound.
Only agony, silent, relentless can be found.
Deep down inside, where no one can see,
the depth of it's misery, known only by me.

WHY?     is it doing this to me when I thought I was doing so well?''


More Art.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 weeks after diagnosis- my progress- early days on bipolar medication & mood charts

5 weeks after diagnosis- my progress so far.

Hello everyone.

It's been 5 weeks since my formal diagnosis of bipolar, and so I wanted to make an update on how things have been for me so far while I feel able to.

I began taking 'Quetiapine' on Wednesday 19th February 2014.
Starting on a low dose of just 50mg, then gradually increasing this to 100mg,
over a period of several days and so on, until from Thursday 13th March I will start taking 300mg of Quetiapine, which is the dose that the psychiatrist wants me to be on from then on. I will have finally reached my required goal. ( medication- wise)

This medication made me extremely drowsy and sleepy with each increased dose. Just as my body seemed to get used to it, I had to increase the mg.

For a week following starting the medication I hit a terrible low.

I am writing this so that others may be encouraged that IF you feel you have reached rock bottom, with endless suicidal thoughts........HANG IN THERE......please........and please listen to someone ( me ) who has been there and understands.
THIS FEELING PASSES IN TIME. For me personally it lasted a week.

For me personally this terrible suicidal low lasted for 7 days from starting the Quetiapine. ( For those of you who are familiar with the bipolar mood chart, I was on 0 ( zero ) to 1 on everyday for the first week. I planned how to end the pain. I had a realistic plan which would have been 100% effective. No one would have known. Know one could have possibly disturbed me. I would have been found when it was too late. The date on which I felt this low and was thinking of doing this was 25th February 2014. The only reason I've written this is because I want you to know that I understand how bad it can get.
I tried to call the emergency mental health phone number, but the phone line was constantly engaged/busy. In the end I phoned my brother. He listened to me, that conversation saved my life.

Then I alternated between 2 and 3 on the mood chart until on 6th March I hit a hypomanic episode for 2 days/nights where I hardly slept on 7th and 8th March.
I slept for 4 hrs. on Friday 7th March, and 3.5hrs on Saturday 8th March.
So if these tablets are meant to help stabilise your mood, they certainly weren't  working effectively for me just yet!

I am yet to reach a steady even keel. I hope that happens in time.
Well, that's the idea. A steady even keel being numbers 4 to 6 on the mood chart.

For this month of March, my mood on the bipolar mood scale has been constantly in the 'yellow' of 2 and 3. This is known as mild to moderate depression. ( based on the bipolar mood scale )
I told my GP today that this medication has been providing what has felt like a safety net for me recently.
She said that I looked 'better'.
I feel 'better' at the moment, as in right now.
But I'm not taking anything for granted.
I'm so grateful and thankful to be feeling better than I was.
However, I know its still early days in my recovery.

Come with me on my journey to recovery, if you will.
If you have recently been diagnosed with bipolar, or know someone who has, then I'm hoping that my blog will provide you with some helpful information, from the view point of someone ( me ) who knows.

Here is a link to the Bipolar website where you can find a mood scale chart and also a mood diary chart. Both are printable, and can be found on this website:

www.bipolaruk.org.uk


As for Michael Jackson?

Have I 'got over' this man yet?

hmmmmmm.............

I'll let this song tell you the answer to that..............

and ps: I will try to make a you tube video of MJ using this song......does that answer your question?

 

 

This is the video I made using this song..........for Michael Jackson