Would my psychiatrist prescribe me seroquel without telling me his primary reaso!
Question: I have been seeing my psychiatrist for med management ever since I had been in the hospital for mood swings. Several months ago, I told him that I had anxiety at night and he prescribed me seroquel for that (or so he said). Anyway, during appointments he asks how my mood swings have been and i say they have been better. i noticed on the seroquel papers that it is used for bipolar mood swings or other things as "determined by your doctor". but i wonder why he would prescribe me seroquel for better sleep at night (because of anxiety), but seroquel is also for mood swings. couldnt he have just told me to go to my other doctor to get a sleeping pill, and then told me straight out that he prescribed me seroquel for mood swings? he hasn't come right out and said that he thinks i am bipolar, but maybe im not, and i just have bipolar-ish mood swings, but without other symptoms that are common to bipolar.
Answers: I have been seeing my psychiatrist for med management ever since I had been in the hospital for mood swings. Several months ago, I told him that I had anxiety at night and he prescribed me seroquel for that (or so he said). Anyway, during appointments he asks how my mood swings have been and i say they have been better. i noticed on the seroquel papers that it is used for bipolar mood swings or other things as "determined by your doctor". but i wonder why he would prescribe me seroquel for better sleep at night (because of anxiety), but seroquel is also for mood swings. couldnt he have just told me to go to my other doctor to get a sleeping pill, and then told me straight out that he prescribed me seroquel for mood swings? he hasn't come right out and said that he thinks i am bipolar, but maybe im not, and i just have bipolar-ish mood swings, but without other symptoms that are common to bipolar.
No, you have a smart psychiatrist. What he's doing is getting two birds with one stone.
Mood swings - bipolar or not - can be treated with Seroquel. Bipolar is just a common cause of regular mood swings. He may suspect you're bipolar, but he's probably just treating you for the night anxiety and the mood swings in one shot. Bipolar IS mood swings, so using something for Bipolar to treat mood swings sounds rational if it has other uses that could benefit you too.
If you take away the title of Bipolar... you're pretty much left with mood swings. I'm Bipolar, but my doctor treats me with a medication called Invega that is actually for use in schizophrenics. The reason for this is because sometimes schizophrenia is similar to bipolar in a lot of ways... so medications used to treat one can often times benefit someone with a different disorder.
As for Depakote, my sister used it when she was younger for migraines. I see nothing suspicious about the fact that its also used for Bipolar. The same applies to this medication as with Seroquel. If you can use one medication two treat two different symptoms, why not do it? Bipolar can be strikingly similar to regular mood swings, so don't be surprised if medication to treat one is used for the other. I used to take Seroquel for Bipolar, but it was an amazing sleep aid too. Bipolar or not though, it would've controlled my mood swings as its a suppressant.
Seroquel is also used to treat Skitzaphrenia (spelled wrong here) but it also is used as a mood stablizer. It will also make you gain weight (at least it did for me) and it is very good for sleep. As to why he/she didnt tell you these things...I dont know... Have you thought of asking him ? I had a psych Dr. like that (wouldnt answer Questions...and kinda blew me off) I changed Dr's because of it
Good luck to ya !
seroquel can be used to treat manic episodes in people who have bipolar disorder, but they kind of hand it out like candy. it is helpful as a sleep aid for some.
It would be better just to mention your concerns to the doctor directly, telling him that you have heard seroquel is used to treat bi-polar disorder and that you wonder if that condition relates to your situation. Your doctor should be willing to discuss his diagnosis of your condition, and the reasons for prescribing any drug for you.
Like other medical issues, bi-polar disorders exist along a spectrum of intensity and sometimes in conjunction with other conditions. It often takes time to try various meds, and adjust their dosages for best effect. By making the effort to talk to your doctor openly about your treatment, you help this process, and so best help yourself.
Many medications used in the mental health field are used to treat a variety of symptoms. For example there are meds used to help epilepsy that also are prescribed to help with anxiety disorder. Your psychiatrist may feel that your unability to sleep is due to stress/anxiety in which case a sleeping pill will knock you out, but will not touch the root of the problem. I would think that your psychiatrist is interested in eliminating the anxiety in order to help you sleep rather than just knocking you out with a pill. I hope this helps a little.
You don't have a sneaky psychiatrist at all. The amount of prescription meds for mental illness out there is staggering and they are coming up with new things often. One med for mood swings may also be prescribed for a much different mental illness, such as Risperdal has been prescribed for schizophrenia as well as bipoplar. As long as you are feeling good, don't worry about it. Sometimes you may need a different medication over the years as your brain changes and the meds may stop working the same way. My husband has had a mental illness for 10 years and has changed meds 4 times. Your psychiatrist is doing what is best for you.
Seroquel is commonly used for sleep issue. It was not its original intent but, like so many medications, it was found to work for more than its primary intended use. Depekote is the same way it is usually prescribed for sezures but has been found to work with "mood swings" and headaches. YOu doctor probably did give you the medications for the reasons he stated. They can, and obviously have, have an impact on your moods but that could also be because your are sleeping and you don't hurt. Lack of sleep has also been directly related to peoples over all well being including having impact on mood swings, level of depression and anxiety etc. I think your doc is right on track and not trying to trick you in any way