anyone tried seroquel for migraines?

I was just prescribed a low dose of it the other day after trying countless other migraine preventatives, but can't find much information about the use of this drug for migraines. I'm assuming my neuro has his reason, but I'd love to hear if others have been on it for headaches and how they felt on it. Thanks.

i've considered this one, but when i read that it's for schizophrenia and bi-polar conditions, i think i'll pass. i guess i just don't believe that the crazy drugs are appropriate for those who aren't.

they have too many side effects. maybe if a tiny dose were prescribed, as your doctor did, it's possible it could help? i'd sure ask him/her about how many other people he's tried on this drug. dianne

So called "crazy drugs" can be very effective for many different things and are often not just used for people dealing with mental health issues.

I'd be more concerned about the biggest side effect of seroquel, which is weight gain and other metabolic effects. Weight gain is not dose specific, which means you can gain weight whether you are on 12.5 mg or 800mg.

Supposed "crazy drugs" like antidepressants and mood stablizers are some of the most commonly used preventatives for migraines such as topamax, gabapentin, effexor etc. I wouldn't count a medication out simply because it's effective for use in people with mental health issues.

Could your neuro be suggesting this to alleviate a sleep issue? Seroquel is often used for sleep problems as well as for anxiety.

Medications are rarely used only for the reason they were first studied. Many don't even treat what they were first brought out for. Look at metformin...a drug we used for years for diabetes which is now being found as a very successful cancer preventative.

I personally don't care what a medication was formulated for. If it works for me...GREAT!

I tried it at the very low dose. It was prescribed primarily to help with sleep but hopefully to help with the migraines too. It helped neither and instead caused very quick weight gain and severe constipation. I was only on it for about 3 months.

If you have sleep issues and migraine, it's worth a try. It works for some.

My doc wanted me to try seroquel too, but I refused because of the possible side effects. He also tried to get me to take Effexor, but my pharmacist refused to even fill it because there was a high chance of me getting seratonin syndrome. So now, whenever my doc wants to try me on some new drug, I run it through iGuard.com. I can't trust that the doc checks for interactions with the many prescription drugs I am already on.

I hope you make the right choice, and that it all works out for you.

Dawn

I discussed atypicals like Seroquel with my neurologist this week. His opinion, along with some others that I've seen is that Seroquel does absolutely nothing to prevent migraines. It's prescribed to knock you out during a bad one--basically to sleep it off.

I think it is rather dangerous to put patients on this medication to "sleep it off" given what this medication is designed to treat and help.

We can make the argument about off label uses of something even like a calcium channel blockers like verapamil (which actually can treat migraines), but verapamil doesn't make you want to jump off a bridge.

Propranolol makes me want to jump off of buildings. Just saying. I've been around patients using seroquel for many, many years now and I have yet to have any one of them complain about an increase or surfacing of suicidal ideation.

I've seen this in antidepressant use, but not yet in the use of neuroleptics.

I still would personally stay away from seroquel if my doc offered it to me....but again, that would be due to the weight and metabolic side effects.

They put my half sister on seroquel and she had NO emotions at all! She couldn't feel happiness, sadness, anger, or suicidal thoughts. The seroquel numbed her to the point of zombie...

The only other drug that made me lose all control of my emotions was that Topamax. I experienced uncontrolled rage, followed by crying bouts that could last for hours. Sometimes I think the drugs they want us to take for our Migraines are 50 times worse than actually having the pain LOL!

Dawn

To Milo,

Right now I have a big fear of this class of medications for Anna.

Her first experiences with Reglan were awful, but no one picked up on it. She was given Reglan with DHE infusions and had some serious complications. She was saying she felt crappy, crawly, felt like climbing the walls, felt like she wanted to die...but I thought it was the DHE making her feel this way. I didn't know anything about Reglan at the time. Then she was in the ER getting Reglan (without the DHE), and she started saying these things, and then I knew it was the Reglan.

So her doctor put Reglan on her allergy list, and no one gives it to her anymore.

A neuro (a good one), wanted her to try Trilafon as an abortive med. It was ok. It made her sleep, and she would feel better when she woke up. Then he prescribed Seroquel, and she immediately had that crappy, crawly, wall climbing, wanting to die feeling.

He said under no circumstances should she ever take a "zine" again. He said not to let any doctor push it on her.

So was it tardive dyskinesia she was experiencing? Or was it something else? I never saw any dystonic reaction. But this type of meds do scare me when I hear some really bad stories about them (and hear about lawsuits).

It makes me nervous because she is going to a headache clinic next month that is prone to using anti-psychotics.

Should I say she is allergic to them in general?

I would appreciate your input.

Thanks!

Cheryl

just as a bit of interest, astra zeneca is in the process of settling thousands of lawsuits re: seroquel. people who took it have claimed it caused diabetes. (easily found on googling seroquel)

dianne

The claim about diabetes will have lots of factual evidence to back it up. This class of medication most definately causes weight gain and other metabolic concerns. I am seeing a real change in psychiatry right now with many psychiatrist trying to move their patients off of these medications and on to some of the newer "weight neutral" ones.

A word of caution though....we are still seeing a lot of weight gain on the newer antipsychotics...the very ones they are maketing as "weight neutral".

As for Anna....I can understand the feelings that she got from this medication, as I had the same on propranolol. It's a side effect called akathesia and it is a horrible, horrible feeling. They consider it to be an "internal restlessness" but having experianced it myself...I'd say it's more like an EXTREME internal resltlessness.

I tell them I have adverse reactions to this medication. You may want to say that Anna has "adverse reactions to this class of medication". A good doctor will ask you what type of adverse reaction, so be prepared to let him or here know exactly what the adverse reaction was. Make sure you mention the wanting to die part, that should scare any decent doctor off of this class of meds for her.

Ultimatley, we are all in charge of our own bodies, so we all should have the right to refuse to take certain medications.

Thanks, Milo! That was very helpful to me. Now I know what to call what she experienced.

Cheryl

That's interesting to know, Milo....thanks. I get that feeling from hydrocodone. Almost a feeling like you can't breathe. I've added it to my allergy list.

The first time I had it on propranolol I was not alone and it was not too bad. I was in ER and they gave it IV with a whole cocktail of meds.

A few days later I ended up in ER again but this time I insisted on going alone rather then wasting hours and hours of someone's time. I was in a room all by myself and we started with just the propranolol IV. I nearly crawled right out of my own skin. Was perhaps one of the worst feelings ever!

I could not sit still. I had to move no matter how hard I tried not to. Every muscle in my body was writhing and needed to be moved. I felt like I was going to die. Of course, then the feelings of anxiety started up, but luckily I knew enough to know it was a reaction to the meds. I could have really freaked out if I hadn't known that.

Anna's Mom, I have been thinking about this a lot, and I did not understand what you meant by "zines". "zines just cover the phenothiazines.

There are many neuroleptics that don't fall under "zines"...including the seroquel (quetiapine)

I think you may want to use the word neuroleptics to rule out this entire class.

I've been trying to figure out what was bugging me about this post and it came to me during a wakeful night when I should have been sleeping.

Thank you very much, Milo. I probably don't remember exactly what he said, but I kept zines in mind. So it is more than zines, and I'll take note of it. Thanks for thinking of us. You are awesome

Cheryl