Back in the day, I thought things like Haldol, Navane and Thorazine were party pills. I'm so glad I no longer party or do drugs because this one sounds even more dangerous.

I think maybe the use of Seroquel as a "fun drug" (I've never tried my own rx by any route other than oral so for me all I know of it as is a sleep drug, but for all I know f you bypass the liver and get the stuff straight to your brain it may just be a nice high, I dunno, I d know that Buspar is like that -makes you trip out if you snort it, as me and my friends as teens used to snort all sorts of random psych and other rx meds (teenagers raiding thier parents and families medicine cabinets and having pharm parties may be where this got started too))... well maybe was something that herion and opiate users infered from watching thier Bipolar and Schizophrenic friends get all dopey and sleepy from taking thier meds, then asked if they could try one. I mean I've never known a hard core opiates user who doesn't want to add to thier high with anything from antihistamines to benzo's, so Seroquel isn't a big leap... and I have known indiscriminant drug users that have asked me for some of my seroquel... some people will try anything once. ( the sad irony is that I used to be one of those people and back when I had my last major breakdown my friends were having fun with Seroquel but I was too scared of trying an antipsychotic to do it myself... if I had done it I probably would have noticed how much better I felt all into the next day or two and gone to the doc to get some... instead I went completely bonkers on antidepressants and landed in the psych hospital being put on all sorts of different meds for about a year befor a doc finaly clued on that Seroquel might work for me)

As far as the research I have done Seroquel amongst other varied APs has a "down the line" effect on the endogenous opioid system... as far as my experience goes, using opiates while taking seroquel daily for some reason makes my tolerance way higher than it ever was befor. If I haven't used any pain meds in a long time and my Seroquel dose is around 300mg I can take two regular vicodin and get effects, but if I have used opiate painkillers (somewhat chronicaly and then stopped for a few weeks or months) within the last few weeks-months OR if I am on 450 to 600mg of Seroquel a day, my STARTING opiate tolerance is about 60mg hydrocodone (that's SIX Norco)... so I KNOW seroquel is doing something with my opioid system even if I haven't been taking actual opiate medications recently.

Even when I have taken opiate pain meds and been able to get effects at 2 regular strength vicodins, my tolerance goes up over a matter of days (like every three to four days I need another two pills) where as it used to take MONTHS for that to happen. (explain that to a doctor, they don't believe you)

It's also made it so that as far as WDs go, even from 160mg of oxycontin a day go, I can take something as weak sauce as Darvon (equivilant to codiene in it's strength and effects - barely) basicaly just stop a 160 mg a day habbit of the stuff with nothing but some mental WDs and a little bit of a cold sweat.
So maybe it's a god send for some people with serious opiate addictions when they're trying to quit... it should definately be researched for this use. But also it could be a curse for those who have an opiate habbit as well because it doesn't do sh*t for cravings (as far as I'm concerned) all the while raising your tolerance and causing all the problems that having your tolerance go up "too fast" does.

As far as I am concerned Seroquel is at least a kind enough drug to not cause tolerance to itself, so it'd be hard to have the typical addiction to the stuff where costs go up, it becomes hard to get, you're taking more and more and doing more and more damage to your body.

Another thing is that I know if I ever want to quit the Seroquel I am going to have to go inpatient. Opiates, yeah I can kick them on my own, but Seroquel, if I miss one day I am not just sick and annoyed I am paraniod and suicidal. And it's like I've written befor, I jones for the stuff each evening and haven't ever been able to get completely off it no matter how slowly I have tapered.

There is something special about this AAP though and as far as I can guess from my experience with it is that this med does hit the opioid system in the brain pretty hard... that is also probably why it has some effectiveness in the depressive phase as well as the manic, because the opioid system isn't irrelevant when it comes to depression and mania alike... we just pretend it doesn't because it's distasteful to consider any med for people with psych issues that outrightly targets the opioid system.

Comparing Seroquel to oxycodone is absolutely laughable.

It's sedating. The ignorant users out there will find anything sedating to be intoxicating. Period.
The guy in MA also had trazodone. Another sedative. Unless you count the bonus effect of a *really dry mouth* as being the criteria for one hell of a drug (apologies to Rick James), I don't think that's really an endorsement.

What it suggests to me is that we're medicating poverty as a form of mental illness, so he had it on hand.

I've taken high-dose oxycodone, and I've taken Seroquel. Both for legit medical reasons, actually. I can see getting off on the oxycodone, but the Seroquel... yeah, not really. Look elsewhere for your scandals.

I'm not so sure I wouldn't blame AstraZeneca for these "problems." They push this drug on so many people for so many different reasons, while at the same time being aware its being abused.
The more it gets used, the more money they make. Does anyone really think they view this abuse of their meds as a bad thing?
I wouldn't be surprised if some sales rep went on Erowid and posted how great seroquel is...
Would you put it past these drug companies?

AstraZeneca contributes to the abuse of Seroquel everytime the reps leave free samples at the doc/psych offices.

This drug should be classified as a controlled substance.

I tried snorting Seroquel once (after reading about it on legallybombed.com). Just put me to sleep. Wouldn't recommend it. Never tried heroin so I can't compare the two.

I was prescribed Seroquel for aggitation and anxiety caused by prednisone-a steroid that for me causes psychosis. I have Crohn's disease pretty severely and I was taking 30mg of Oxycodone every 2-4 hours for pain associated with the Crohns. It was not helping anymore so I begged my Gastroenterologist to prescribe the steroid both of us knowing how it affects me. This is where Seroquel comes into play. My stupid General Practitioner decided it would be helpful to my situation. I took it for maybe two weeks without any results. On July 16th of this year I went to see my GP about its failure to resolve my incredible aggitation. She decided to double my dose. On July 18th I was in a terrible wreck with my 18 month old baby. We went off the road and hit a tree then were launched 150 in the air, flipping over and over and landed upside down in a lake. I was thrown from the vehicle while my baby stayed strapped in her carseat under water. I do not remember anything. Not getting in the car. Not laying in the road where I was confronted by highway workers who told me to rest in my vehicle. I apparently urinated in front of these people and drove away, and into the lake, before they could get an officer to me. I don't remember being flown by helicopter to a Trauma 1 unit. But I do remember the hours and minutes leading to me getting into the truck. I had woken at 3 or 4 am feeling as though I wanted to jump outta my skin. It got progressively worse until I called my fiance to come home and take me to the hospital. I honestly believe the Seoquel caused my dimentia and the accident. I hope to get my case to court and hold Astra Zeneca and my General Practitioner liable for everything I lost that day. My life will never be the same because of my doctors ignorance and that drugs awful effects. Please don't automatically assume a doctor knows much or anything about the drugs they prescribe you. I know I will never look at meds the same again.

Sampson _ that is horrible what happened to you and your child. This drug, Seroquel, and probably any antipsychotic (aka MAJOR tranquilizers), should come with a STERN warning NOT to ever even attempt to drive on them. I've gotten delierious on my Seroquel befor as well and gone driving, it happens. That is why I also take Xanax along with it at night so I know for sure I will pass out and go to sleep and not decide to go out and drive.

I am sorry your doctor was an idiot and didn't realise this drug was making things worse for you. I am sorry for what you went thru.