seroquel

[2shirley]

My doctor has recommended Seroquel  for my insomnia.  Since i am a parkinsons patient, I was wondering if this ,might make my parkinsons worse?

[ILADVOCATE]

Yes but there is the issue of long term side effects. As a person with advanced tardive dyskinesia I am vividly aware of this. I have a friend whose mother has Parkinson's and she is being given Seroquel as a sleeping pill and I was told even by my psychiatrist that its "the wrong medication". Since all known anti-psychotics with the exception of Clozaril will eventually cause tardive dyskinesia they will worsen Parkinson's in the long run but the effect can be masked while it is occuring and should not be given for assistance with sleeping for this reason. Lunesta and Rozerem are known sleep aides that are safe and effective and can be taken every day especially Rozerem which is derived from Melatonin and helps regulate the sleep cycle. As for anti-psychotic use they are finding that Zofran is effective for psychosis from Parkinsons' and it will not worsen Parkinsons's or create tardive dyskinesia but is actually helpful on it in studies. I am personally familiar with its effect as its been used by my psychiatrist to treat the condition they are identifying as tardive psychosis and its been highly effective.

[missy343]

Hi,
my father (has had parkinson's for approx 30years) takes seroquel with no problems.  In fact, he has noticed a decrease in his nightmares and odd hallucinations.
so if your doctor has recommended it, it may be worth a try.  They should normally suggest starting with a small dose, so you can see how you go.
You can always run it past your neurologist too if you are still unsure.