Brief Answer:
it is not sleeping pill,it is relatively safe,weight gain is major concern

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Thanks for writing to us for your health related query.

Seroquel is an atypical anti-psychotic medicine and used for various psychiatric problem. Like every drug seroquel also causes some side effects. But when any drug is used under medical supervision it is relatively safe and the same is applicable to seroquel. Common side effects are sedation, dizziness, weight gain, constipation, dry mouth, missed periods, breast engorgement. Most of them are tolerable. Very less risk of extra pyramidal side effects like tardive dyskinesia is there.
Persons with history of blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac disease, cataract, hormonal disturbance should take the same under strict medical supervision as it can cause side effects related to these problems.

You are taking it since 3 months and if you do not have any significant side effect, no need to worry. However in long run weight gain is concerned side effect so measures to prevent weight gain through exercise and diet changes should be applied when if plan is to take the drug for more than one year.

It will not cause any damage to brain. Rather it may improve cognition in some patients with cognitive problems.

Its histamine receptor antagonist property is responsible for sedation and which is useful for sleep disturbance. It does not act on benzodiazepine receptors so no possibility of tolerance or dependence.

Hope I have answered your query, I will be happy to help further.

Regards,
Dr.Chintan Solanki.

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Brief Answer:
No risk of blindness

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for follow up.

You must have some sleep disturbance and that is why your doctor had prescribed drug to this. This means your sleep was already disturbed. Seroquel was given to restore your sleep architecture. Whenever you take any drug for sleep disturbance we can not say it is natural sleep!! But seroquel by its antihistaminic property does not effect sleep architecture much and help in sleep which is near to like that of natural sleep without medicine.

No risk of blindness with seroquel in your case.It is there in people with people with diabetes, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, erection problems, osteoporosis and after long term use at higher dose and very rare occurrence..

Hope this answers your concern.

If still any query there, I will be happy to answer. If not, you can close the discussion and if feasible give your feedback and rating so I can improve my service. In future you can contact me directly on this site if you wish with this link:
http://bit.ly/drchintansolanki
by clicking on 'Ask me a question' on same page.

All the best and wish you good health.

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Brief Answer:
it is due to receptor modifications

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for technical question.

Sleeping pills are benzodiazepines and they work through GABA receptors.

Tolerance(drug is not effective in same dose as before) develops rapidly to the sleep-inducing effects of benzodiazepine.
(Tolerance results in a desensitization of GABA receptors and an increased sensitization of the excitatory neurotransmitter system, glutamate such as NMDA glutamate receptors. These changes occur as a result of the body trying to overcome the drug's effects. Other changes that occur are the reduction of the number of GABA receptors (internalization) as well as possibly long-term changes in gene transcription coding of brain cells.)

In short this tolerance leads to more dose to be needed for sleeping effects. After regular use(say for more than 3 months) if someone stops such medicine abruptly he/she feels withdrawal symptoms and that is why person thinks to continue medicine. In this way person becomes habitual and specifically when person does not inform treating doctor and takes medicine on his/her own.

If still any query there, I will be happy to answer. If not, you can close the discussion and if feasible give your feedback and rating so I can improve my service. In future you can contact me directly on this site if you wish with this link:
http://bit.ly/drchintansolanki
by clicking on 'Ask me a question' on same page.

All the best and wish you good health.

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Brief Answer:
yes it will recover

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

There is secondary insomnia due to stress of divorce in your case. As soon as your stress will go your natural sleep will come back and you can sleep without medicine.

Try to follow 'Sleep Hygiene'. These are measures for getting natural sleep when there is sleep disturbance. You can find the same in following link:

http://sleepfoundation.org/ask-the-expert/sleep-hygiene

Take care.

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Brief Answer:
yes hormonal disturbance or pineal cysts can contribute to insomnia

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for good question.

Yes hormonal disturbances (specially thyroid and corticosteroid) can contribute to insomnia.

Pineal gland produces melatonin, a serotonin derived hormone, which affects the modulation of sleep patterns in both seasonal and circadian rhythms.So pineal cyst can also contribute to insomnia if melatonin production is affected.

Take care.

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Brief Answer:
it just effects quality & duration of sleep depending upon size & pathology

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

No it is not like that pineal cyst make it impossible to sleep. Because of melatonin disturbance it affects circadian rhythm (biological clock of the body) and that leads to disturbance in sleep duration and quality. It may affect sleep initiation or sleep maintenance.
With medicine treatment one can get good sleep in this case also.

Do not hesitate to ask if you have more query. I will try my best to answer the same.

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