Seroquel Clinical Study for Bipolar Depression - Week 2

My 8th-day Seroquel study visit was at 8:30 a.m. on September 14th, meaning I had to get up at seven, which was like the crack of dawn to me. It was probably a very good thing that Dr. Meyer's office is only a mile and a half from my house, because I really wasn't clear-headed enough to drive at that hour. This was proved by the several physical tests they put me through that morning, including:

• Walking briskly up and down a hallway (I hit a wall turning around)
• Standing still with eyes closed (wavery!)
• Maintaining balance when nudged forward, back, left and right
• Tandem walking (heel to toe) in a straight line (the "drunk driver" test)

I failed the last test pretty badly; Dr. Meyer suggested I stop for coffee when I left his office. (But by the time we were finished with the day's questionnaires I was feeling a good deal more alert, and I got to the lab for blood drawing and then to work without incident.)

The questions that day included:

• Are you sleeping more or less? (More)
• How is the quality of your sleep? (Uneven but improved)
• Is your sleep interrupted? Do you get up in the night? (Sometimes / no)
• Any change in libido? (No)
• Any irritability? (No)
• Worrying? Guilt? Regrets? (No)
• Suicidal or self-harm thoughts? (No)
• Any change in appetite? (No)

Beginning today, there were no more changes in the study medications. From this point on (assuming I'm taking either Seroquel or Paxil, not placebo), it's just a matter of my system getting used to whatever medication / dosage it is.

During the week that followed my September 14th appointment I noted the following highlights - and "lowlights":

• 9/15 - I'm no longer grinding my teeth fiercely and constantly.
• 9/16 - Bad back pain for the first time in several days, but it responded well to ibuprofen.
• 9/17 - Got 12 1/2 hours sleep Friday night. Saturday evening I went into an absolute RAGE when Mom startled me yelling, "SALAD!" over and over again until I acknowledged. (I kept the rage to myself, though - didn't take it out on her.)
• 9/18 - Journaling about garden design, I descended to the point of "I'm a failure," but then worked myself completely up and out of that trough within a short time.
• 9/19 - Once again had trouble getting comfortable at bedtime. My body seems to weigh a ton; I can't just turn over, I have to make a conscious effort to haul myself into a new position. Also, blew my top again when Mom did the "salad!" routine.
• 9/20 and 9/21 - Got very enthusiastic about garden design. Creativity flows!

There's no doubt that the study pills - whatever they may be - have made a big difference in several ways. I hadn't felt really creative in many months until this week; my pain level and tension have dropped dramatically; although sleep consistency is erratic, I'm definitely getting more rest. The main thing to be concerned about is the two episodes of rage. Is the reason I became so angry over the "salad" interruptions because I've been able to concentrate better, so that it's more jarring to be interrupted? Or am I growing short tempered?

Time, I guess, will tell.