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Bipolar Disorder/Seroquel for Bipolar side-effects irritating my IBS (constant upset stomach/diarrhea)

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Expert: - 11/9/2006


Question
I started on 25mg for anxiety/sleep issues.
It was discovered that I have had mania/bipolar disorder most of my life. I am
37yrs. old and this is the first time this has now been revealed and treated.
My Dr. just moved me up to 50mg. two weeks after the 25mg. treatment. My
IBS flare up is constant. My stomach is upset with ongoing diarrhea several
times a day. This makes any headaches and deyhdration worse. Should I wait
several more weeks and hope the side effects change?

Answer
Hi, Ken . . .

I have been prescribing Seroquel for many years and have never run into increased irritable bowel symptoms as a side-effect. But, as you probably know diarrhea and constipation have both been reported as side-effects of Seroquel.

I think you should contact your doctor regarding your symptoms. I usually tell my patients who are experiencing side-effects to try to tolerate them for a few weeks, as more often than not they disappear with the passage of time.

Best regards . . .

Ivan
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Bipolar Disorder

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Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Expertise

I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.

Experience

I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.

A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine

I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

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