Getting off of Seroquel

Posted by anniegk @anniegk, Jun 8, 2018

I have been on 300 mgs. Seroquel ER for over a year for augmenting my antidepressant which is 45 mgs. Of Mirtazapine. I decided to try and get off of the Seroquel. I was on 300mgs ER (extended release). I titrated down to 250 mg ER for 2 months without too many problems.than i titrated down to 200mgs ER just 5 days ago. My plan is to try to titrate off using ER tablets. My thinking is that perhaps the drug will remove its self from my system more gradually. I have had some nausea and a couple of episodes of diarrhea. I also have a very irregular heart beat and was started on 60 mgs of Propranolol ER (extended release) 4 weeks ago. It seems to be helping my heartbeat. I have wondered if the nausea and light headness is from the Propranolol, a Beta Blocker, or the dose reduction of the Seroquel. I also wonder if the way iam titrating the Seroquel is safe. My doctor says it will only take a couple of weeks...I think that is too fast of a taper after being on a drug for over a year. What do you think?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

@mike1970

I have a Psychiatrist that had me off drinking totally for 3 years and a lot of drugs at my request,a little chip of lexapro only in the morning ( as people with bi polar get bad effects with antidepressants) I have lamotrigine 200 mg daily and 2 x seroquel XR 50 ( slow release ) at night and 25 mg just before bed.Now I’m on one 50 mg XR 50 Early afternoon and feel better with non interrupt sleep 7 hrs 👍

Jump to this post

Yay, I am so glad to hear you have made some changes with your doc and are doing better!! Nothing worse than waking up at 2 a.m. and can't go back to sleep, although I prefer more than 7 hours. I'm a sleep-a-holic!! Wish you continued wellness and good sleep!!

REPLY
@jh1

Hello there. I went through this too after 800 mg of seroquel for about 16 years. It took me about three weeks of just sticking with it before I could sleep again. The last 25 mgs is the hardest. My advice if you want to get off it is to set aside some time where you don't need to be so productive during the day if possible. Also, night sweat and temperature problems are normal with these antipsychotics.

Jump to this post

Hey, James. Just wondering if you have or developed Diabetes with that high dose of Seroquel? I have never gone higher than 300 mg ER, but I developed diabetes about 5 years ago. Can't say it is due to the Seroquel, but I know Seroquel does have side effect of Diabetes and craving sugar which was a problem for me anyway.

REPLY
@ilovedoodie

Hey, James. Just wondering if you have or developed Diabetes with that high dose of Seroquel? I have never gone higher than 300 mg ER, but I developed diabetes about 5 years ago. Can't say it is due to the Seroquel, but I know Seroquel does have side effect of Diabetes and craving sugar which was a problem for me anyway.

Jump to this post

Major sugar cravings with Seroquel but luckily no diabetes.

REPLY
@maclodge

Hi I was put on 800 mg of quetiapine 7 years ago. Over the years I slowly got it down to 150mg. I thought things were going great so I lowered it to 100 then 50mg . I had no side affects.....then bam it's like I've hit a brick wall, feel horrendous, dizzy, depressed, very anxious and agitated 😥. I feel I need to put them back up sadly. But so want off this meds! Anyone else having a nightmare reducing ? Tia

Jump to this post

Where you able to get off it entirely?

REPLY
@hope20

Where you able to get off it entirely?

Jump to this post

Yes, I was.

REPLY

Hello again everybody. My update:
I recently bought the 25mg pill pack and I've been cutting them into halves and trying to sleep on those halves for three nights.
So far, it seems to be working well. And last night I was able to fall asleep with less effort than the previous two nights.
Still, I'm going to bed very late these days and waking up very late too because I currently have no schedule to maintain.
I'll try to impose a more rigid and early pattern from now on just to see if I can with only 12.5mg. Also because it's healthier. So will probably post if I'll have success or not with that.

REPLY

Has anyone been prescribed Effexor and mirtazapine? My doc prescribed the mirtazapine to help with difficulty sleeping from the Effexor

REPLY
@caf

Has anyone been prescribed Effexor and mirtazapine? My doc prescribed the mirtazapine to help with difficulty sleeping from the Effexor

Jump to this post

Dear Caf,
I have no knowledge about these pharmaceuticals, but your question makes me wonder why I never inquired about my prescriptions:

-what are side effects,
-drug interactions, or precautions were ...
-and will this drug interact negatively with a medication I am already taking.
I never asked the doctor, the pharmacist
or read all of the accompanying literature on the prescription.

I do now! AND I ask if the benefit of this script outweighs the negative consequences!

REPLY

Caf,
I have learned to ask:
“Do the benefits outweigh the risks? What are the risks?”
If I had asked that question and read the literature with the prescription I never would have taken the dosage, the length of time, that I took Clonazepam. It impairs you’re memory and mood when taken for years.
I am titrating off of this script.
More later!

REPLY

I stopped Effexor, Seroquel, lexapro and everything else. I feel great. Medicine-free for the first time in 16 years. Amazing how much the meds can mess you up and become the new normal. I wish they invested as much time and money into working with actual mental illness as they did with thinking they were alleviating symptoms. I’ve been in the psychiatric regime for 17 years, paranoid schizophrenic for 25 and nobody to this day has investigated the nature of my delusions. I ended up doing it myself and went off all of my meds and am completely fine.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.