Getting off of Seroquel

Thank you for your reply. I too am dealing with the insomnia and feel like I have had 50 cups of coffee.
Sounds like your just about over that part. Keep up the dedication.

Hello @tgjmstew and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I can see that you've successfully connected with another member since joining the conversation.

Are you considering getting off of Seroquel or have you already?

I’m desperately attempting to get off of both Klonapin and Serequil. I took both as doc recommended. He gave me Serequil so I could sleep a little while getting off of Klonapin.
I have depression, anxiety and PTSD. No problems the last 35 years, now I feel a mess. I have never been one to take drugs, so this is really getting to me.

Day 23/24. Its been an interesting couple of days. So, 3 nights ago I had a sleepless night as I described above. The night after that (2 nights ago) I was feeling very tired at bed time so I thought this great. I shouldn't have any issues going to sleep. I struggled to stay up until 11:00pm. I fell asleep almost immediately. I suddenly woke up, like being startled awake. I took a couple of moments to collect my thoughts about why I was awake, what time is it, and take a quick self assessment. When I gathered myself I glanced up at my clock. 11:17pm. I had only slept 10 - 15 minutes and was wide awake like I had an adrenaline rush. I was now hot, uncomfortable and started getting panicky and worried that I was going to have to deal with insomnia again.

I I went and watched some TV for about an hour and tried to go back to bed. That didn't happen. I felt as though my body was in some sort of distress. Like my body was telling me it needs to rest and my mind was on high alert. I felt like I was so overtired that my body/mind wouldn't let me sleep. Similar to how babies can't fall asleep when they are overtired. I am familiar with this feeling as this is how I felt during my first bout of insomnia the first time around. I was also aware of the fact that this feeling led me to be up for days on end the first time.

Anyway I got back up around 12:45am, weighed the pros and cons and took a half pill of Seroquel (12.5mg) to try and get myself back on track. I went back to bed about 45 min later and fell asleep and woke up (yesterday) to my alarm and feeling not so great about myself. Hoping I wouldn't regret taking the 1/2 pill.

Last night I was feeling tired but also unsure as to what to expect for sleeping. I struggled to stay up until 11:00pm again before trying to go to sleep again with no pills. I fell asleep almost instantly and slept through the night until my alarm woke me up! I'm feeling pretty good about that. I hope I'm back on track again.

@rew4946 - How have you been?

I have no experience with Klonapin so I can't comment there. Are you currently trying to stop taking Seroquel? Are you experiencing any withdrawal affects? For me, I was totally unaware of the withdrawal affects of Seroquel. Both the doctor and pharmacist told me it was non habit forming and I would be able to cycle on or off it with no issues. This caused me alot of frustration and confusion as everytime I tried to go off of it I wouldn't sleep for that night. Then of course I'd take it again the next night so I could sleep. I talked to my doctor about every 3 weeks over the course of 4 months. I asked him repeatedly if there was any problems stopping Seroquel. He told me no. At this point I was thinking I had some sort of underlying condition causing the insomnia. I had a bunch of blood work and it all came good.

It wasn't until I found this forum and reading other peoples experiences getting off Seroquel that I started understanding that coming off of Seroquel can cause (in my case does) cause insomnia. I tried to describe my experience the best I could to help others in my position understand that what they are feeling could very well be common. I think I started writing about 3 - 4 pages ago in this thread.

If you are trying to get off Seroquel and are finding that your not sleeping now this is also what I experienced (others as well). @rew4946 is also coming off long term Seroquel.

Seroquel has done more damage than good to my well being over 8 years, It all started with a free program from AstraZeneca for 300mg Seroquel for many years, Then Seroquel (Quetiapine) became a generic medication and was no longer available for free. I was able to keep on this drug for many more years paying cash to doctor visits and prescriptions. Obama care comes along and pays Blue Cross Blue Shield $990 per month for me towards insurance on Healthcare.gov. This coverage picks up after my first $7700 out of pocket, ( this is for poor folks) Several years ago sleep became harder to have all night, Having problems with my eye sight and other health issues. Decades ago I should have know better to seek medical advice for depression to give me drugs instead of one on one help without drugs for the real problem. Everyday now is a roller coaster ride of mania, mind running hundreds of miles per hour. Medications are to much of a experiment with my life as I now know. Can I survive? I really don't know at this point but I will not give up the ship at 65 years old yet. Alone with my dog who gives me support to go on each day, Far better than what I had with Seroquel. Always do what is best for you and your family and think about what you are doing to your health with drugs. I guess it has been around 22 days now off medications. Life one day at a time is the best I can do right now.

@tgjmstew, tapering off medication is tough. But you're not alone as you can see from the responses from @lickitysplit, @rew4946 and others. In these discussions, you can also connect with people who have experience with clonazepam (Klonopin).
- Klonopin taper https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/klonopin-taper/
- Tapering off clonazepam (Klonopin, Rivotril) https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tapering-off-clorazapam/

If I'm understanding correctly, Seroquel was prescribed recently to help with insomnia as you continue to slowly taper off Klonopin, right? What alternative therapy has been offered to help you manage the tapering as well as to manage your depression, anxiety and PTSD?

Keep up the good work on medication free. Your very strong.

Great question. I believe I have all the bases covered. I have a great support group, a therapist weekly, a psychiatrist, an internist, an addictions specialist , and I just went through a 5 week intensive out patient program. I am ready and really, really want to do this. I have never used street drugs, I don’t use alcohol either. I merely followed my docs advice, and have ended up dependent on these. I do take Effexor ER as an anti depressant, and I understand and know I will need this for a long time for my major depression ( this is my 2 Nd one besides two postpartum depressions). I’m praying I can do this. I truly wish I had never started them with the exception of Effexor. Sometimes I wonder if it is causing the sleep problems.

I was taking Seroquel for several months. I’m sensitive to meds, so my highest dose was 50mgs. I was sleeping better with it when I started but soon realized that I was walking around in a bit of a fog and asked to try 25mgs twice a day. Same problem so I cut that to once a day, and still felt off after two weeks. Cut those in half, 12.5. Stopped entirely a week later.
I had a little anxiety and occasional hand tremors for a few days. The anxiety slowly got worse and the tremors went away. At about the same time my previous mental health provider had stopped accepting Medicare so I spoke with my primary care doctor at Mayo. We kept my Cymbalta and he added Wellbutrin. This is the best I have felt in years! I know the depression is still stirring around down there but I wake up feeling good about the day to come, almost a new experience for me. And my anxiety is greatly minimized. I’m very grateful to my primary care team, and I’m now looking for a new mental health provider.