Getting off of Seroquel

Thank you for writing. I am happy to hear that you are doing well. I am also tapering off of a medicine...
Not easy! Painful cramping.

There are side effects to withdrawal and some of us may need to be monitored. My biggest helper has been my gastroenterologist! She has given me information about the cramping I might have and not to confuse it with IBS... although it is irritable!

Others, including your former doctor, would benefit from knowing your success story.
Perhaps the doctor would not be so quick to prescribe Meds that cause dependence?

Thank you again for writing.

Thanks for the reply. Nobody told me about Effexor dependence when it was prescribed and my current psychiatrist doesn’t treat my condition, he just works with medicine. I’m sure he will be interested to hear how it’s going at our next appointment. The current treatment of schizophrenia is ect and meds. I’ve scoured many writings on the topic but haven’t found anyone who treats the underlying condition yet.

Suggest you research natural, herbal options, they are there and research shows they are successful, w no side effects, or minimum side effects. Dr Becker is a GP/natrolpath , also Dr Amen has had great success says most mental issues are curable,, not just tolerated.but big pharma doesn't want Americans to know.. Google Dr Amen, do your research

My husband was on 3 depression related meds plus 1 for high cholesterol. Not only was nothing working he was getting worse with major terror attacks and he was sleeping 20 hrs a day. His psychiatrist never actually talks to him, only checks in every 3 months for about 3 min and increases dosage. I had had it and researched each drug as to sideffects, created a spreadsheet to see how they compared plus which side effects he had and how severe he was experiencing them on a scale of 1to3. Of all the effects possible he had every single one except one. 7 of them were caused by all 3 meds! Another 6 were shared between 2, plus others per med. He was having a storm of side effects!! Armed with this spreadsheet we called the psychiatrist for an emergency meeting. He was quite surprised by the sheet and promptly canceled every drug, prescribed a new one for night (because of drowsiness effect) and 1 for terror as needed. Almost every side effect disappeared except no energy and sleeping alot. I had insisted on a meeting in 30 days to reassess. We switched meds again and things are better. Not great but he can function in public and do errands, mow, drive. My big point is to do your research and self advocate. No one is taking new patients in our area so we are stuck with this Doc, who is basically a pill pusher, or we'd change in a heartbeat. Best to all who are struggling to find what works for you.

Keep us posted for sure!

When i started on an anti depressant and Xanax many many years ago I was so miserable. Debilitating anxiety, no appetite. lost a massive amount of weight, crying and vomiting constantly, insomnia. I was so desperate I would have taken arsenic if that’s what I had been told to take. I had children to take care of. Now I’m reaping all the side effects and dependency from these drugs. Take someone with you when starting medication if you’re in no shape to ask questions. Days turn into months, months turn into years when you take these drugs. Wish I would have known then what I know now.

OK so I don't mean to hijack a Seroquel thread with Effexor, but I did want to update that my attempt to go completely off Effexor was unsuccessful and instead I will be staying on 75 mg for a month then, 37.5 for a month, then 0. I will be able to push through the horrible withdrawal but i'll probably need a week off from any major work or maybe even driving a car. I went one day medicine free and was fine (that's when I wrote that post) but by day 2 the withdrawal began. It was pretty bad but I think milder than most people's. I got something similar to what people describe as brain zaps, but more like a brain fog. It was actually a permanent kind of fog that made reality kind of cotton-like. Hard to describe but if you've had it, you'll know what I mean. I also thought several times I would be sick. I was dizzy but not losing balance. Mood was irritable, easily annoyed. There's a feeling of anger and resentment and a kind of regret/guilt combo and also a feeling of wanting to be safe. It's not entirely pleasant.

Physical symptoms: like a moderate hangover or like the first few days of a cold or flu without congestion or fever.

A new update:
Starting about 3-4 weeks ago, I've been skipping on the med altogether.
It's not that I successfully got off Seroquel, but simply 12.5mg felt no different than nothing at all.
Now off Seroquel (and any meds in general), I've got back to suffering anxiety and insomnia like prior to when I was put on medication.
I don't know if I'll have to second guess this decision but the reason I'm so reluctant to do so is that now I'm more aware of the problems in my life and of the urgency of a fix.
I mean that in the last years I've been accepting my situation through a good dose of denial, because I was too young and being given bad advice by my family.
Perhaps I'm at a stage where I'm demonizing meds and I shouldn't, but I can't help but think that meds have made me acceptant of a situation that should have been dealt with promptly rather than disregarded.

As for withdrawal symptoms, I don't have anything significant to report. My dose, 25mg, was pretty low to begin with. I don't even feel a noticeable change in libido.
Like I mentioned, now I'm having troubles falling asleep, and the amount of sleep I get at night is reduced to 4-5 hours, but this is just a problem I was struggling with before being on meds (also what made me look for meds back then).

@mcshibe
Hello,
Are you seeing a counselor? If not that might help.
I believe you’re right about dealing with problems. Difficult as it is sometimes we have to face our problems head on and deal with them the best we can. If you require medication to do that then that’s probably what you should do. As far as the insomnia is concerned I can totally relate. If I get four hours of sleep at night I’m thrilled. Just love yourself and have a positive attitude, it will work wonders.
Congratulations on getting off Seroquel. Although it’s not always possible but if you can cope without the medication I am sure thats better for you all the way around.
I hope you keep us posted on how you’re progressing.
Best of luck & be strong,
Jake

@mcshibe yes counseling will help. My mother and brother intentionally took actions against me that could have caused my death. Insomnia needs a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist. CBT works for working on the dysfunctional family issues that are so prevalent. Some people need medication in addition to therapy. Every long-term problem takes time to get under our control. I'm 77 now there was no child protection agency no health insurance parents did what ever they wanted and no monitoring they're actions. Years later there's been improvements. It took a long time before we had options. I was told many times to forgive myself and others. That didn't work any better than medications. One day I had a spark of intuition that there was help. That was the beginning of nine years of acting in my best interest. Sleep issues are slowly receeding. It's up to you to take the reins and find your own way. There is help once you commit to doing the work. It took me almost 30 years to get off medications. Stay strong.