Seroquel (Quetiapine) is a short-acting atypical anitpsychotic drug that is primarily used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In some cases it is also used as an antidepressant augmentation strategy to treat major depression. It is sometimes used to help manage Alzheimer’s disease and is used at low doses for the treatment of insomnia. Despite the fact that this medication has a variety of uses, it should really only be used for its intended purpose – to treat schizophrenia and possibly bipolar disorder.
Many people take it and it works great to help people manage the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. It also helps prevent major mood swings among individuals with bipolar disorder. With that said, not everyone responds well to this drug – in some cases the side effects become unbearable. Additionally, for some individuals this drug doesn’t work well enough to justify continued usage.
Although this is a drug that can be beneficial for some people, the long term effects are not very promising. In many cases, this drug actually worsens intellectual functioning – especially in elderly with dementia. It also tends to elicit a variety of unpleasant side effects for the person taking it including: weight gain, sexual dysfunction, drowsiness, and worsened motor functioning.
Factors that influence Seroquel withdrawal include…
When you withdraw from any medication, there are important factors that will influence your withdrawal. These factors include: time span, dosage, your physiology, and whether you tapered off of the drug or quit cold turkey.
1. Time Span
How long were you taking Seroquel? If you were taking it for an extended period of time (e.g. over a year), you are likely going to have a tougher time coming off of the drug than someone who only took it for a few months. If you were on this drug for many years, it may be extremely difficult to quit.
2. Dosage (150 mg to 800 mg)
What dosage were you taking? In general, it is hypothesized that the higher the dosage you take, the more it alters your brain functioning. If you take a high dose for a long term, it is going to take your brain a much longer time to normalize in regards to neurotransmitter functioning. The drug comes in doses ranging from 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, 300 mg, and 400 mg.
For treatment of schizophrenia, most people take between 150 mg and 800 mg per day. If you are on the 800 mg dose, it may take longer for you to withdraw. Fortunately the dosing is nice if you need to conduct a gradual taper – you can keep cutting your dose in half.
3. Individual Physiology
A lot of withdrawal symptoms will be influence by your individual physiology. Despite the fact that many people experience the same symptoms when they quit taking this drug, some people don’t experience as many symptoms, while others experience more symptoms. Another thing to consider is whether you have a mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar. Withdrawal can trigger symptoms or a relapse of symptoms related to the illness for which you were taking it.
4. Cold Turkey vs. Tapering
How should you quit taking Seroquel? For most people, it is highly recommended to conduct a gradual taper. If you are on a higher dose and you quit cold turkey, you will likely be unable to function. By conducting a gradual taper (e.g. slowly reducing the dosage over time), you are allowing your body and brain to slowly adjust to changes.
If you have been on the drug for a long period of time, even tapering may be difficult. If you are someone that quit cold turkey and aren’t looking back, prepare yourself for a long recovery period and symptoms that feel as if they are never going to go away. If you haven’t yet quit this medication and want to taper, slowly reduce your dosage every few weeks. It may take months to taper off of your medication, but it will minimize the withdrawal symptoms.
Seroquel Withdrawal Symptoms: List of Possibilities
Below are a list of common symptoms that have been reported during Seroquel withdrawal. Keep these symptoms in mind when you come off of the medication so that you know what to expect. Although you may not experience every symptom on the list, it is likely that you will experience something when you quit taking this drug.
- Agitation: If you feel especially agitated, it’s because you’re brain is no longer receiving the drug. This drug helps many people stay calm and reduces agitation. When a person quits taking it, they may become increasingly agitated and it may last for awhile.
- Anxiety: In many cases this drug helps people with anxiety. When you stop taking it, your anxiety may skyrocket. Everything you do may provoke nervousness and intense anxiety. Try to realize that it is just from withdrawal and that you will recover.
- Concentration problems: Although this drug can cause concentration problems while you take it, you may also experience poor concentration when you stop it. Some people call this “brain fog” or foggy thinking – it is due to the fact that your brain is trying to readjust itself.
- Depression: When withdrawing from this antipsychotic you may spiral into deep depression. Any medication that affects neurotransmitters can result in depression when you withdraw – especially if it had a subtle antidepressant effect when you took it.
- Dizziness: A common withdrawal symptom from any psychiatric medication is dizziness. This may be extreme when you quit taking Seroquel, but shouldn’t last longer than a few months. For most people, this sensation goes away after a few weeks, but for some, the dizziness persists for a long time. Don’t freak out if the dizziness lasts longer than you anticipated – realize that it is a result of post-acute withdrawal.
- Fatigue: Feeling excessively lethargic, tired, and fatigued is common when quitting an antipsychotic. Although this medication tends to be sedating while you take it, the withdrawal takes a toll on overall energy levels. When your brain is trying to readjust, you may become extremely tired and feel like sleeping all day.
- Headaches: It is common to experience headaches when you quit taking Seroquel. The headaches may be minor or may feel like full blown migraines. These will subside eventually, but may last weeks before they go away.
- Heart rate changes: You may notice that your heart rate becomes excessive when you quit this drug. Some people notice that their heart beats excessively fast when they withdraw. You may also notice heart palpitations – these are caused by both withdrawal and anxiety.
- Hypersensitivity: A person may become hypersensitive to sights and sounds when they come off of this medication. The person may not realize that it is from drug withdrawal and their neurotransmitters are not functioning properly. Therefore normal sounds may sound excessively loud and normal sights may appear excessively bright.
- Insomnia: It is common to experience insomnia when you quit this drug. Insomnia is usually caused by anxiety and/or sleep disruptions. Your entire sleep cycle may be thrown off when you quit this drug and you may experience increased anxiety.
- Irritability: Don’t be surprised if you become increasingly irritable and difficult when you stop this drug. In general the medication tends to calm people down almost to the point of a stupor. If you feel excessively irritable, know that it’s likely a result of withdrawal.
- Itching: Some people notice when they quit this drug that they become itchy all over. If you are experiencing excessive itchiness when you stop Seroquel, just know that it’s a result of withdrawal. If it becomes too unbearable, you may want to conduct a slower taper.
- Mood swings: It is common to experience mood swings when you quit this drug – even if you are not bipolar. The mood swings may be more pronounced and uncontrollable if you are bipolar, but even individuals that aren’t will notice that they may feel angry one minute and hopeful the next.
- Nausea: One of the most common symptoms associated with withdrawal from Seroquel is that of nausea. You may feel nauseated for an extended period of time until your body becomes used to functioning without the drug.
- Psychosis: It has been discovered that withdrawal from antipsychotics can cause psychosis. In other words, you may experience hallucinations, delusions, etc. when you are coming off of this medication. Most people don’t experience psychosis when they withdraw unless they have pre-existing schizophrenia – but it is still a possibility.
- Sleep problems: A person may notice major changes in their sleep patterns and length when they quit taking this medication. One minute the person may have bouts of extreme insomnia and the next minute they may feel extremely tired.
- Suicidal thoughts: Many people take this medication to help with suicidal thoughts and depression. When you quit taking it, you may feel more suicidal than you have ever felt. This is due to the fact that your neurotransmitter levels are out of balance and you are no longer receiving the drug to help.
- Sweating: A very common symptom is that of profuse sweating when you stop taking Seroquel. This may be prevalent throughout the day and/or may occur while you are sleeping. You may wake up from sleep in a pool of sweat. Just know that this is your body’s response to withdrawing from the drug.
- Vision changes: Some people experience pain in the eye and visual disturbances as a result of taking this medication. It has been hypothesized that this and other antipsychotics could lead a person to experience blurred vision even when withdrawing. Some even hypothesize potential “eye damage” as a result of taking this medication.
- Vomiting: Unfortunately you may vomit a lot when you stop taking Seroquel. This can be a result of intense nausea and/or your body’s way of detoxifying itself. If you feel like vomiting, just know that many people experience this during withdrawal.
Note: It is documented that Seroquel stays in your system for around 1.6 days after you stop taking it.  Once the drug is out of your system, it can take a long time for your neurophysiology to recalibrate itself back to homeostatic functioning.
Seroquel Withdrawal Timeline: How long does it take?
The withdrawal process tends to affect everyone differently – therefore there is no predictable timeline for withdrawal. Some people may fully recover from symptoms within a month or two, while others may struggle with symptoms for months after they take their last dose. There is really no telling how long you will experience symptoms, but as a general rule of thumb, I recommend waiting 90 days before expecting any sort of recovery.
If you have been taking a powerful psychiatric antipsychotic drug for an extended period of time, it is going to take your brain and body quite some time before they fully recover back to homeostatic functioning. Your neurotransmitters and receptors have been altered by the long term drug usage, and your brain will need some time to reset its functioning.
In order to ensure the fastest possible recovery, you can make sure that you are eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep, staying productive, and getting some exercise throughout the day. Exercise helps stimulate functioning in the brain and rids toxins from the body. If you are getting some exercise (even if its light), it will go a long way towards helping you cope with recovery symptoms and recover quicker.
If you have been on Seroquel and would like to share your experience, feel free to do so in the comments section below. By sharing your experience, it helps other people realize that they are not alone and not going crazy.
Hi everyone. First, I want to encourage everyone that’s suffering from seroquel to be strong. I say that as I’m in the throes of side effects from it. I started about 6 weeks ago and about 2 weeks ago started feeling brutal side effects: leg cramping, involuntary arm and leg movements, sweating, mouth/throat spasms, excessive belching, not being able to sleep yet having no energy to do anything. When I lie down I cannot get comfortable on any level.
I told my wife it feels like I’ve been poisoned because there’s this extraneous, spastic energy coursing through my body, especially my arms an legs. I’ve never felt so bad EVER where I couldn’t get into a comfortable position in order to sleep. I was on 100mg and my doctor said I should stop it cold turkey. I verified that with her more than once and she said with the severity of my symptoms, this is the best route. My last dosage was 2 nights ago and I’m still getting the shakiness and restless leg thing so she prescribed Klonopin which has been a Godsend because it’s taken the squirminess away to a great extent.
Klonopin also has severe withdrawal symptoms! You might be trading one poison for another.
Don’t take the Klonopin!! Klonopin was the thing that set me down this horrendous road, Seroquel was prescribed to get me off Klonopin and I don’t honestly know which is worse.
I have been on Seroquel for 22 months. Last night was the first night in almost 2 years without Seroquel. I started taking it when I was hospitalized with mania from taking trazadone and zoloft. I had an allergic reaction on the lowest dose for about 5 days! I was a hot mess so I was in the hospital for 10 days and I started taking this drug not knowing anything about it. When I checked into the psych ward, the nurse gave me seroquel and told me to SLEEP. I slept 14 hours straight that first night. It took me weeks to get adjusted to this medication.
I was in a constant haze and always tired. When I was released, was put on 600 mg for about 15 months. With the help of my pdoc, I have been tapering from 600 mg down to 25 mg. I’ve been tapering pretty steady for 7 months and last night was the first night without it. I took 50 mg of benadryl and only slept 2 hours from 10 to midnight. I snapped wide awake and couldn’t relax or even close my eyes. It’s like I drank a pot of coffee I was so wired. I managed to take an hour nap in the morning. I feel like crap and I fear what is to come in the next few days.
I’m going to try GABA supplements tonight and skip the benadryl. I see my pdoc at the end of this week and I hope he has encouraging things to say. I don’t want to get back on this drug. Each taper went really well for me with no withdrawal side effects. I’m hoping this is just a hurdle to get back to “normal” with time. Good luck to anyone trying to get off this drug. It was a lifesaver for me at the time but I no longer need it! Diabetes runs in my family and I am obese from this medication. I want to live a healthy life with my daughter and husband.
I have been on Seroquel since 2009 150mg and in 2012 I tried to get off the drug. The first time I tried to get off the drug I didn’t take long enough to wean myself and I had horrible withdrawal symptoms. I was vomiting, sweating, had severe anxiety and basically my mental health went in the toilet. My doctor tried several other drugs but they all had horrible side effects and in the end I went back and begged to get back on Seroquel.
So I started again with 50 mg and was back up to 150 mg. I also started to cry all the time and asked if I could take another type of antidepressant so he prescribed me Viibryd. The combination did the trick and I resigned to myself that this is what I needed to do to function. After a few months on both these drugs I was finding that I was so tired that I asked the doc if I could try going down to 100 mg of Seroquel and I did that for about 1 year.
I felt the Viibryd was working for me very well and so I decided that I would again try to cut my dose of Seroquel in half and take 50 mg. I did that for a year. In February of 2015 I had my physical. My cholesterol went up, I was up to 180 lbs (I’m 5’3”) and on top of everything else I started to have these very vivid dreams and was not sleeping great. I changed my diet even more (I eat mostly fruits, veges, beans, lean meats, cut way back on sugar and started to exercise more) I didn’t lose anything so I decided at that point that I was going to try to get off this awful drug one more time.
I started to cut the 50 mg in 1/2 and did that for about 2 months and then I cut the 50 mg into 1/4 and did that for another month then stopped. My pdoc is on board with me in this endeavor. So I have not taken Seroquel for 3 weeks. Sleep is definitely an issue – the first two weeks were rough. I am taking a combination of melatonin, hops, l-theanine and valerian supplement. I’m not sure if it is helping but I am getting at least 4 hours per night.
I am extremely fatigued and I swear every muscle in my body hurts. But that being said – I am not overly anxious and I feel fairly normal mentally. I am still struggling with weight but hopefully my metabolism will speed up. For anyone out there reading these posts… Do not try to get off this drug cold turkey. I know it took me about two years and you may not need that much time but don’t be in a hurry. Take your time, cut your doses small amounts at a time and give your body time to adjust to the smaller doses.
I was prescribed Seroquel, for Major Depressive Disorder 3 and a half years ago. Initially I was on 100mg and then that was increased to 200mg. It really helped my mood and my sleep at the time and enabled me to function, however I noticed very rapid weight gain, especially after the increase to 200mg, and for this reason I cut it down to 100mg about a year ago.
I didn’t notice any significant side effects, but thankfully, I felt less sedated, my voice stopped slurring so much in the mornings (I teach!) and my weight stopped increasing, although I couldn’t lose any of the weight I had put on, even with diet and exercise. I was putting up with the weight for the sake of my mental health, but after learning about side effects like high cholesterol, blood pressure and also diabetes and under active thyroid (which are in my family) about a week ago, I took the plunge and cut it down to 50mg.
I was really scared to do this. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to sleep and it would affect my mood, but I have been okay so far. I had difficulty sleeping for the first couple of nights, but I am sleeping some now. I am hoping to come off this drug completely, lose weight and for my body to return to normal. If my mental health deteriorates I would seek an alternative drug, although I acknowledge it helped me at a very difficult time when antidepressants alone didn’t. Some months ago I starting withdrawing from a Diazepam (Valium) and that had much worse withdrawal effects for me.
I’ve been on Seroquel 150mg XR about five years now, along with several other meds (Zoloft, Abilify, Adderall, and Wellbutrin), ostensibly for bipolar II. My husband and I want to have children, which means I have to get off all these medications at least for a while. Between the Seroquel and the Abilify I also went from 110lbs to 180 lbs in just over two years, and this was another motivator to get off the meds. (I used to be an acrobat, but I lost all that thanks to the relentless weight gain).
Anyway, I started the process of tapering off this past January, beginning with Adderall. I got off that successfully and was encouraged to keep going. Now I am trying to get off the Seroquel. I went down to about 100mg XR for a month, during which time I began to have trouble sleeping and very vivid nightmares. I was familiar with this from trying to get off Seroquel before, so I took it in stride and after a month I continued down to 50mg XR.
I am still having trouble sleeping and vivid nightmares but now I am taking melatonin, and that has been enough to keep me asleep for a few hours at a time. Unfortunately, I am also having some more serious problems. I am very depressed and moody, and have noticed that I am having more suicidal thoughts than usual. So far it’s manageable, but I’m worried about where things are going.
I guess I am going to hang out at this dose for a month or maybe two and see whether things improve any. There have also been some good parts, such as the fact that I can feel the chemically induced lust for sweets fading gradually. In all I guess I feel lucky things aren’t worse, but I’m still pretty damn depressed, and I’m concerned about what the final transition off is going to be like.
I just wanted to come back and update to say that I went through a bad patch after transitioning to the 50XR, but after a week or so it passed. I have now switched to 50mg non-extended release, so I can continue down to 25 and then 12.5 before going off altogether. This process is long (almost a month for each step), but so far the suffering has been minimal, compared to other people’s stories.
Just wanted to leave an update to say I’ve been on 25mg for about a month now, and tonight will be my first night entirely without Seroquel. I’m nervous but hopeful. Since I switched off the XR I’ve had a lot of difficulty sleeping and a lot of REM rebound (vivid dreams/nightmares), so I’m a bit worried that will get worse. My psychiatrist prescribed Prazosin for the REM rebound, but I’m not sure I want to take any more medication, so I’m probably going to try going without it. Anyway, I will come back and update when I’ve been off a while.
Just wanted to leave an update to say I have been completely off Seroquel for over a month now, and I’m doing fine. The final step off the 25mg wasn’t that bad, except for some difficulty sleeping. I want to encourage everyone who reads this: you CAN get off this drug, if you go very, very slowly. I wish you all the best of luck!!!
Elektra (and anyone else with a similar experience) I need your help here so I hope this post is still on your radar! I was hospitalized in 2010 when I was 18 with severe anxiety and depression. Now that I know more about mental illness It was almost like a panic attack that lasted for a week. Finally I begged my parents to take me to the hospital and they did where I was then assessed and checked into the psych ward, the scariest time of my life.
Please note this was very possibly brought on by drug abuse through my teenage years including excessive marijuana use and occasional psychedelics as well as ecstasy. Like this exacerbated an underlying condition I already had. NOTHING worked. They tried xanax and regular seroquel which temporarily helped but hours later I would be breaking down again. Finally they prescribed me Seroquel XR and I woke up the next day feeling almost like myself again.
In the years following I went from 250 XR to 150 XR and most recently I got down to 50 XR – the lowest dose. My current psychiatrist and my step-moms sister (a therapist) thinks I should be getting off the drug since it’s somewhat of an unconventional drug for my diagnoses (anxiety, depression, and panic attacks). I am also taking 10mg Lexapro and have ativan when I almost never take for panic attacks.
The past week and a half I have tried to take regular seroquel instead to start getting off of it completely. My doctor said to take half of 25 mg (12.5) in the morning, lunch, and before bed for six days then take it at the morning and night for six days and then to just at night. So far I have gotten to two times a day and I can feel myself getting anxious and sad again. I have no sex drive, I am not interested in what I normally am, and am just overall sad. I also am severely constipated.
Today I elected to go back on the XR. I am only 23 and to me at this point it is more important to have good quality of life. But I don’t know if this is the right decision. I keep putting it off – but I have tried to take regular seroquel instead before and have ended up going to the ER with severe panic. I don’t know what to do really – for now I want to live my life with the XR, but one day if I have kids and want to get off I don’t want to lose my sh*t again. Any advice?
My husband was on 800 mg of Seroquel and 1500 mg of depakote. He tapered off depakote not too much trouble then tapered off Seroquel and 30 days after taper off, he started getting violent ended up in jail, back on seroquel but 200 mg, he has been diagnosed with early onset dementia. This is cause by the medication and I am scared out of my mind the last 5 years have been a messed up hell anyone have any suggestions? He is in a nursing home with a restraining order I cannot contact him, this is horrific. I am scared he won’t even know me by the time the courts get around to letting the restraining order go.
I have been prescribed 1200 mg of Seroquel per night, for major depression and insomnia. I have been taking this dose for over two years. I am gradually tapering off by taking a quarter of my 400 mg tablet (100 mg) per night. I have never had any blood sugar issues, but I am noticing that when I am hungry if I don’t eat almost immediately I feel extremely tired, almost as if my blood sugar is extremely low.
It has been noted that Seroquel in high doses, such as mine does increase blood sugar levels. I now regularly exercise in order to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. I have tried quitting cold turkey, but I get less that 1 hour of sleep per night. I would recommend tapering over quitting cold turkey. Be sure to inform your psychiatrist of any and all symptoms. Good luck and easy does it.
I unfortunately forgot to get refills and it was 4 days till I was able to get with my doctor. It was intentional. By the 4th day I was sweating, sick, and couldn’t sleep. Don’t go cold turkey it’s awful.
I am so sorry others are going through these symptoms of withdrawal. But at the same time, I am so relieved I am not going crazy and it’s not just me! I feel so unwell; flu-like symptoms, itching and the sweating is all-consuming! I thought I had a horrible virus. I haven’t slept for 3 days, one minute I feel exhausted and try to sleep, the next I am tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep and suddenly feeling wide awake. I cannot stop crying, I feel so low and have horrible thoughts creeping in. I cannot believe coming off a medicine can be so horrible!
I just wanted to say as someone who has struggled to first get off the serotonin antidepressants for 7 years. That the struggle getting off of this was the same as you describe for Seroquel. It made me feel so much better to read this and know that I am not wacko. I was one of the ones who experienced severe withdrawal symptoms. It took 6 months for them to go away getting off the Zoloft.
I’ve been taking the Seroquel for almost 10 years and now that I don’t take an anti depressant that Seroquel seems like it is way too much. I am so hung over all day. So I’m trying now to taper off of this medication as well. I only took this for sleep. I couldn’t sleep on my own and nothing else they gave me worked but this. I appreciate the candid description of what I can expect and knowing what is causing you to feel a certain way is half the battle. Thank you.
This has been such a helpful website, I am so glad I knew what to expect. I take Lamitrogine too so decided to come off Quetiapine (having been on it for 5 years) because of side effects, such as severe palpitations, anxiety at night and ballooned weight (3 stone) I was originally on 600mg for Bipolar. Taper has been OK, a few days of vision and auditory problems each drop but manageable. I’ve now been totally off for three days, as expected insomnia has hit and snatched dozes full of vivid dreams.
There’s been some nausea and anxiety levels are changeable and yes, the itching can drive me wild at times. The worst thing for me has been the ‘Hay-fever’ though! Having never suffered with it in my life before it has knocked me for six. Streaming eyes, nose, sneezing my lungs out, feeling proper rough!!! I have been reluctant to take antihistamine, not wanting to replace a drug for a drug, but I need to go to work!! So I think I may have to…
I’m still bewildered as to how this powerful drug is administered with no warning about its potential long term effects, what its actually doing to your body and how hard it is to come off it!!! I’m sticking with it, I will not be going back in it if I can help it. Hope this is helpful.
Took me a year to taper off 300mg of seroquel. I crushed them used a digital scale and lowered the dose 5 to 10 percent per month. I’ve tried cold turkey – it’s not worth the pain.
Hi I can help… I think I might have the solution to help withdrawal… I’m still on, but when I can’t afford medication I take phenibut and I’m able to function. Take 3 days on, and two days off. I think it may help some of you, as it has helped me. Do not overdue the phenibut and do not take for more than 5 days tops, always take a few days off. Tolerance builds fast. This is a gaba that passes the blood brain barrier.
You will need a break as you build up a tolerance fast. The off days might be a little tough but phenibut is long acting. I’m not advertising anything here just found this forum and I think I can help some people here. I have extensive experience with phenibut…. Email me intensedrive@gmail, I can help give you more information.
Two weeks since I stopped with my last pill. I’ve been up at 800 mg, taken it for three years, and weaned myself off it so the last pill was 50 mg. And yet, I am still feeling really sick. I don’t get out of bed, I am constantly nauseated, itchy, achy. I can’t get to sleep and I wake up once I finally sleep. I can’t stand smells of anything and if I sit up too long my head is dizzy.
If I had known how this would effect me I’d signed myself in to a clinic for it. Or not stopped. But I wanted to stop because of my usually bubbly personality, which is now lethargic and totally energy-free. I sleep 16-17 hours per day and I can’t work. I hope to find myself again, even with my Bipolar 1 disorder.
I was put on Seroquel in Denmark when I made a much-needed visit to the psychiatrist. Needless to say that I didn’t even NEED the Seroquel; when I got back to England, I was told that the doctor could have killed me with the dosage I was on because I didn’t even NEED it and he insisted that I go cold-turkey from Seroquel. I’ve been off it for a week and I already feel like crap. I’m waking up in cold sweats and today I was almost sick, I am nauseous, weak and the muscle pain is just unbearable. My mum is looking after me whilst I take the time to recover and has bought me painkillers today.
I began taking Seroquel a little over a year ago. I was in a mental hospital and they went up to 500mg for me to sleep. I stopped taking it a week ago and it has been terrible. I can’t sleep, I’m nauseous, migrains are a constant thing. Also my motion sickness has gotten worse so much so that I can’t watch presentations/movies I have to report on in class. Reading on my phone hurts my eyes and head. I can’t concentrate on anything for long and my joints are aching. I am not looking forward to this process but I believe after I will feel much better. I just need to get through these next few months.
Hello everyone! Although I didn’t know what it was that was going on with me, I now know (strongly believe) I was extremely sick from abruptly stopping to take my seroquel. Originally, I was put on 300 milligrams due to having night terrors and panic attacks in my sleep, which were partially caused from getting so severe that I was starting to get seizures and syncope episodes while awake, that there was a real concern of this happening to me while I was asleep with no one aware.
Besides those ailments, I was diagnosed with PTSD and type 2 bipolar disorder for severe bouts of long lasting depression, as well as occasionally accompanied by 2-3 day periods of “mania” or cycling, where I couldn’t sleep for days. Amongst other things, these were the main causes for the doctors to put me on seroquel. After a few months, I asked to be dropped down to 1/2 my dose, or 150 milligrams at night, but was told to take 1 (100mg) pill during the day as needed for anxiety, etc.
Well, I decided that I was sick of having to be a 30 year old woman on so many strong medications and decided to rule out the seroquel unless it was absolutely called for (thankfully I’m taking Lamictal for my unfortunate ailments, and it seems to helping a great deal so far!) Anyway, about Saturday night of last week, I started to notice I wasn’t feeling 100%, but nothing to really speak of, until about early afternoon on Sunday. Out of the blue, I became extremely nauseous, feelings of hot flashes, extreme burning sensations and soreness in my calves and down to my feet, like I’ve never experienced before.
The nausea was unrelenting until I finally vomited. Thinking I would get some kind of relief afterward, I tried to sip some room temperature water and eat a few French fries to try to re-hydrate myself and make up for what I had just lost. Horrified, I took no more than 3 steps n out it all came again. Besides the constant feeling of having to vomit, I was very uncomfortable, pale, weak, and sleep deprived. If I did happen to fall out for a very short period of time, I had terrible dreams of a constant spinning sensation, along with a feeling of not being able to breathe, causing me to wake up drenched and afraid!
Now I became even too scared to fall back asleep! The only odd thing that would happen every so often is it would seem to feel like I was finally getting some relief from the constant nausea and intense leg and feet pain(s), and even possibly getting better, until WHAM!!! It would come right back again. This lasted from being extremely mild on Saturday night all the way through Tuesday afternoon! By then, I was so dehydrated and weak, and just plain old sick of being sick and tired, that I got up enough energy to make it to my mother (for there is no one like your mother when you’re sick, no matter what age you are).
She immediately had me wash my face with cool water and sat me down while running to the pharmacy to get me some Dramamine (for motion sickness) and a case of pedialite (to help hydrate me and give my poor body some electrolytes, etc.) to help strengthen my immune system back up. Although I still wasn’t totally out of the woods, the crippling feeling of extreme nausea dissipated. It is now going on 10 days, and although I’m feeling much better.
I still have leg/muscle/joint/nerve pain down the back of my right leg, I’m thankful that is over, especially when you have no idea what caused it!! These medications are no joke and should be explained to patients in greater detail about both the pros and cons of these strong drugs. NEVER AGAIN!!!!
Dramamine helped the nausea and vomiting? That’s what I’m looking for!
Thank you for this website. I have been taking 250mg Seroquel nightly for two years. It was prescribed for anxiety, depression and insomnia. I tapered down to 125mg, and about four days ago I decided enough was enough and I stopped completely. I have gained over 40lbs since starting this drug, and I haven’t felt a proper emotion in I don’t know how long. It REALLY helped me sleep, but it turned me into an overweight zombie.
The withdrawal so far has been what I expected. I haven’t slept more than 3 hours in about two days or so. I feel tired, and wide awake at the same time. My moods are going up and down. Mad, angry, irritated, nervous, anxious and sad. I have no appetite and ALL the bones in my body are aching like I have severe flu. The itching is moderate, as is the nausea.
What I will say is that despite all this, I feel like this is the best decision I have made in a LONG time. It’s only been four days and my libido has sky rocketed. That alone, is amazing because I have not been interested in sex for about a year and a half and it was obviously affecting my relationship. Even though I can’t sleep and I’m pacing the house at night, I feel like I’m coming out of a dead existence, and I like it.
I feel like I might be coming back into my own again. I don’t care what my doctor says, I am not going back on it. I’m sure it helps some people, but for me I think it just wasted the last two years of my life.
Well I’ve been on seroquel since 15. Started at 800 stopped cold turkey at 600 I will be 19 next month. I went cold turkey and its been 3 weeks. I’ve had headaches and vomited like 3 times. But overall the withdrawals aren’t as bad as I thought, I have a strong body. I’m still doing my normal day-to-day life things. My body still hurts, but not as bad. And my taste-buds seem to like salty foods instead of sweets.
I just cold turkey quit my 300mg daily dose of Seroquel because it’s personally too expensive to pay for without insurance. I’m glad I found this page because it just helped me realize a lot of my symptoms are withdrawal symptoms. Like EXTREME itchiness all over my body, the heart rate changes, dizziness, and foggy brain. This is really tough.
I had been on seroquel 200 mg for 10 months when I had stepped down to try a new medicine. From doing so I had a psychosis breakthrough and it destroyed my life for a month (and still is). I experienced delusions of being possessed because of uncontrolled muscle movements in my arms, legs, and neck. I went back up and everything was better… for a week. So my doctor told me to taper down over a period of three days which I now understand is not enough time to do so. I tried abilify for 4 days, but it added even worse side effects so now I am on nothing but my original mood stabilizer (lamictal).
I now have symptoms such as nausea, constipation, extreme restlessness (can’t stop walking around), extreme anxiety, irregular heart rate when attempting to fall asleep, and the original psychosis symptoms from before(but not as worse this time. Its been close to a week this has been going on now and each day it seems to slightly worsen. I almost refuse to believe such a state of discomfort can last 90 days for me. Does anyone have any information that might help me to understand when this will end?
I’ve been off Seroquel for about a month. My doctor did take me off slowly. The itching is almost unbearable!! I scratch my arms and blood pools under my skin like I’m on a blood thinner. I scratch and get red bumps that turn into sores. This is awful!! Wondering how long this will last.
Hi I’m Lel. I thought I was imagining my symptoms until I found this web page and all the wonderful entries. This is my first day of complete withdrawal from Quetiapine, having reduced gradually. I did not take my last 50mg last night and am ill with symptoms. my torso is covered in welts from itching, my head is in a vice and I just want to vomit.I should be exhausted from not sleeping last night and sweating, but my body and joints throb and my mind is jittery, speeding and I am irritable as hell.
At least I do not feel alone with this. I just want to get off this toxic poison. I have never had psychosis or mania, but after my last bout of severe depression 2 years ago, I was put on 300mg of Q. I trust that staying on Paroxetine only will be enough for me. I send hopes to everyone that they may find the support and the courage to endure this awful withdrawal. I am reassured that this present condition will neither kill me nor last forever!
Hi Nel, your story is similar to mine. May I ask how long you have been on Paxil and what dose you are taking. I’m embarrassed to say; but I have been on Paxil 20mg for 20 years.
I’ve been on Quetiapine for just over two years now (I’m currently 16). I used to be on 600mg but it was tapered down to 200mg. I don’t remember experiencing withdrawal symptoms but I probably wasn’t aware that they were due to withdrawal and ignored them. I was prescribed because of the mood swings and psychotic symptoms of my ’emergent’ (as I’m under 18) Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as depression and chronic insomnia. Because of the excessive weight gain I’m trying to come off it, but the insomnia is horrendous and I feel run down and nauseous all the time.
I’ve been gradually tapering off of 900 mg of Seroquel. When I went down to nothing I got very sick. I initially assumed that what I was experiencing were symptoms of bipolar disorder since I wasn’t taking the drug. Then I realized I was going through withdrawal. Went back up to 300mg on the advice of my nurse practitioner, and this helped. There are still times when I feel like a dope sick junkie. I am determined to get off of it, and wish everyone else luck.
After months on 300 mg of Seroquel (as an off-label adjunct to an MAOI for major depression), my psychiatrist and I decided I should go off. He had me take 150 mg for about a week and then go off it completely. He said I shouldn’t experience any side effects other than irritability two weeks after going off. I went off of it completely about a week ago, and I’ve had severe insomnia, nausea, and itchiness all over my body (but especially my scalp!) since then. This is still not as bad as going off of Cymbalta was for me last spring, but it’s unpleasant. I’ll go mad if it lasts 90 days!
I feel really fortunate I was only on this for a month. The side effects of taking it for me were awful. I felt suicidal, worse than ever before, and I had other physical symptoms. I was on a 50mg extended release. I stopped taking it 4 days ago. Since yesterday I have felt so nauseous and couldn’t understand why. I thought I would google withdrawal symptoms and found this site. Hopefully the nausea will pass quickly, and thanks to some of the comments here I will try the phenergan I have to see if that controls it, or at least makes it a bit more bearable. I’m so glad I made the decision to come off it, but it has meant I’ve got a rapid referral back to the psychiatrist from my GP.
I was diagnosed with bipolar and personality disorder. After I was put on many drugs from a horrible doctor and I checked myself in a psych hospital. I went with many months of not being able to sleep and became phobic of falling asleep. I was put on seroquel and Lexapro. I felt like a zombie and slept a lot. I had no sexual functioning. I gained weight and it raised my cholesterol – over 300. We moved out of state and lost our insurance, so I filled my last prescription. It’s been almost 8 months. I have went from 100 mg to 10 mg of seroquel.
The last 3 days I stopped taking it and have had severe nausea, headaches and stomach pain. But I feel very lucky I’m not taking any meds and feel great other wise. I feel happy when I wake up and can actually get out of bed. I have read a lot of research and I am taking omega-3s and eating a lot of fish. I think that is making all the difference. I hope this continues and wish everyone the best and to hang in there.
Fish? LOL, right!
I read through multiple posts and am grateful to know that I am not alone. Seriously there have been many days where I have felt totally insane and miles away from an ability to interact with others. I had asked to come off of Seroquel XR 2 years ago and the RN talked me out of it. My doctor didn’t even know we had had the conversation. If you check in with a RN, NP, etc. – double check with your psychiatrist!
I went in a month ago and demanded that I be taken off due to the many side affects I had been having due to taking the medication. Which were the inability to follow through, not holding down a job, getting lost in conversations, word searching, migraines, fatigue, 2 naps a day, rigid muscles, tremor had worsened and so confused. So here I am now 1 month into my taper. My taper began with 400 to 200 immediately along with Trazadone for sleep when needed. Immediately my symptoms got worse, I could no longer drive or operate kitchen appliances, we ate soup for a long time.
Anger ran deep, I woke up hating the world and I mean hating everyone and everything. It had been a long time since I had had that thought process go on for days. I have been on Seroquel for 8 years, it was the fix all. I was put on this medication for PTSD, not sleeping and bad dreams. It worked for a while I felt alive again, and then the side affects stared kicking in. I gained 10 lbs and for me that is a great amount as I have a very tiny frame.
Today I am clear, my tremors have lessened, still have migraines, some muscle stiffness, less yet still have the word searching problem going on and I still get confused, especially if I am under pressure. So today I am ready to get off of the last 200 yet after reading all of the above information I am really thinking about a longer taper. I’m going to visit family in NY and would really like to be able to function.
I have a month and a half before I go. Last but not the least… I take this medication for needs that I no longer have and pay $1500.00 for 3 months to do so. My husband’s insurance picks up the remaining balance of $4500.00 for 9 months. Thank you all for submitting responses, they have helped me have a clear picture of what my taper may look like. I will check in in a couple of months and go from there! Thanks again all!
I am finally off Seroquel but it took a lot to do it and I did it very, very slowly. I was on it for anxiety and, while the anxiety did not return I had lots of trouble sleeping. I have never before had insomnia except at the beginning of taking antidepressants. I was prescribed Trazodone to sleep and it worked well. During the time I was weaning off 150mg daily of Seroquel I gradually increased the Trazodone from 100-150mg at night under doctor supervision. I take 3 capsules of Omega 3 twice daily along with niacin and magnesium, vitamin D3, folic acid and one vitamin E. I also take a multivitamin and B50. I still have a bit of fatigue and headaches but all in all I feel really well. I’m not a doctor. This is just my experience and please don’t take what I’ve said as medical advice.
Did your doctor recommend all these OTC meds and herbs you are taking?
Yeah, I don’t buy these herb, vitamin, and homeopathic solutions. There would have been a lot more people here with success if they really worked, for I’m sure many have tried them. I think most of the posters touting them have a financial interest in doing so.
Reading everyone’s posts has me a bit frightened to even be prescribed this drug in the first place. I have been taking seroquel for about 3 months for type 2 BP disorder. Prior to this I was unmedicated for 10 years (I honestly don’t know how I did it). I switched insurance companies and after seeing a new psychiatrist, I was put on lithium. I’ve been taking lithium for about 3 weeks and tapering the seroquel.
There have been days where I have felt awful, and this whole time I thought it was just the initial side effects of the lithium… but after reading these comments I’m not so sure. I was taking 50 MG seroquel, then 25, now I’m on 12.5. I think I might just stop cold turkey and deal with it. I’ve already had trouble sleeping, vivid dreams, nausea, inability to exercise without feeling faint, extreme shakiness. The dr never even warned me about withdrawal symptoms. Ugh wish me luck. Best wishes to all of you in this crazy game of finding the right meds. It’s friggin hard, huh?
Checking back in, at a bit over four months zero Seroquel. Doing just about perfectly fine now. Was still having trouble sleeping two months ago, and researched natural sleep aids. St Johns Wort seemed to be best bet, even though it seemed to solve insomnia mostly related to easing depression. Right at the one month period where it’s supposed to start working; (beginning of March, a tad over a month ago) it kicked in and now I sleep great.
I was still having trouble with energy levels during the day however, and unrelated; I tried some ginseng powder at a local health food store. That stuff is fantastic! Elevates energy levels w/o the jitteriness that comes from coffee. Elevates mood too! Been on it for a month now. Best med ever, though I can easily fall into the trap of; ‘if a little is good, more would be better,’ and go into a minor tweaker binge. It’s good to be diligent on dosage. In the past month, twice I’ve gone a day w/o ginseng, and still been free of the listlessness I was associating with seroquel.
(If you are interested in ginseng, don’t be scared of it’s $250/lb price tag. I bought $20 worth from the bulk section, and used about $15 worth in a month.) I’ve got another issue though, which may be related to seroquel w/d. While trying to fall asleep, about once or twice a month I’ll hear a sound like an electrical zap inside my head. Either a brief pop, or a short but sustained arcing. This has been going on for only as long as I’ve been off Seroquel, and off nicotine as well.
Did a bit of poking around online and found it seemingly related to other pharm w/d, though none mentioned Seroquel. I didn’t cross ref to see if same company makes Seroquel and the other meds, but I could see it coming from a binder in the pills or something. It also seems to be connected to tinnitus, which I just noticed that others on this forum have mentioned. I also notice I’ve got minor memory lapses. I forget what I’ve talked to people about. My personal issues, not as much theirs.
For instance, yesterday I talked to a clerk in the store about my dog, and ten minutes later when he was ringing up my purchases, I forgot what topics we’d ever covered before. Later, obviously, I remembered. This however, could be something I’ve always had and only noticed recently once I started giving a dang about other people. All in all though, I’d say I’m pretty much clear of issues related Seroquel withdrawal. It’s been rough. Paranoia, itching, sleeplessness, grogginess, mental fog and (perhaps situational) depression.
All along in the three months while tapering off, and for at least three months while totally off. Interestingly to me, the biggest jumps in improvement were the couple days immediately post my posting on this site. So things DO get better, and I encourage everyone to push through. Just like quitting smoking, the intense period of withdrawals are better to deal with, than a lifetime of more minor side effects from remaining on the med.
Hi Herbie, thanks for taking the time to post. It is really good to hear that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are so many horror stories about withdrawal that it is easy to forget that you can be free of the evil drug.
I am on day 4 of being without the Seroquel. So far I am only tired and a little nauseous. I am not sleeping because my body has to learn to fall asleep on its own now. My brain seems to run all night. These few symptoms are just fine with me compared to the brain fog I was always in and the extreme weight gain. It got to the point I was adding 2 to 3 lbs a week and the medication was affecting my speech at times.
Initially I thought it was the most amazing drug out there. And eventually I began feeling like a zombie or a puppet. I just feel that I will stick with my Celexa and therapy for now. My mental clarity is coming back and I do physically feel better. Results may vary. I hope this helps someone out. There is hope for coming off the medication. You have to prepare yourself for the side effects.
Ok I’m on my 4 day cold turkey and I’m having the same inability to fall asleep. I had horrible weight gain with mine and my only other side effect is horrible itching. I hope it all gets better.
I am 46 y.o and was put on this a year ago by psych doctor to control repetitive thoughts and hopefully to get me up & out as social anxiety is a constant on my Bipolar I. I never thought as being addicted to these drugs, including my Klonopin 1 mg 3x’s daily PRN. My seroqel was introduced at 150, IN COMES OBAMA SCARE INSURANCE (Paid by my mother) and I must go In Network, New Doc after 5 yrs. He is 71, and cycles his patients through his old facility, The Psych Ward to keep his former co-worker & buddy busy, and go STRETCH those tired dogs by putting them up instead of doing Hospital Rounds.
I went to see him on a F/Up visit because after he doubled my intake 150 to 400 mg, I walked into walls I was leaning, and (I call it) losing my words when speaking, had no energy, motion sickness sex as a newlywed of 2 years (errrrr!) No Thank You, Light & Noise Sensitivity so severe I Flap now and had to quit driving. After Going into that Hole and they just jabbed me for Lithium Levels (nada on anything for seroquel) I A.M’d out and fired him. Went back to old Dr, out of Pocket and he reduced me back 150 mg. I had no side effects at all.
I then choose to get off this as the plethora of other drugs surely will make up for it and this drug can go back to be used for when I am in a black hole (Risperdal gave me Rx-Induced Parkinson’s x4 )went from 150 mg to 75. I was at 50 but the withdrawal was too much, have lost 15 pounds (gained 60) sweating, Flu like symptoms, MOODINESS, grr (must watch myself) and Motion Sickness. TRYING 50mg FOR 2 DAYS, CAN’T WAIT TO BE FREE. Blessed are the chosen to fight mind battles on this plane, we will be Warriors on the the Next.
I had an episode of depression a several years ago and agreed to finally get some help. While in there I noticed the Psychiatrists put EVERYONE on Seroquel. I found it a little strange at the time as I was informed by my Psychiatrist that it was a new drug and does wonders. I mean come on… Everyone in the place was on the same drug? Can anyone say kickbacks? It was a state run facility.
Took the stuff and didn’t like how I felt, sure didn’t fell any better. Didn’t have any insurance so they were trying to get me on state insurance. When that fell through, they just kicked me out the door and I was on my own. So I ended up quitting Seroquel cold turkey. When the Psychiatrist first prescribed this drug to me I asked him what the side effects were and if there were any withdrawal symptoms. He was honest about the side effects but he flat out told me that there were no withdrawals from it.
2 days after quitting cold turkey came the withdrawals. I probably had it better than some people but I was still miserable. Never experienced anything like it in my life. The constant nausea, cold sweets, I wanted to bad to commit suicide. And the uncontrollable crying. I couldn’t stop. After that experience I will never trust another doctor again and I know now that I will always be alone in my battle against depression.
**I know now that I will always be alone in my battle against depression.** You aren’t ever alone. We have a world to ourselves.
I have been on Quetiapine for 3 years now and recently decided I was sick of being tired every morning from it! I started on 400mg but have only been on 200mg for last 2 years so cut down to 100mg for a week no problems, then 50mg for a week. I thought all was OK so stopped completely last Sunday. Had a cold the next day but so did everyone else!
Wednesday I woke feeling sluggish but after then being in a car for 20 mins started to feel very sick. I thought it was because I had taken some codeine on an empty stomach. It came and went throughout the day but I ate a little so still wasn’t worried. Was sick in car on way home that day too but thought maybe travel sickness! Yesterday my daughter text and suggested it may be the tablets and then before I could look it up I started to feel very strange and my 2 year old was laughing and it was freaking me out (like she was a monster).
Kept crying too and just felt awful and scared. I called my GP and she said to start taking 50mg again so took that last night. I have had headaches constantly and the nausea comes and goes. I will stick on 50mg as determined to still come off it. Wish I had seen this site first.
I was prescribed seroquel for bipolar disorder before being properly diagnosed, my symptoms worsened during the duration of the “treatment” I had abruptly quit taking the drug and I’m paying the price. I’m extremely nervous now and having issues trying to sleep, this in addition to an underlying anxiety makes for one heck of a bad day, so if I could persuade anyone, I would say stay away from this drug. This drug makes you feel as though you are suffering from more problems when you’re on it than before you start it. My opinion is that seroquel is a BAD drug.
I AGREE!! I don’t think it is good for long term use. I can’t walk but now that I’ve been off of it for a couple of weeks, my energy has increased and I’m doing better.
I had been taking quetiapine for just over 12 months for severe depression 600mg to start with. And after feeling like a zombie I thought enough was enough, I booked an appointment with my GP and explained that I would like to stop them, he advised me to gradually taper from them, but me being me I decided that I wanted off them straight away. I stopped taking them all together. After 3 days I seriously thought I was dying! Cold sweats, thumping headaches, couldn’t concentrate and the itching OMG!
I couldn’t wait until I could take one that night. Never again would I do that!. Another 12 months and I have gradually tapered from the 600 mg to 25 mg. I am to completely quetiapine free( been 2 months now) I feel great well apart from the odd mild headache in the morning. Eating healthy and exercise has been my only drug throughout this process I have also lost 3 stone that I put on through quetiapine.
I started taking Seroquel for anxiety related insomnia. I was being blackmailed by someone I once trusted who was set on destroying my life because I wouldn’t pay up. The first time I tried it I was utterly smashed for a day or two. I gradually needed a higher dose and once I had that dose I could not then function or sleep properly on any less.
I currently take 1200mg every night and my weight has ballooned to over 130kg. I’ve made three attempts to get off Seroquel and each time I went sleepless for over 4 days straight…NOT A WINK OF SLEEP! I ended up taking it again out of sheer desperation and delirium from lack of sleep. On Seroquel my motor skills are seriously compromised and I constantly bump into walls and doors.
My new wristwatch is already trashed from contact with surrounding obstacles. Just 24 hours without Seroquel and I start to sneeze and itch without its antihistamine properties. It feels awful and much like having the flu. I really want to get off Seroquel completely but I can’t find a suitable alternative to use as a bridge across to being medication free.
4 nights off it now and still feel OK. Mildly anxious yesterday, but got 7 hours sleep last night. No other symptoms really – have been a bit itchy and have a slight mottled looking rash but nothing I can’t handle. Feeling very positive!!
That’s 2 and a half months I’ve been off seroquel now and haven’t looked back. Best thing I ever did. Went cold turkey from 25mg and withdrawals were minimal. I am now due to drop from 75mg venlaflaxine to 37mg tomorrow. This will continue for 2 weeks before a further 2 weeks of 37mg every 2nd day. A little nervous but very focused. Best wishes to all going through this! You can do it.
Been seroquel free for 3 months and it’s best thing I could have done! Cut my venlafaxine from 75 to 37mg with no issue and I’m now on 37 every other day. Been doing that for a week – slight anxiety but that may have been circumstancial and not due to med withdrawal. I’ve been very lucky and compared to others I’ve got off lightly but feel the need to reassure anyone who is thinking about coming off that not everyone has a terrible experience. Much love.
2-1/2 months now and I still have anxiety attacks every day since jumping, even though I’m still taking Xanax. I had only been on 25mg Seroquel too, supposedly a low dose, but the withdrawals are still hitting me hard. I’m even considering giving up and going back on it just to get some release. Maybe it’s better to be in a drugged stupor than live in fear every day. :(
Thanks for this article, I found it very helpful. I’m off quetiapine for 5 days now and have massive itching of the body. I can handle it, it is just the thing what makes me angry. Sleeping problems are huge, I was ready for it, so I can’t complain. I’m ready to quit and I will. The problem I have now is that I didn’t know that withdrawal effect can last months. I thought it will be maybe a week or two. I took seroquel for 24 years :O how crazy that is? Wow. Good luck to all! Don’t give up, do it and after some time you will congratulate yourself! :) much love.
I have found very few testimonials of people who quit Seroquel who really understand the drug. I took Seroquel for 10 years 150mg each night. After severe edema, explosive weight gain, and onset of diabetes I knew it was time to get off. I tired cold turkey, but that did not go over very well. So I did the gradual taper. I tapered ever 10-12 by 50% until I was down to 12.5mg and then came off it completely.
Each step down on the taper I experienced a couple days of severe headaches, and insomnia. After day 4 or 5 each step I felt better. I would wait an additional 5 days before stepping down again. I have been off Seroquel for 6 weeks now. The only symptoms I experience are mild headaches at night that I keep in check with Tylenol successfully and major insomnia.
On Seroquel I would sleep 9-12 hours, since stopping 4-6 hours. Massive change. I am feeling good though. Energized like I was as a teenager and started to exercise. In 6 weeks I am down 15 pounds and I imagine just moving around for the extra 6 hours a day that I don’t sleep is enough to really help that. Good luck to all!
First night with no seroquel for 5 and half years. Slept from 2:30 am to 6:30 am and actually feel OK! I was only on 25 mg (50 mg few years back for about a year) woke up this morning and even took the dog out at 8 am and walked for over a mile which I’ve never had the energy to do before 12 noon. Very early days, but I’m determined to stay seroquel free! I also take 75mg venlafaxine and hope to come off that next year. Awaiting the horrible withdrawals kicking in… But so far so good!
I have been on a low dose for insomnia & mood stability, and I’ve been decreasing my dosage by 25mg every 1 1/2 months. Every time I reduce by 25mg it’s awful. I’m on day 7 of taking only 25mg. Blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, and aggitation every day. I cannot wait for this to finally be over. DO NOT TAPER TOO QUICKLY – it’s still awful doing it slowly. I have barely maintained my life just due to the side effects of withdrawl. Just do it slow and steady. Very slow.
I’ve been on Seroquel XR 50mg for about 5 months as an adjunct to my 60mg of Cymbalta for anxiety and depression. My P-doc told me I no longer needed Seroquel any longer as I have stabilized and am doing well. I haven’t had any Seroquel for 3 days now, and my sleep is patchy at best. I can fall asleep but wake up many times at night. I also feel quite anxious, and as tho the depression is creeping back.
Thank goodness that I have found this website. I actually thought I was going completely mad! Suffice to say, I have been suffering intermittently with depression. All circumstance based. My last bout was three years ago. It was severe. I was prescribed Quetiapine. I noticed a weight gain almost immediately. I was on 250mg,then 150mg gradually reducing to 50mg. My Doctor knows very little about Quetiapine. I have had to inform her of the side effects, withdrawal symptoms, etc.
I have reduced my dosage to 25mg. I feel like I have been hit by a train. I’m mentally, physically exhausted, flu like symptoms, severe stomach pains, legs aching. Basically, I feel like hell. But I am determined. Has anyone any advice on long it took to lose the increased weight. I am aware that this awful drug interferes with your metabolism. I jog, walk as well as Teach SEN children so always on the go. But struggle to lose 1 lb a month! Thanks for listening.
I’ve been reading through the comments and while some of them are similar the worst problems I’m having with cutting both fast and slow release are intense food cravings and unbearable restlessness. It’s not a panic attack, more of a constant internal churning which makes it difficult to work or study, and resting, sleeping or lying down bring no relief. Has anyone experienced this side effect and what helps for it? I’ve been self medicating with benzos but the amount I have got only helps take the edge off. I feel like I want to scratch my insides out.
I first started taking seroquel about 3 years ago – went up to 300mg for about 6 months but found the fatigue was too much to bear seeing as I was entering my last year of university. I have been able to taper it down to 75mg for the past 9 months and have begun the 50mg last week. The main reason for trying to get off seroquel was to stop the dependence on it for helping me sleep, make myself more aware and active during the day, lose weight (I’ve put on about 30kg over the years), and finally to cut down the amount of meds I’m taking (5 with the seroquel).
I didn’t have any side effects tapering down from the higher dose, but transition to 50mg has been hell. I am sweating liters a day, constantly feel like throwing up, nausea, jaw grinding and headaches – tension, hypersensitivity to light and sound, anxiety, rapid heartbeat. Sleep has been okay but not refreshing. Although I keep thinking of upping the dose back to 75, I keep telling myself that the symptoms will pass. I think the 2 major pluses have been my energy increase and finally no recurrence of the psychotic symptoms that were present when I started the meds.
I know that seroquel was definitely needed in my recovery but I am of the opinion that it shouldn’t be prescribed long term – I became way too dependent on it, which is something I have always promised myself I would never become (use the meds as an aid, but not a crutch on the walk to becoming healthy). I am also hoping that my libido will return soon…for both my partner and my own sake.
Yup – 75mg to 50mg was exactly the same for me. My energy has steady increased though – so that keeps me going. Stick with it. I find 1 & 1/2 to 2 months after a decrease before all the side effects are gone.
I was placed on Seroquel at a very young age (8 or so) and was on it until I turned 18. I was neither schizophrenic or bipolar, my grandma just wanted to use it to get a disability check. I don’t know what dosage I started off on, but I know that it was at 200mg when I stopped. I tapered off and felt fine for about 7 months, but suddenly woke up with anxiety followed by depression; my vision got worse; my speech started to slur a bit; I easily became light headed and my memory got worse.
I always feel zoned out and spacey, like I’m not really there but I can still function. Things that were simple before seem a little more difficult and, a few days ago, I started having delusions. Is it weird for that stuff to happen so long after stopping? Or could being on it at such a young age, for practically no reason, have messed me up? Please let me know if you know anything. My family is spending a lot of money on my doctor visits and we can’t seem to find any other causes. Thanks.