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.
Well this is my first post on any of these forums so please bare with my delivery. My post ended up being far too detailed so I’ve split it into sections. For those of you who want to cut to the chase, please skip to the last part :)
—————————————————————————————–
Background
—————————————————————————————–
I went into therapy for Depersonalization Disorder (DPD) sometime over a year ago. I started developing symptoms early on (from the age of 14 as far as i can trace) but went on to live a functional life, never feeling the need to seek professional help to address my condition. I did not even inform my family or close friends about how I felt and as the years went by, I became indifferent to my situation.
I eventually started using street drugs. I was self-medicating and it actually appeared to be working! I started to feel good about my life, perhaps for the first time in my life up to that point. I was doped up, but once again functional – and happy.
I found MDMA to be my drug of choice – it gave me “clarity” and simulated emotions that I couldn’t experience naturally. I began to abuse the drug and continued to do so until reality managed to find a way to finally shatter my illusion of happiness. I experienced an extreme drug-induced panic attack and was convinced that I was going to die due to an overdose.
I literally did not even know what anxiety felt like due to my DPD and severe case of personal indifference and in this moment I was unable to understand what my body was going through. It was at this point that I realized that I needed to seek professional help to deal with my condition. I quit the drugs – all of them – overnight. I was ready to feel better. I was ready to take control of my life.
—————————————————————————————–
Going into Therapy + Further Complications
—————————————————————————————–
I started psychotherapy optimistically, with every intention of getting better. My therapist happened to be extremely “trigger-happy” from day one: I was prescribed Xanax, Lamotrigine and almost every SSRI in the market (as part of the trial-and-error approach to such medication). When i was not responding to any of the SSRI’s, my doctor abruptly shifted me over to anti-psychotics. By this time it had been a year since I had been in therapy and my shrink admitted that he had still not been able to determine an appropriate diagnosis for my condition.
I was put on 400mg of Seroquel and for the first few days I couldn’t tell the difference between this new medication and the many that preceded it. Then one night – it happened again – I experienced a massive panic attack in the middle of the might and this time I could only think of this being a possible reaction to the Seroquel. My heart rate went up to 200 BPM and I had to go to the ER at 5 in the morning!
I had once again experienced a drug-induced panic attack; only this time it was not at the hands of a street drug. I went to see my therapist the very same day and demanded that I be put off this medication immediately. Instead, he told me that I should push my dosage up to 600mg per night. I could not even imagine doing that to myself after the experience I had just had. When I insisted on being taken off the medication later on during the session, he told me that I was “not a suitable candidate for psychotherapy”… (those were his exact words, literally) and that the only way I could feel better was if I continued taking the medication he had prescribed for an indefinite period of time.
It was hard to tell if I fired him at that point or if he had simply given up on me but it became clear that this was the last time I was going to be visiting him. Now it was time to kick this horrible medication on my own. I started by breaking my doses by 50mg after every five days. I couldn’t wait to taper this drug off, even if it meant somewhat rushing the process. I have now been off Seroquel for almost 1.5 weeks and I feel a significant improvement in my standard of living. I can once again think clearly, for starters.
—————————————————————————————–
Cutting to the Chase – My Symptoms
—————————————————————————————–
On the other hand I have been experiencing certain symptoms that I would like to address: while fatigue, insomnia and nausea are very frequent, the symptom that alarms me the most is heart palpitations. After my panic attacks (specifically the one I experienced while I was on Seroquel) I have had a constant feeling of anxiety, and even paranoia whenever I feel my heart rate is acting up. I started checking my pulse so frequently that a close friend of mine actually had to tell me to stop doing so.
Now I just try to ignore this symptom, but it’s not easy. I can deal with the other symptoms but these bouts of uncalled for anxiety and palpitations have become embedded into my everyday routine. I would really appreciate it if someone with similar symptoms could guide me as to how to deal with them. Once again, this is my first time posting anything of the sort so I went through everything that was in my head. Thank you for your time and I hope everyone here has a speedy recovery!
Everyone is different. I was on Seroquel, 50mg for three months after my psychiatrist overdosed me on lithium. I was thankful for the change then, that goes without saying. It kept my insomnia in check, a problem I’ve had a majority of my life. I thought it was helping but it was because the side effects included sedation. I got worse, my bipolar disorder increased in severity.
I even started cutting again after ten years of keeping away from the blade. I was suicidal to an extreme. My therapist and family became concerned to the point of requesting hospitalization considering my horrible depression. I’ve quit the medication cold-turkey, whether it be the right choice or not, I made a dramatic change within just a few days.
My personality did a complete 180° change and I have become better with no more cutting or suicidal thoughts. I am still in a struggle and will seek alternate treatment but for now the withdrawals suck with the headaches and nausea, but I want to live now. That’s better to me.
I stopped taking quetiapine after a six month taper down to 25 mg 2 months ago, I went through all the side effects: no sleep nausea, hives that came and went, sweats, anxiety and a range of other symptoms. My advice is definitely taper off over a couple of months down to smallest dose that can be sustained. Then under doctor’s advice, go off, but only if it is helpful to mental health.
I have been losing half a kg per week have now lost 5 kg very slowly, no sugar and vegetarian, and low carbs. It has been hard, I still want to lose another 10 kg to get to a healthier weight. Two month after going off quetiapine I am sleeping about 5 to 7 hours per night, I still have constant hives but taking antihistamines so this helps. And have gone to a naturopath who has suggested synthetic melatonin and synthetic serotonin… not sure of long term effects of this but am taking the mixture she gave me.
It has to be a total overhaul of diet, and exercise and relaxation and spending time on a hobby that gives you happiness, I paint. Good luck and yes it is possible to kick the seroquel habit but go slow to get to a point where the medication no longer controls you. And keep a diary of your improvement.
I am 8 weeks off and the hives and sweats still bother me. But if you can distract yourself with activities, these symptoms will not be as intrusive. Do some brain games on your computer, anything to stay out of your head.
Going into my third week and a lot of the side effects are subsiding. Spent 10 days feeling carsick and constipation added to the nausea. Periodic profuse sweating and several sleepless nights. Still sweating a lot but no more nausea and up to 5 hours of sleep. Still drenched in sweat, but feeling better every day.
I was prescribed Seroquel at 300 Mg since then over the many years of taking it I experienced so many symptoms such as a rash that would come on my arm and legs in a stereo symmetrical pattern and would burn and itch red. Warning this was terrible because neither the doctor or place I wen’t to with all there staff was oblivious to this now that I looked up the side effects of Seroquel I’m even shocked as of 2/18/2016.
I first took this drug for bipolar one by the Orange County Mental Health in Anaheim starting in 2010 then went onto many places such as CHOICES, MHA, Telacare South, Telcare North. What amazes me is know one caught on that this medication was causing me more harm than good. The rash would come and go like a ghost in my body. I also experienced what I call a yo-yo effect in my appetite that connected with veracious appetite that was like a tug of war with symptoms of sleeping and and eating at the same time battling it out in my brain and body.
This is what one will experience on it as well as getting off it. Be warned going cold turkey is hard as you can see what I’ve wrought. I made a conscious decision that my body was telling me this isn’t working out. The sleep was good but too much is not being normal. Having migraines full blown is awful weather you take it consistently or not they come out of nowhere depending on the situation or how your day is going.
Back to having food? If you take this make sure you have a big bank account otherwise you will be miserable if your on SSI Disability. Why? If you don’t eat enough you feel like your going out of your mind fitting the urge to eat by the drug working in your brain and bloodstream especially after taking it and you knew you had enough to eat that day.
I noticed the more you eat in conjuration with the feeling of deep sleep effect these merge together in hand and you eventually calm down after eating your heavy feel of whats in your pantry and kitchen. One word this is no way to live a healthy life. Tug of War, Sleepy going against the need to eat like a large never ending gut and brain that just won’t stop until it wins you over by eating so much that the sleep effect wears off. I’m keeping an open mind about this situation and have over a year or 6 month’s ? Have stopped taking it as a result.
I feel a lot better I do have my good and bad days but at least I’m no wear near what I was experiencing a year and a half ago. My experience with Seroquel may not be like others out there. So be careful and keep your health in mind when thinking of slowly getting off it. I took long walks to wear myself out in order to sleep this seemed to help a lot. Also doing hard heavy chores to sweat this RX out of your system is good.
Something to keep your mind off negative depressive thought and avoid people who are is good as well. Try hard as much to sleep weather you wan’t to or not. You have to get yourself back to a normal behavioral pattern in your life and overall thinking. I could wright more but I feel I have shared enough for right now.
I have been on Seroquel for 5 years now. My dosage started low at 25mg/day and an additional 25mg if needed. It slowly increased and at one point I was up to 250mg/day. I am now taking 150mg/day and intend on weaning myself off starting tonight. I think I will go to 100mg/day for two weeks and then discuss symptoms with my doctor at that time. I also take Effexor 225mg/day and Lyrica 150mg/day. I have been on Seroquel the longest and only want to wean off one medication at a time. I will update as I go. Wish me luck!
I had this problem too, fickeltink. Kept increasing the dosages. I highly recommend to anyone who takes seroquel to refrain from the temptation, though. I went from 25mg a night to 400mg a night, but even then I sometimes took more than I should have – up to 1,200mg on many occasions. However, after I’ve started weening off, it’s been surprisingly much easier to fall asleep than I thought it would.
Doesn’t make much sense, but I figure that I never really needed to dosage increases in the first place. I just got so use to them working instantly that I felt I needed more if they didn’t – but I should have just been more patient.
I’ve just been reading all your comments. My Lord I hope you all eventually get off this stuff. I’m on 200mg twice daily and recently found out its PTSD that I’ve got and not bipolar. I’ve been given a 3 month appointment with my shrink. I’m not waiting that long before I start coming off it.
I’ve only been on it 6 months so I’m praying to God that this is easier. I had withdrawal brain zaps when I converted from an antidepressant to quetiapine. That felt very uncomfortable and odd. I aim to reduce it slowly and surely by 25mg per go. I’ve yet to see my ass of a Dr to order some smaller doses.
She thinks I’m nuts as it is so that’ll be a challenge too. I’m not staying on this shit anymore. A stone in weight added and low and highs that are just worst than I had before I started taking it. There is no reason for me to be on it so I’m determined to get off it. My work has suffered since being on it. Foggy isn’t the word.
Complete dribbling mumbling existence is all I’ve had from it together with knock out lows and Scooby Doo highs. God bless you all for giving it a go. Don’t go cold turkey, it’s so dangerous. Gradually you’ll win.
My doctor had prescribed seroquel as an augmentation treatment for my major depressive disorder. I titrated up from 50mg to 300mg over the course of 4 days. I felt like I was drunk during those days, as my body was adjusting to the medication. It did not help my insomnia right away, and it wasn’t until after about the 6th day (at a dose of 300mg) that I went to sleep at night.
But then I had a hard time staying up during the day, and generally fell asleep most of the day as well. Around the 8th day of the medication, I noticed my ankles and feet were swollen. At first I wasn’t sure if it was the medication, since it wasn’t listed as a side effect in the patient leaflet, but a google search indicated it was feasible and could occur as much as 10 days after taking the med.
I called my doctor, who wanted me to wait a few days to see if the swelling resolved, he felt it wasn’t a common side effect at all. I also made sure I drank more water and watched my salt intake, but the swelling never got better. I called back, and he told me to hold off on the seroquel (cold turkey) for the weekend and call first thing Monday to report.
The swelling in my ankles and feet has gone down after 2 days off the pills, but I am experiencing some of the withdrawal effects, which my doctor’s nurse told me I wouldn’t have (I did ask). I cry at nights for no reason, I get random sharp headaches, I feel so nauseated sometimes, sometimes I shake, sometimes I feel hot, sometimes I feel cold and get goosebumps for no reason, I am dizzy too.
These started almost right away, and seem to get worse the longer it has been since my last pill 3 days ago. I was hoping that maybe I wasn’t on the drug long enough to have any problems, but I guess taking it for 10 days was enough. Now I wonder how long I will take to detox.
I saw no benefit while I was taking the drug. It made me feel more apathetic and I moved slower and felt like I missing blocks of time. I would come home from work, and just sit in my car for no apparent reason. It was weird.
I have been taking 450 mg of Seroquel for several years — 50 mg daytime and 400 mg at bedtime. I quit cold turkey a week ago. So far, so good. Some insomnia, but good mental functioning, a little jittery. I was tired of the weight gain and the drowsiness. I went from 200 lbs to 270 lbs.
I did a cost-benefit analysis and concluded that I would either keel over from a heart attack or stroke or deal temporarily with withdrawal symptoms and lose some weight. The weight is coming off. I’m eating a very healthy diet and staying active. Of course, remember, withdrawal is different for everyone. Not recommending my method to anyone, just telling my story. Thanks.
You are one of two out of hundreds here that have had minimal withdrawal effects from going off Seroquel. It’s kind of hard to believe you, TBH.
I was on Seroquel 600mg for 6 years and have tapered down to 300mg but can’t seem to taper any more without hellish withdrawals. Itching, no sleep, nausea, suicidal… Is it even worth it? Can it even be done? I hate Seroquel! I don’t think I can do this. I wish I didn’t want to die so bad.
2 years ago I was prescribed the lowest does of Seroquel to help sleep at night. Not in my worst nightmare did I think going off cold turkey 3 months later all these horrible side effects and hospital visits could be from this drug. It is the only thing that makes sense since I am told I am ok? I have a family who I have to stay positive for but I am on the edge still of not being able to function.
This includes brain tightening, numb feelings all over face arms, dizziness, concentration problems, night sweats, feelings of seizures or brain zaps, and much much more… Has anyone experienced this? It controls my life and I need some positive reassurance it will go away. Thank you. Marcia
After 10 months on this medicine I feel like a zombie when I take it, and just learned the pains of withdrawal when my pharmacy ran out of it over the weekend. I took it for insomnia, depression and anxiety. After reading what everyone else is going through too, I wonder how this is prescribed off label anymore. And thank God for insurance because one month would run $480.00 without it. I am going to see my doctor and do what I can to get off this poison.
Been on 800 for about 8 years went from 800 to 600 then down to 400 all within a month. I’ve been sick and up for days. I want to take one to feel better but… Ugh.
Day 4 of cutting down from 50mg to 38.5. Really small dose and really small reduction I know! Unbelievable how bad I feel. Tearful, anxious, brain fog. I really feel for anybody trying to cut down from 800. How is that possible?
Hi. I’ve read a lot about withdrawal symptoms from both quetiapine (for me it was prescribed for bipolar type 2 and insomnia) and Lyrica (for me, fibromyalgia.) I am actually tapering off both of these drugs. I was a wreck last February (2015) and as I ordinarily would have researched the side effects, I was too depressed and anxious to do so.
I am trying to get off quetiapine due to the weight gain. I used to weigh 134, now I am at 158. No matter how much I exercise, how little I eat (I eat healthfully and have done so for decades), I cannot lose the weight. It is due, in my opinion, to a decreased metabolism. I spoke with my psych person last Friday and we made a plan to half my dose, 300 milligrams to 150 milligrams for five days, then 50 milligrams for five days.
This seems like a short taper to me, but I am giving it a go. So far, I am experiencing: Nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, anxiety, and shakiness. If it becomes severe, I will increase the dosage and try to taper more slowly. This drug is addictive, in my opinion. I hate what it has done to me for the most part, but it temporarily helped the insomnia immensely.
I recently went back to getting non-restorative sleep, so I see quetiapine as useless other than the fact that it may be helping the bipolar type 2, though I am also on 300 milligrams of Lamictal for the bipolar 2. Do any of you have both fibromyalgia and bipolar 2, insomnia as well? I hope all of us can find the treatments that work for our particular health issues. It has been very helpful for me to read your comments.
I have been taking quetiapine for over a year, stopped taking it 3 weeks ago. I am having headaches every day and feeling nauseous also feeling anxious. I am sorry I ever started taking this drug but I am glad I have stopped taking it. Good luck to everyone coming off it and hang in there.
Hi Anne. May I ask if you tapered off the quetiapine/Seroquel and if so for how long and for the dosage you took from each time you lowered your dose? Thank you.
I have been totally off Seroquel for just a few days. I weaned off. I itch all over. Am having trouble sleeping and feel anxious. I could cry at the drop of a hat. It is hard to work. I can’t seem to get anything done. My focus is off. But the side effects of this nasty little drug are scary. So I talked with my Doctor and we decided to stop the Seroquel. I’m glad I found this site. I know I am not alone.
I was on Zoloft, lamictal, seroquel, and trazodone. My liver said no, my enzyme levels went through the roof. So I was stripped from these meds 2 weeks ago. I was only on them for 3 weeks. The seroquel made me feel like a zombie. I couldn’t drive and felt very foggy all the time. Now that I am off of seroquel I feel more alert, however my brain feels weird like there is a heartbeat in it.
I see lines when I look up sometimes. I have anxiety and insomnia really bad. It doesn’t help that they misdiagnosed me at the psych I went to see. I am glad I’m no longer on those meds I feel better mentally and am getting more sleep. Although I need the trazadone to sleep I feel better about everything. I am driving now and doing what I need to day by day and feel aware not being on the seroquel.
I just had a baby and have just been diagnosed with PPD and insomnia and have a new psych I go to that discovered I was misdiagnosed with bipolar PTSD along with ppd. I am getting happier everyday and feeling better. Just can’t wait for the withdrawal of the seroquel to subside.
I have been on Seroquel for almost 25 years I think at 800-1200mg dosage per day. Getting off of it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. Physically I have been off two weeks with a three week taper and experienced extreme nausea, fatigue and now insomnia. I had what I thought were the worst flu like symptoms Ive ever had the past two weeks. I haven’t had any mental effects yet but I suspect they are coming.
I think Ill watch myself carefully for depression. I am a manic bipolar but Seroquel’s scary long term effects like diabetes and dementia scared the daylights out of me. I’m 46 and have been on this drug almost 1/2 of my life. I did notice that my sense of smell and auditory sounds have been bugging the crap out of me too. All I can say is drink a ton of water while coming off of it and get as much rest as you can to keep your strength up.
For the nausea I ate Jello and nibbled on crackers for two weeks. My doc prescribed some nausea meds and that helped tremendously. Good luck everyone. I wanted to add that I NEVER want to be on a drug again that controls my life like this did. The withdrawals are so bad and the not taking it runs my life. NEVER again will this happen.
UPDATE 02.10.16 – POST-SEROQUEL 5 WEEKS – Still experiencing withdrawals from this med. Main symptoms are extreme hypersalivation, severe headaches and slow motor skills. I’m shocked that being off of it this long and still these severe withdrawals. I was on 800-1200 mg consistently. I’m not sure when my neurotransmitters will go back to normal but am faithfully taking Lithium and Abilify hoping to stave off an episode. I am really bothered by the mouth watering. Does anyone know why this is happening?
Quetiapine causes hypersalivation (see dental journals.) Probably Abilify does, too. Withdrawal sometimes mimics the side effects of the drug.
For starters I will say that I was never supposed to be on this medication. My psychiatrist misdiagnosed me with bipolar disorder and would increase the dosage of the seroquel when I would explain that I felt sick being on it and did not help with my already ruined sleep cycle. My heart rate was always alarmingly fast which always made me nervous and my agitation was at an all time high. I truly wonder if there was anything that that drug did that did me any good.
I have been cold turkey for the best three days and have been throwing up constantly and haven’t slept. I sweat through at least two outfits a day and have an absurdly runny nose that never stops even though I do not have a cold and am not sick. If anyone recommends this medication to you… Please research alternatives. If this works for you then I’m glad but for those of you who are also struggling I wish you luck!! Hang in there.
I’ve been on seroquel for about 8 years. 600 mgs a night. I have no choice but to stop more or less cold turkey. I’m scared. Is there any useful advice or anything I might be able to do?
I have been on Seroquel XR and then Seroquel for 4 years and have just tapered off. My first night without was 3 days ago and it has been awful, vomiting, cannot keep any food down, barely sleeping despite taking 60mg of Serepax. I am itchy all over and it’s not easing up. I have been concerned about this medication for a long time, so it was my choice to cease, and despite doing it gradually, it is an awful experience.
Holy Moly, I just ran out yesterday and I dreamed I was hanging out with Scarface! LOL. I was on 800mg nightly, but due to issues I cannot control, I ran out of meds, and will not be refilled till Feb 3rd in 15 days. I am feeling very bad and was up every hour checking the clock and only an hour have passed at a time. I’m debating major issues, and my smarts are not coming back. I was 144 IQ… but while on this med, my IQ was tested at 98… according to the college I tried to attend. I will try and finish this comment later, gotta run to the restroom…
I’ve been on 100 XR and 100 regular mg for at least 5 years, I ran out and have been so so sick! Can’t sleep, bad anxiety, sweating awful, in fact hot cold hot cold and throwing up! I thought I was just sick, but now I’m sure it’s withdrawal. Thank God I just took my dose and hoping to sleep and feel better tomorrow! I never knew you could have withdrawal symptoms!
Hi guys, Was on seroquel 100mg in addition to lexapro for depression/mild bipolar for 3 years. I knew I’d put on weight but in the lead up to my wedding hopped on the scales in desperation. Turns out I’d put on 20kgs in that time which is the heaviest I’ve ever been by a long way. I’m 37 and am a bit of a yo yo weight wise, but when I put my mind to it I’ve always been good at losing weight in a healthy way.
But when the scales have barely been moving for weeks upon end (1000cals plus gym 5 x a week) decided there was something more to it. You guessed it, the seroquel strikes again! So, now with only 8 weeks until my wedding, I’ve gone cold turkey. I’m actually really pleased to say that I’m doing well. Sleep has obviously been a struggle, but I’ve been using herbal supplements and tea, which has helped.
Have had waves of nausea, a headache here and there and now feel like I have a cold coming on. Nearly five days seroquel free and I’m doing good! Maybe a kilo or so lost but will see how we are looking next week. I’m really angered to read the side effects of this drug and am disappointed that a much respected psych put me on it and it has jeopardized my health.
My GP also told me I MUST be off it before falling pregnant which I didn’t even know… Anyway, good luck everyone. I hope your withdrawals are more like mine than others!
Update on my status: It has now been 1 full month of halving my dose from 300 to 150 mg. I no loner have mild nausea. I still have a bit of insomnia, but since I have been going to the gym regularly (4 days a week) I have noticed I sleep better and the insomnia is not as bad. My workout routine involves 45-55 min of elliptical time with my incline at 10-12 and resistance of 7-9.
I then do a battle rope workout that I found online, then a squat/lunge workout (doing 45 seconds to 1 full min of each). If I don’t have time for that much at the gym, I do a 1 mile run as fast as I can, and as many 100 yard sprints as I can manage. I truly feel this has helped me sleep. I know exercise is suppose to release certain endorphins.
I have to wonder if this release of endorphins my body is doing is some how counter acting the withdrawal symptoms. I plan to stay on 150 mg for another month before attempting to go down. I have not had any other withdrawls symptoms as of this time. Will update again in one month! Good luck everyone!
I took 800mg for 7 years. I’m on 600 now in a few weeks I’ll go down to 400. I’ve been having a lot of withdrawal symptoms.
I was on seroquel 125mg and cipralex 20mg I quit both of these drugs cold turkey 2months ago. I had been only 3months on seroquel and 4 years on cipralex. I did feel groggy and dizzy but it wasn’t as bad as being on the meds and feeling totally disconnected from life itself. I must add though that I am seeing a professional therapist that does DBT therapy and I couldn’t do this without him.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) treats at the level that no medications can and gives you a clear path to a healthier more balanced and satisfying lifestyle. I strongly suggest to anyone stopping medications to replace it with some form of therapy because I feel if you do not the reasons you started taking the meds in the first place are still there inside and will only come back out again…
Whether it’s seeing a sleep professional, life coach or any professional who deals hands on with what is really bothering you and assists in your wellbeing. Hope this helps. Wishing you all success in your journeys. ?
I haven’t seen any comments posted in a while so hopefully someone sees this and can give advice. So I’ve been on Seroquel for 3-4months. Last month on only 12mg or so (shaving off pieces with knife so not sure of exact dosage). Anyways I was sweating so bad last night although it was cold in the house. Couldn’t fall asleep so I had to take .25 of Klonopin which is a small dose but a drug nonetheless which makes me very unhappy. Taking Lunesta 3 mg as well. Plan is to come of off Seroquel first and foremost. I’m trying to taper slowly but BC I’ve been on it for a short period of time, I’m hoping I don’t have any withdrawals or mild ones.
I have been taking Seroquel for 3years @ 200 mg for depression and sleep disorder. A doctor gave it to me because my anti-depressent was not enough to help me sleep. I gained 35 lbs the first year, craved sugar and slept way too much. Three months ago, I cut it down to 100 with no issues. I can actually drive to work fully awake, so sad! I am now down to 25 mg.
I still have times of mental fog, from the withdrawal, but I am determined to get off this tranquilizer. I am staying very aware of any returning depression, and so far so good. Seroquel reminds me of Xanax, but on overdrive. It dumbs your thought, and one day it’s three years later and you can’t remember what transpired.
This website scared the crap out of me. I had been taking seroquel 600mg for about a year. I cut back to 400 for a couple months because I was too restless in the night. Then I cut back to 200 because I still was having restless legs. My doc said I could stop taking it but I should taper over time. I decided to just stop “cold turkey” because I was worried about weight gain.
Honestly, I hope this is able to help someone, but I had only two effects after stopping it. I had chills, and my stomach was a LITTLE iffy. Both effects lasted about a week. I never threw up. I had mild diarrhea. Now that I am not taking it I am sleeping better and feeling better over all. So sorry so many of you had to go through so much hell.
It’s really hard to believe you, TBH. You’re one out of hundreds with minimal side effects. Do you work for the company that makes Seroquel? Having all this bad press here could really lose them millions of dollars.
I wish I had done more research before starting this medication. I’ve been prescribed two years and I don’t even know who I am anymore. I seclude myself. I tried tapering and then cold turkey. I thought I was having a heart attack, along with sweats, calm one minute and just batsh*t crazy the next. Long story short I’m stuck on this med that does more harm than good to me.
I was on 200mg for 8 years, for bipolar disorder, side effects worsened and increased weight and cholesterol. Started to taper off, down to 150mg for a couple of weeks, 100mg for 4 weeks, and 75mg for 4 weeks. Withdrawal symptoms included: nausea, flu symptoms, sweating, but getting there. Aiming to reduce to 50mg in a couple of weeks, if all goes well I will wait a couple of months and try 25mg.
It seems from what I have read that the lower doses cause worse withdrawal effects, so will see how it goes. The main things that have helped are exercise (gardening), support from family and knitting (helps to calm me down). Hoping to manage without seroquel, making plans to deal with problems so I can cope as well as possible.
Hi Sophie. Good to hear that the quetiapine works for you. It did for me too in the short term. Long term it has caused some terrible physical problems. The experience of side effects, and withdrawal symptoms is not the same as being opposed to psych meds. I am not opposed to taking drugs that work, and that do not cause serious side effects. Of course, all drugs may cause side effects.
Neuroleptics however, have some pretty awful (well documented) problems, including brain shrinkage, metabolic and heart problems. It is possible to recover from mental health problems without the use of psychotropic medication, though not easy! I got really tired of being told by mental health professionals that I would never recover, and would have to stay on medication for life.
Choosing to come off of medications can earn individuals another label on top of the original one…troublesome and non compliant. Even some cancer patients have the hope that they might one day recover! In my case, and I suspect in many other people’s cases, drugs made things worse. Simple. I do not blame the psychiatrists who gave me the drugs. I am not angry. They did what they thought was best, based on what they have been taught. I made an informed choice to take the drugs knowing full well what the likely possible side effects were.
At the time the drugs seemed a better option to the illness itself. I was not quite prepared for the full impact of the side effects, which only got worse over time. I did however feel really angry when my experiences of the side effects were dismissed, or blamed on my bipolar illness. There is no support in the UK for people who wish to come off drugs and find other ways to deal with their experiences of mental illness. And that is a great pity.
There is absolutely no evidence to prove that mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance, and very little evidence that the long term use of drugs does anything very useful. There is quite a bit of evidence that they actually do more harm than good. No, I don’t blame the psychiatric profession. I blame myself in part for believing everything I was told without doing too much of my own research. I wanted to feel better and doctors wanted me to feel better.
Why wouldn’t they? It’s easy to swallow a pill and hope the pain will all go away, not so easy in reality because human beings are just too complex. Personally (and I really do speak for myself here!) I unconsciously colluded with my doctors, and sometimes wonder if they unconsciously colluded with me. Maybe psychiatrist’s feel a certain amount of helplessness and feelings of impotence when dealing with the mentally ill. It isn’t an easy illness to treat is it?
It’s not like orthopaedic surgery where one has X-rays, sees the broken or damage bone, and fixes it. X-rays do not show up mental illness. Diagnosis of a mental illness is based purely on talking to the patient, and observations. Different doctors may see different things. Often an individual can end up with more than one diagnosis!
I thought I should add that I do pretty well on Seroquel, I’m bipolar and it helps me to sleep but I am dependent on it. It’s Christmas Day and I’m not sure I’ll get a refill. I actually have gone through withdrawal within one day of not taking it before. I personally can’t read all these replies because of course I’m not the same as others and many people are medication resistant and their entire lives can be screwed as a result. I feel better on seroquel and lithium with small amounts of Klonopin. It changed my life. There’s always going be someone opposed to psyche meds: Communicate with your doctor. Not strangers on a website.
These comments tell you that doctors, especially psychiatrists don’t listen and don’t care. If yours does you are lucky. The comments of patients can be much more useful than a physician’s advice. Of course, we should all find good physicians if we can. I have not been so lucky in the past five years after thirty-five years of good care. But I have never met a psychiatrist who didn’t cause me harm in one way or another. Now I have a good lawyer.
I am 15 and have been on seroquel for almost a year now. I take it for insomnia. I was on the dosage 250 mg. Recently, I was discharged from the doctoral place that was prescribing my meds due to not showing up to therapy appointments and not showing up to see my psychologist (yeah I know my fault). It has only been 48 hours and since not being on seroquel, I have had terrible withdrawal…
I have not slept not ONCE in these 48 hours, I’m shaky, extremely nauseas and the headaches are out of this world. I sweat a lot even when I have all the windows open in my room. The withdrawals from this drug is seriously unbearable. I asked my mom to go get me the sleeping pills from Rite Aid or Walmart or whatever convenient store, but I’m afraid it wont have the same effect on my sleeping as the seroquel did…
I took quetiapine for 11 months. Started tapering off a few weeks ago, at my psychiatrists suggestion. now nil. Mostly took 100mg every night. At the beginning I also used small amounts – 5-25mg as breakthrough medication. Also changed from venlafaxine (which was hell) to fluoxetine which has been good. The quetiapine helped a lot. I had drug & trauma induced psychosis, severe depression and anxiety. Depression since age 8.
The psychosis is long gone, depression & anxiety markedly improved. I have been gradually feeling worse as I have cut down my dose. I am so thankful to have found this site. I had forgotten entirely to check out the withdrawal symptoms. I was expecting the insomnia, but not the teariness, mood swings, anxiety, depression etc. Such a relief to know what’s going on. Much thanks to the writer & others who commented.
I have suffered from insomnia since I tapered down from 300 mg to 150 mg. I am on week two. Something that has helped me with the insomnia is going to the gym and exercising before bed sometime. After my workout I am exhausted and my body is exhausted. I have yet to have any other withdrawal symptoms except some minor nausea and not feeling hungry. As I continue with tapering off I will update my symptoms. I am truly praying that this will be the worst of it.
Hi Jackie. Well-done in dropping your dose. Don’t be surprised if upon getting down to a very low dose you start to feel awful. It isn’t until one gets down to 50 or 25 mg that things become really difficult. particularly as far as sleep is concerned. At low doses quetiapine acts as an antihistamine (which is helps with sleep).
I a found reducing from 400 – to 100 mg relatively easy and was lulled into a false sense of security. I stopped completely a week ago, and suffered horrendous insomnia. I therefore went back onto 25 mg, and then 50 mg when this didn’t work. The trick is (I think!) to take it really slow, and not beat yourself up if things don’t go as planned initially. Neuroleptics are a disaster as far as withdrawals are concerned…they completely alter the chemistry of the brain.
It will therefore take time, patience, and nutrients in order to eventually heal. I really do firmly believe that I have recovered much quicker, and with fewer psychological issues because I have taken (and continue to take) important supplements. There is quite a bit of research into supplementation and brain recovery. Good luck and healing to all of you out there.
I should also say that I previously tried coming off all drugs cold turkey about two years ago. This was the biggest mistake ever! I quite literally did not sleep for about three weeks…I went completely mad! I ended up going to GP and begging for something to knock me out completely. I was suicidal, and in great physical pain. Really, I would advise anyone contemplating coming off neuroleptics to do slowly.
I would also recommend at least taking a good multi vit, B complex and fish oils, but that’s just me. Unfortunately psychiatrists are not very helpful (or knowledgeable) in my opinion about the appalling withdrawal syndromes from these drugs. They also have the tendency to downplay the side effects, and blame every symptom on the original diagnosis.
If the medications actually worked more people would take them! They might possibly workin the short term, but long term they are devastating. In fact, I sometimes wonder who is more deluded, patients or the medical profession!
I have been on Lithium and quetiapine for over ten years. I am now off all psychotropic drugs! Quetiapine caused me to have chronic seething depression, lethargy and a complete lack of joy and creativity. Also caused some hellish physicals symptoms (such as muscle stiffness). All side effects were completely dismissed by psychiatrists.
In the end I got totally fed up of my complaints being ignored, and took myself off all drugs. This time I did it slowly, and also now take several helpful supplements. I have felt a bit sick, horribly itchy, and am experiencing insomnia, but overall, withdrawal this time is not too bad. I believe the supplements have been helpful. Plus I am no longer in a stressful job,and can be relaxed about not sleeping.
I do sometimes take an antihistamine for sleep and itching. I have no intention of ever going back on these ‘dirty’ drugs, they are worse than the illness (Bipolar).
Here’s my story – In 2007, while in university, I was having a really difficult time and two separate psychiatrists diagnosed me with Bipolar 2. I was subsequently put on 300mg of Seroquel immediately. KFred, I empathize with everything you’re saying – although the suffering I was going through prior to Seroquel was clearly not “me”, I don’t think I have ever been myself again since that day in 2007.
Over the years, simply because of the weight gain and extreme lethargy I experience from this drug, I slowly went down to 200mg and then to 100mg. If I ever missed a single dose for any reason I went through the full spectrum of withdrawal; vomiting, nausea, dizziness, INSOMNIA, anxiety etc. Naturally this made me extremely nervous to stop taking Seroquel, which has been my intention for the last year. I’ve finally recognized, through seeing GOOD doctors (so rare we find these, right?) and psychiatrists that take the time to get to know me, that Seroquel is not for me and it probably never was.
One especially terrible psychiatrist, who no longer gets referrals because of his reputation, told me I could just go off cold turkey because the withdrawal symptoms would be the same as tapering off. I cannot tell you how dangerous it is to just go off medication cold turkey. Almost no physician of any sort of would recommend it, nor do I. Because I tapered off Seroquel, my withdrawal has been less severe so far.
Mind you, I am on my last three days of taking 25mg and then I’m stopping, but what I’ve noticed the most is the insomnia. I am lucky to get around 4 hours of sleep right now. I also feel restless and agitated, but really, this is nothing compared to the debilitating withdrawal symptoms I experienced when I missed a complete dose altogether. Now, I’m not a doctor (and I don’t play one on TV), but my recommendation is to taper off Seroquel for the best results, and to never quit anything cold turkey.
I wish the best of luck to everyone who is experiencing withdrawal symptoms from this horrible drug. I hope mine doesn’t get worse, but it’s comforting to know that there are many others out there experiencing this, so I thank you all for sharing.
My taper experience + short story and background. Please do not quit abruptly. All of these people reporting major withdrawal symptoms after fast tapers or abruptly stopping, I am so sorry, I empathize with you. You must move off these powerful medications slowly.
After some very stressful times in my life, I developed psychosis. Gradually through constant stresses I had break downs, became paranoid, and slowly delusions would become strong enough to get me to a meeting with a psychiatrist. A compassionate, nice Dr. Who did not want to overmedicate me. Mind you, my family did not take me into a psych hospital even though I was having horrible trouble. I went to a psychiatrist after 3 days of waiting, sleepless nights, and really worrying my mother. My mother whose care and compassion is a big part of why I’m recovering.
Intervention: I had a terrible experience with risperidone (risperdal generic), taking 1MG morning and night. I was switched to seroquel, 50mg at bed time along with 600 mg of lithium. (300 twice a day). Low dose for a schizoaffective diagnosis. My psychiatrists opinion: If I’m having any positive symptom associated with mental illness; auditory hallucination, racing thoughts, etc. then I should pop an extra 25mg of seroquel. She used the same strategy when I started risperidone, which caused the worst night of my life, in which the psychological effects from the drug interactions were terrible.
I never did take more Seroquel, even if I had a psychotic symptom. After some time, the delusions, strong visual hallucinations and really terrible thoughts cleared up. After taking seroquel and lithium for less then 6 months I decided to gradually taper. After tapering off lithium, many psychotic symptoms, simply went away. Things that would happen to me while taking both were racing thoughts, very slight difficulty reading. Sometimes words would appear differently then they were (never had dyslexia or that problem before psychosis), and very slight auditory hallucinations (very rarely distinguishable).
It took me 2.5 moths to taper off seroquel completely. I am on day 9. I experienced twitches for days after taking it in my legs and around my body, horrible, and I mean horrible itching for approximately a week. Difficulty sleeping. everything but the sleep has cleared up for me now. What about my mental health? I cycle, that helps. I use methods to relax, massage, working, spending time with friends and family helps.
I continue to have light psychotic symptoms, and fear that I may live this way for a long time. I just never want to be where I was in my experience of first time psychosis. Hope this helps any of you. There’s some I left out, but it’s the first post I’ve ever made about my experience anywhere.
I’ve been on 800mg of Seroquel XR for 8 years for Bipolar and treatment resistant depression. I have never been “me” since going on it at such a high dose but it was keeping me alive and somewhat functional until I recently had a manic episode and crashed. I went in-patient in hopes of coming off of it after trying out-patient 4 times this year.
2 & 1/2 weeks ago The hospital Dr put me on REXULTI and cold turkeyed me off of the Seroquel XR. I’ve had the very restless sleep, vivid dreams, stiff joints, messed up vision, smaller appetite and restlessness. I do have to say though the REXULTI has been great so far (knock on wood) and I have lost 12 pounds since quitting the Seroquel XR. The worst side effect has to be the sleep problems.
I started tapering of in march after 5 years of using up to 800 mg seroquel. In the beginning everything was okay. I mean, I experienced flu like symptoms and trouble sleeping but I was doing a lot of walking at the time and felt really good. Often I was walking for 2 or 3 hours a day. I got down to 500 mg. Then my body just shut down. I became stiff in my whole body with horrible cramps and spasms.
I got extreme pain in my feet and my body was constantly shaking. Now I’m down to 225 and are still experiencing the stiffness pain shaking and muscle weakness on a daily basis. The psychiatrists don’t know what we go through. That’s for sure. My muscles has wasted away. I don’t recognize my feet and arms anymore. I have two lumps. One on each upper leg which just appeared one day and have cramps in my whole body.
The lumps are probably stemming from the cramps. I have trouble moving my head and my face is stiff. I go to a physiotherapist every week and even though it helps a little. Its not helping much. Seroquel has ruined my life. Last week in tapered 25 mg. the week before 75. The 75 went okay but since Friday its been worse than ever. I can’t even wear clothes because the skin is so sore and my muscles continue to waste away.
I live with pain 24/7 and it feel like it will never pass. I also have trouble swallowing along with burning in my stomach and chest pains. I’m so tired of this.
I’ve been taking 25mg for over 10 years for sleep. I’ve stopped cold turkey for 2 weeks now and have been feeling on the verge of the flu and am having crying outburst. I’m also experiencing the itching the last couple of days. Can anyone else relate that’s been on a low dosage? I so want to be drug free.
I was on Seroquel 400mg for a few months. I went down to 300mg…some nausea but that’s all. Then down to 200 mg same thing. Then down to 100 and then 50mg and then I quit cold turkey 3 days ago. So far I have had few withdrawal symptoms. I can still sleep using Melatonin. My seep is better but not as long as on the Seroquel. The only other symptom so far has been a bit of irritability and some itching. So far so good. I wish all of you the best of luck and a smooth withdrawal.
I .was diagnosed bipolar and am on lithium and Seroquel. After a few months of taking 300mg of Seroquel I gained about 25 lbs. I joined a gym, went for walks, ate less and not a lb came off! My clothes don’t fit and I feel disgusted with myself. I talked to my psychiatrist and we made a plan for me to taper off Seroquel slowly. Thankfully, I chose not to go cold turkey and just 3 nights ago I am off Seroquel.
It’s been a little rough getting a good night’s sleep – and one night I didn’t sleep at all…but I’m taking one day at a time and am committed to staying off this drug. I’m taking an OTC sleep med – Unisom for now to help me sleep but plan to get off this as well. I’m eager to lose this weight and pray that I’ll start to see the lbs. come off soon. My advice is to taper off so you don’t have withdrawals. Also, don’t give up as others are hanging in there and can give you support.
All I can say is- wow! I have been on and off this med for over a decade to help with managing PTSD related conditions. I am finding, now that I am older, tapering off is hellacious. So glad I found this page! It used to be I could taper off easily, but this last round I have been on for two years 25 mg nightly and up to 100 mg a day if my system is flooded and I am processing particularly intense things. I thought to come online re: what I have been feeling tapering to 12.5 mg. Withdrawal…
Eye pain is so bad, drives me nuts… Experiencing nausea and dizziness not so bad, taking ginger tea all day, helps a lot. I’m tapering the dosage. If I knew all the bad side effects of Seroquel XR I wouldn’t take it. Such a bad time that no matter how I feel today is. Nothing compared how I felt when I was taking it. Totally worth it to get it out of my system.
During the course of 2010 I became increasingly ill with an, as of yet, undiagnosed illness. Late August of that same year I had my first “smell” hallucination, which began coinciding with every bout of digestive illness from that point forward. Eventually my Gastroenterologist sent me to a counselor who sent me to a psychiatrist who put me on 50mgs of the extended release version and some amount of Lexipro (an anti-depressant).
Seeing as I wasn’t depressed, I did not take the Lexipro, but did start in on the Seroquel (10/2013). Immediately, my Parosmia (smell hallucinations) went away. In mid 2013 I began suffering from debilitating muscle exhaustion and fatigue… which continues unresolved… while always increasing in severity. Not knowing if my Seroquel was contributing to the physical weakness, I decided to stop taking the drug.
By January 2015 I cut down to 25mgs of Seroquel. Side effects were minimal, besides an occasionally odd feeling of fear (lasting no more than an hour at a time). After a week or so I seemed to adjust to the lower dose. In June of 2015 I cut my dose down to 12.5mgs. Within two days the Parosmia (smell hallucinations) came back. October of 2015 I cut down further, this time taking a quarter of a 25mg pill (approximately 6.25mgs). There weren’t any notable side effects this time.
November 1st 2015: I stopped Seroquel completely. Sleep was harder to come by for the first few days. Also, I developed a sore throat and felt as though I was catching a cold. This flu-like symptom lasted for eleven days, but now seems to be on the wane this past week. The worst of the symptoms is related to my vision. Every day by early afternoon my eyes start failing me. They itch and burn and feel as though they are covered by a thin layer of sand.
Eye drops don’t really help. And worse than that, my eyes are highly sensitive to any light source. Mostly I don a pair of sunglasses and/or wear a sleep mask. I suspect this may have something to do with the histamine blocking function inherent to Seroquel.