Horrible Quetiapine Withdrawal
Posted , 21 users are following.
Hi! Last year I was on 550 mg. of Quetipine and was rapided tapered off by an organization In Alberta, Canada. At the same time I was also taking Gabapentin, Remeron, Zoplicone and Cortef. Once they got me down to 200 mg. of Seroquel they had me reduce all the meds at the same time. After being totally off all meds for three weeks, I ended up on the paych ward where they reinstated me back on 100 mg. of Seroquel and 15 mg. of Remeron. Over the past year I have been slow tapering the Seroquel and have been going through hell ever since. The symptoms I am having are: chronic insomnia (no sleep most days and nights for weeks on end), adrenaline surges when I attempt to either sit or lie down and close my eyes, burning, tingling, numbness, vibrations throughout body and head, burning brain, anxiety/panic attacks, feel like I am going to lose my mind or die at any moment, sensory overload, blurry vision, feeling like head is going to explode and the list goes on. I am now down to 32 mg. per day of the Seroquel and 15 mg. of the Remeron. These symptoms are present with me 24/7 and they are getting worse with every drop I make in the Seroquel. I barely sleep at all and I have lost all interest in life and am wondering if anyone else has these horrendous symptoms while taking and then withdrawing from Seroquel? Also, I can barely leave my house as everything apprears weird, distorted and unreal. Is this the drugs and withdrawal that is making me feel this way and will it eventually get better when I get off the drugs? I am terrified I will stay like this forever. Please Help Me.
2 likes, 30 replies
Calmer barbara48848
Posted
Hi Barbara
I am usually reading on another forum but am reading up on Seroquel to try and help another person.
I am sorry for your suffering, it sounds hurrendous. I wonder wether you would get more answers (more than likely) from a different forum - I hate to see you are alone on this one.
Trying searching for Surviving Antidepressents and register, it is a very helpful web site, and you get answers from the moderators, which I think could help you dearly.
Best wishes.
ps I hope you don't mind my suggestion
denise64396 barbara48848
Posted
Hello barbara, some people seem to profit highly from Spironolactone. I myself took Seroquel for 5 years and couldn't get off it. Each time I tried to reduce the dosage, I suffered from unbearable symptoms such as complete insomnia which lasted for days or even weeks, muscle cramps, palpitations and nausea. It was horrible and normal life made impossible. A couple of weeks ago I had to see my nephrologist and was prescribed spironolacton for another condition. The unimaginable happened and I could get off Seroquel within a month, from 170 to 0 without any withdrawal symptoms at all.
liran96517 denise64396
Posted
you succeed staying off the seroquel with no side efect for some weeks?
what is the connection between those two medications?
barbara48848 denise64396
Posted
Hi Denise64396! Thank u 4 replying 2 my post. Yes, I am still having a horrendous time getting off the Seroquel. I am now down 2 5.75 mg. per day and 15 mg. per of Remeron. I am going very slowly, however am still having chronic insomnia (no sleep most nights and days), burning, tingling, numbness, vibrations throughout body and head, adrenaline surges, heart palpitations, blurry vision, sensory overloard, anxietry/panic attacks, depersonalization/derealization etc. I am severely paradoxical 2 both the Seroquel and Remeron (do the oppsite 2 what they r supposed 2) so need 2 get off them as quickly as possilbe). I am hoping 2 b totally off the Seroquel by the end of December 2016. I am using a small amount of CBD oil 2 help with the symptoms and it seems 2 help with most except the chronic insomnia. It has no THC in it which I believe can interact with the Seroquel. Most days I just feel like I am slowly dying from all of this and am at the point where I just don't care anymore. I just need some ongoing peace from this totally inhumane, extremely debilitating suffering.
liran96517 barbara48848
Posted
From my point of view while tapping down, you must be able sometimes to tap up.
even for a few weeks, so you know you are capble of raising the dose. Its psychologicaly very hard. It may be difficult to reverse the direction, even temporary. but make sure you are not obssesive towards the tapping off direction. Just my opinion.
liran96517 denise64396
Posted
barbara48848 liran96517
Posted
liran96517 barbara48848
Posted
Complete Tapping from seroquel might cause unbelivble rebound insomnia, look for that on the web. At least stop on 25 mg. Its very risky to pass that.
It can be for monthes without sleep and without filling tiered.
At that point you may want to restart it. But, restarting the seroquel might not act the same.
Why you were on 550 mg seroquel on the beggining if that was just for sleep?
denise64396 liran96517
Posted
Hi Liran, there is a study about Spironolactone and withdrawal of opiods. According to this study Spironolactone decreases the somatic signs of opiate withdrawal by blocking the mineralocorticoid receptors (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25308750). I think it is not a far stretch to assume that it also helps with Seroquel withdrawal. Well, it helped me to get off Seroquel without any withdrawal signs at all and I also read about other people sharing the same experience. I was lucky that my doctor knows about it. As my potassium levels are generelly quite low, the risk for developing hyperkalemia was very small.
denise64396 barbara48848
Posted
Hello barbara, Seroquel has definitely got an effect on your thyroid hormones and may cause hypothyroidism (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC543843/). Under withdrawal, you may react to the hormone changes that come with it. Non-selective betablockers are often prescribed if your symptoms include rapid heart beat. They block the conversion of t4 into t3 (but of course they need to be taken with caution). Some doctors prescribe ssris such as Sertraline which also block the conversion from t4 into t3. Your levels might be in the normal range, yet it there is a sensivity towards t3, you may show symptoms similar to those in thyrotoxicosis.
liran96517 denise64396
Posted
liran96517 barbara48848
Posted
kathryn44843 barbara48848
Posted
My 2nd attempt to come off Seroquel. Have been on Seroquel 200mg for 8 years. Attempted to quit Seroquel last month but was unsuccessful due to rebound insomnia. Again, have quit Seroquel one week ago and "working through" the rebound insomnia by maintaining Cognitive Behavioral Therapies--setting bedtime later, getting out of bed if I can't sleep. Taking an occasional dose Nyquil. I really have not been plagued w/other side effects, but the rebound insomnia has been horrendous.
liran96517 barbara48848
Posted
How are you,
It seems that your seroquel tapping doesn"t work.
You need some sleep. Its seems that the seroquel reduction causing your insomnia.
Its hard to think while insomnia. You may ask a doctor how much seroquel to take.
To help you sleep.
liran96517 barbara48848
Posted
Hope everything succeed.
Still think that there is a problem here.
Seroquel is given sometimes to treat obssesivness. That means also that if a person takes seroquel, and tapping from it, it may cause obsesivness, even if it was given for something else. And the obsessivnese can be the continueas tapping. So, take it slow and make sure you can stop in any point.
Have lack