Quitting Quetiapene cold turkey - on it 2 weeks, 2 days

Hi there, I've been looking into seroquel recently to see about swapping to it. I've read there can be quite bad withdrawals so Id maybe lower your dose over the next while instead of stopping cold turkey. I'm going to ask to go on it alongside fluoxetine or any other antidepressant the Dr recommends. You could maybe ask to do this? Depending on your circumstances obviously, it's the depression that effects me most, so if you get manic they might not give you an antidepressant but it's worth asking. I've read a report on it being really effective at lifting the depression whilst keeping you calm.

Hope this helps  

Also add I am doing weight training with 10kg weights for non stop for 15 minutes hopefully each morning and increasing the time as I don't have access to heavier weights in hospital. I'm hoping that this will counteract the side effects. I'm eating a lot of vegetables and if I'm low in vegetables I'm eating 100g of bran flakes (containing: 83% of my vitamin D, B1, B2, Niacin, B6, 167% of my folic acid and 83% of B12, and 83% of iron per 100g serving - which is what I had when i was low on vegetables today). This is my second dose I've missed right now and I'm usually on a downer, crying, binging, but I don't feel depressed right now nor do I feel the urge to binge. I eat most of my food at night and some during the day but when I eat a lot of food it's forced as I am trying to make sure I eat a lot of vitamins and minerals. I smoke roll ups which I needed to chain smoke this morning for anxiety but I felt energetic more than usual during my workout this morning. I am trying to meditate at night to get myself off to sleep which I used to do in the past. I walk around with my mum during the day, which I did today and it wore me out quite a bit, but I have been in and out of hospital and inactive for around 3 months (I used to powerlift heavy weights for 1 hour and 40 minutes along with strength/stamina training 4x per week in total, so my muscle aches I put down to weightlifting as it feels like DOMS). I used to sleep around 7 hours and on these meds I was sleeping around 10 hours. Last night I got 6 hours sleep which was sometimes usual for me. I'm keeping a stash every night in case I need to reduce to 300mg and taper.  It's 6pm now and I'm going try to wind down and not think too much of side effects. Another note when I first started taking these I was quite constipated, probably due to my poor diet, but today I went the toilet more easily than what is usual and again tonight, but that may be down to the 60g of fiver I ate too date ago suddenly and the sudden changes to a healthier diet with higher fiber in general. I feel more like myself in my head anyway and feel like I want to get home from hospital to my family and be happy. I am also on 4mg of diazepam 3x per day which I still take and pregablin... I dont know my pregabalin dosage off the top of my head but it's something like 150+/- 25mg. 

Night 2 I got 6 hours sleep again .. Woke up at 3 though and went back to sleep. This is usual for me. And I don't know if I've posted this before but I yesterday I felt my first nicotine rush since being on the meds and I used to get one every morning. I feel more energetic but I'm going to keep myself occupied for a few hours until 10am when I'll go down to the garden with the garden to paint huge tires and turn them into benches. Looking at the withdrawals for people who have been on this drug, I'm so glad I got off it this early. It was like a legal street drug when it comes to impacting me for X amount of hours, then giving me a comedown. When I think back a few tests ago, when I was anorexic and outpatient my psychologist didn't believe in meds, and I undrstand why. I am going to look more into Buddhism and their meditation and techniques which helped me a lot back then, naturally, and keeping my body healthy and fit is key. 

After another 10 minutes of weightlifting mixed with 5 minutes of stretching out my muscles, I feel great. I feel guilty for betraying my nurse, who is lovely, and I have been nothing but honest with her since day one. But I feel I have more energy, and I'm directing it into positive things. I do not feel nausea this morning and I am going to eat some balanced breakfast of bran flakes and semi skimmed milk. My healthy, weightlifting weight is 150-153lbs, at 5'8" tall. I look back at pictures and I was in such great shape with lifting heavy and eating flexibly. I gained 10lbs in two weeks on these meds and I am so happy i fixed this by coming off the meds before it was long term and had more weight to lose. Note I was even borderline diabetic on these meds and they didn't seem to car . My weight, which went up to 161lbs, was 159lbs this morning. I'm happy my weight is coming down. We are discussing my discharge in a few weeks. I told my nurse I feel ready and the mistake last time was being discharged to my ex-boyfriends which led to 4 admissions to hospital in three months. I had made serious attempts on my life, twice. They advised against over night leave in case I come back and my bed is gone, which I am in my own room and do not want to end up back in a dorm. I'm hoping to keep myself occupied while off these meds, act slower than I feel (even though I feel great and I am noticing I walk a bit faster today), but I do not feel the impulse or urge to hurt myself in any way. I'm not advising everyone to do this, just documenting my short term use of this drug experine online. 

Another note: people report weight gain on this drug and cannot get it off. I would advise these people to track calories as energy in vs out is key. I have tracked my calories for over 1000 days and when on Quetiapene was binging on 3000-5000+ calories per day. The longer you do this, your body forms neurological connections in your brain. Track your calories if you are having weight problems coming off this drug. My calories are now an average 2000-2500 calories per day which is a huge difference from my binging calories. I am 22 years old and may have a faster metabolism due to left over muscle from weightlifting and since I've started exercising again. Do not try to crash diet as your brain has probably formed neurological connections to binge and crash dieting will set you up for more binges and you will hence be unable to lose weight. Monitor calories, find your maintenance calories, then start an exercise regime aiming for those calories. Extreme weight loss will cause an extreme weight gain rebound. Previously anorexic a few years ago this is my experience so I thought I would post some advice. Hopefully someone will benefit from this. 

Managed to pocket my meds. 3 nights of 600mg of Quetiapene missed now. Kept in case I need to wean off as mentioned. I feel like the weightlifting in the morning is giving me energy and some anxiety which I was emotionally numb to while on the Quetiapene. I may be coming down with something. I can't tell if my body or mind has a mili second of dizziness every so often. Or something. I had a flew jab about 2 weeks ago. I don't remember. Maybe I'm getting a cold. I feel slow and my body feels slow. Like I'm getting a cold. My appetite isn't much right now as I feel sick in a weird kind of way. I can push through this though, or so im trying. It seems I wake up at 6am, weightlift, then at noon I go slower, feel calmer, start feeling not so well. Giving the weightlifting a miss tomorrow. CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION. This may not be to do with the Quetiapene withdrawal, but it has been the past few days, so maybe just a coincidence. I have been out in the freezing cold, might have a bit of a bad cold, a minor dose of the flu (not sure how the flu jab works or when it kicks in). But I had my obs taken earlier as I wanted to check - temperature, blood pressure, pulse, all perfectly ok. I'm not depressed, not binging, not manic, not well. I feel I need to discharge myself as informal asap and ride whatever this out is at home, in my own bed. But even though I'm informal my nurse is putting together a really good long-term discharge plan due to the extreme manic episode I had and I don't want to mess that up. Eating a mixture of calorie dense food and bran flakes, for the fiber and vitamins. May see how I feel tomorrow without the weightlifting. My mind is right, but my body is worn down. Definitely have cold symptoms, but it's the UK and it's winter so my state may not be because of withdrawels.

Fell asleep early, around 9pm or 10pm due to feeling really ill and woke up at 5am a little shakey and stuffy in the nose but nothing major. Dropped 3lbs overnight, which will mostly be water weight, but losing the weight gained is possible when coming off this drug. This was maybe a bit much too fast but I have been drinking and going the toilet a lot due to feeling sick, and initial weight loss will be water weight anyways due to calorie/carb/glycogen/food in stomach lowering/emptying.

Felt ill and tired early this morning. But then I started to feel better and guess what? I actually FEEL. I'm planning my powerlifting/weightlifting with a trainer so I'm ready as soon as I leave hospital. Planning things with friends. Planning to go to powerlifting events. I actually feel happy and if happiness is "mania" then I'll take it. 

Night 4 and I was caught pocketing my meds. My names nurse asked me to take 300mg until I speak to the consultant on Monday. I've agreed but I feel pressured. Impatient NHS just want you sedated and discharged. I am more myself today than I have ever been. I'm so scared I don't want to screw my brain up again by taking even 300mg of this drug. But I'm informal and I'm terrified of being put on a section 3. It will ruin my career and lifestyle. 

Still pushing on with no meds. Feeling great today. Either the cold of withdrawals have passed after a day of bed rest and a good night sleep. Dos 20 minutes of non-stop weightlifting this morning to sedate me because I know these people want me sedated and I'm preparing for the heavy powerlifting weights and stamina carries over a lot. Going off on something else... Maybe it's the mania... Or maybe it's just my personality creeping back in :P 

Also don't know if I've mentioned this but I cannot remember a single day while on quetiapene and I think I read it messes with your memory. when I try to think of the data on Quetiapene it's like my brain feels like a gaping hole of emptiness. 

Night 5 without meds and my family are backing me up in ward round and supporting me. Thankfully. Found out my dog has had cancer for months while I've been in hospital and had to be put down yesterday. Was crying endlessly becauseb I'm going to my home city tomorrow and was so excited to see her little cute face. Had her since I was 11, now I'm 22. I handled it well though and kept saying "this is a natural response and I need to feel this" and I haven't done anything impulsive or self-harming and I don't intend to. It can't change the past. I'm thinking logically and she had a life of luxury and is at peace. They understand that I'm sad. But the fact that I have ran off to get drunk or done something outrageous should support how I do not need this medication. 

Oh I'm still feeling the odd but of nausea and dizziness but it's going slowly but surely.