Coming off Seroquel

Hi

I wondered if anyone can give me any advice. I have bi polar disorder but really struggle with medication as I am very sensitive to medication ( I have an enzyme deficiency so can't break it down in my system) . Consequently I always get all the side effects. I had to admit defeat about two years ago as was very ill with my bi polar and I was put on Seroquel. I am on 50mg slow release as anything more than that and I am literally knocked out and can't do anything. I am in recovery from an eating disorder and the Quetiapine is triggering it off again as I feel ravenously hungry all the time. Life is much better these days, I am in a stable relationship and my partner and I are thinking about trying for a baby. I have discussed coming off the Quetiapine with my doctor for a while to see how I cope - I went down to 25mg of Quetiapine yesterday and I feel absolutely like death. I am sweating constantly, my neck feels very stiff, I have an upset tummy, very nauseous and very anxious and my heart is beating really fast. Is this normal ? Also has anyone tried for a baby and stayed on their medication ? I am thinking things through very carefully and have discussed everything with my partner but I just am not sure what is the best thing. I do feel very sedated on Quetiapine but that said, it has definitely taken the edge off my condition. Any advice gratefully received.

Coming off of Seroquel is VICIOUS and if done cold-turkey, it could be deadly.

You need to be off Seroquel for 6 months before you can try for a baby. And it might take 6 months to get off of it if you are sensitive.

Hi, I'm new and I don't have bi-polar, but my doc put me on 50mg. of seroquel, because I hadn't slept longer than 2 or 3 hours at a time since I quit amitriptyline cold turkey (my decision) after having been on it for 12 years. I am still having withdrawal symptoms after 2 months off. Also I am quitting Halcion because it isn't working anymore and it is bad, bad stuff.

She gave me enough for 14 days. The first night I slept for 12 hours and felt human again in the morning. It is also to help with the halcion and amitrip withdrawal. Am I going to get sero.. withdrawal after quitting this too? After only 2 weeks?

I like this med, great long involved dreams in color and with smells while I sleep with it, the whole night through too. Pricey stuff tho'.

Annaliesa

hi,
Boy do I feel like a lightweight. It only took 50mgs. to put me down for 12 hours. I'm rooting for you. Hope you get down to nothing or the reduced amount you need. How are you even concious on that much and the cost!!?? I did notice a return of the sugar cravings big time. I figured out 5 fortune cookies only have a 120 calories and they take a little time to eat, plus the fortune is always entertaining. I can buy them by the bag at one of our local grocery stores. I have a whole different set of health problems than yours, except for the depression for which I take cymbalta. Just officially diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, so now I have the whole decision about taking Enbrel. That is a very scary med as well. It seems like it just can't ever be easy. Thanks for the reply! Anna

yep me off it soon tooooooo!!!!!!!!!!! jamie. i found it most sedating at 1200mg.

ha ha heavy weight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

Where do I start so many questions-

I'm Bipolar 2, have been my entire life since childhood. I finally just got diagnosed and medicated.

I have been on Seroquel XR for the last 5 months, I've gradually increased to 300mg which I've been steady at for about a month. In the last month I've gained 14 pounds. I'm a small female with a petite frame, I've never had weight issues. It may not seem like much but I've gone from 120 lb to 134 lb in just about 45 days or so. Mentally I'm feeling so much better, but I feel like I'm ruining my body in exchange for mental stability.

I went to my pdoc today and he reduced my Seroquel XR from 300mg to 150mg. I'm also taking Lamictal 300mg.

I'm hoping maybe some of you can offer some stories of experience with reducing Seroquel XR by half all overnight. Hopefully some encouraging news..

Maybe the Lamictal will help keep me mentally stable? I'm not nearly as worried about physical pain, I am absolutely terrified that I will relapse into my deep dark paranoid bipolar depression.

Also has anyone had success losing weight by reducing Seroquel XR? Since the weight gain I've been exercising at the gym and calorie-counting.

I tolerated the drug well when I was moving up on it, and its done wonders for bringing me out of my bipolar depression. I'm about 80% back to normal.. I'm just saying my prayers that I don't fall back into my dark place..

Post Edited (Grifter) : 9/7/2011 7:13:45 PM (GMT-6)

I am on 300 XR. Got the munchies all of the time! Thinking about going cold turkey......with no meds but sleeping pills. I know it doesn't make good sense, but I am just done fighting the battle.

I was pregnant and was weaned off. Than got really sick, virtually suicidal, so it was deemed necessary to go back on it. Weaning process was rough, and upping dosage was tough too. I am currently on a very low dosage, 100 mg and I am doing great. I was on 150 mg during the remainder of the pregnancy. Thankfully, baby is great. You need to worry about your baby's health during the pregnancy. A lot of stress can be terrible for the baby. Work with your OB GYN, Therapist and psychiatrist as a team to service your specific needs during the pregnancy. I did, and I feel it attributed to a healthy baby and a good pregnancy once I was stabilized. Best to you!

Hi all :) I don't really know where to begin I've never joined a site before but I really need some advise!! I'm 20 years old and got diagnosed with bipolar 1 and borderline personality disorder etc when I was 14. I've been on many medications but for the last two and half years I've been on quetiapine, I get mild side effects from quetiapine such as fainting, dizziness, dry mouth and twitching of the legs?! I really want to come off my meds but don't know the safest way to do it? I tried to go cold Turky but I only lasted a day! I was being sick and couldn't sleep a wink! I want to try for a baby as I've had miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy so I want to try to lower the risk of anything else going wrong sooo I'm really determined to come off of them! Only thing is I'm scared of how I'm going to feel when I'm withdrawing??? Can someone please help me or point me in the right direction!! Thanks Paige x

Thanks for replying Chloe I did take your advise and consult my doctor. I'm on 300 and I've been lowering my dose 25mgs every three days soo at the moment I'm at 75mgs woohoo 😀 it's been a Lil hard but now I'm worried that when I get to 25 mgs and stop I've heard that's the hardest part 😰😱

Hey everyone! Last night was my first night completely medication free! I knew I probably wasn't going to get any sleep witch surprise surprise I didn't 😓 but I wasn't prepared for the unbearable itching!!!! Is it just me or is it a side affect??? Is it normal??? X

Tortoise I'm sorry but you're wrong on a few counts. Seroquel is category C which means it should be avoided while pregnant, but doesn't mean it has to be. My best friend gave birth to a healthy boy 10 years ago while being on 300mg a day.

I currently take 200mg a day while pregnant and was told absolutely not to stop it. I also work as a psych nurse and have watched doctor after doctor put women who are pregnant in hospital until they agree to go back on seroquel while pregnant because there are no studies showing damage to human babies. The reason it's classed as pregnancy category C is because there are no studies into the effect on human babies but there has been serious birth defects found in animal studies. So there may be a risk but not all animal data can be accurately put over onto humans.

Also, lower doses of seroquel are NOT more sedating. People are usually prescribed low doses (25-50mg) to just help them chill out during the day (for anxiety etc). After the initial few times, it shouldn't be sedating at all. I've been on up to 600mg and looked after patients up to 1200mg and I a guarantee, the higher up you go, the more sedating it is.

It is awful to come off, but I have that coming up in the last month of my pregnancy because I refuse to let my baby have to go through withdrawal when she is born. I'll taper myself off and deal with the consequences so she doesn't have to.

Kitt telling people seroquel can't be taken during pregnancy is actually dangerous. It can put people's life at risk. There really is no "different" accurate sources. Seroquel IS a category C class drug no matter what source is used and as such it's best to avoid during pregnancy but can be taken if needed and should always always always be discussed with a medical professional before stopping taking it.

Same with the sedating effect... I am yet to find any clinical study that has found lower doses to be more sedating and there are hundreds of clinical studies out there.

Opinions are fine, and yes there are people who experience paradoxical side effects (I get that with the SSRIs and the older anti psychotics) but paradoxical side effects are rare.

It's ok to say "I found it more sedating on lower doses" but not ok to say "IT (seroquel) is more sedating on lower doses" - one is opinion, one is an attempted statement of fact, which in this case is disproven by research.

Plus, lots of people go back and read old posts... if people get serious misinformation, the date on the post isn't going to make a difference.

Anyway... another important reason I've commented is because I've been abused by idiots recently for taking seroquel while pregnant because they read misinformation on forums saying it can't be taken during pregnancy. I'm tired of hearing "well I read on a forum it can't be taken during pregnancy and therefore you're a bad mother for doing so". Made all the more frustrating because I had to give up an awful lot of medications before starting trying to conceive precisely because my baby's health comes first, and several of the medications I take for physical health conditions (like rheumatoid arthritis) genuinely are dangerous during pregnancy, as well as giving up all painkillers once falling pregnant so being abused by people who read incorrect info online about medication safety in pregnancy is really frustrating when I live with chronic severe pain precisely because I did give up all the unsafe meds.