Going Off Seroquel

Going Off Seroquel Resource

Going Off Seroquel Resource in Q&A

Coming off Seroquel and going on Abilify??? does anyone have experience with this change? Does Seroquel have withdrawal symptoms? How has abilify affected you?

La-Te-Da replied: "Abilify is suppose to be the new miracle drug b/c it has little or no side effects such as the other psychotropic meds. No weight gain, no drooling, no bed wetting etc. You need to make sure you increase your Abilify gradually but I have seen in some cases that Abilify doesn't work and the patient has to go back to other medications. It might take a while to get into your system also. You may experience dry mouth but other side effects are rare. Good luck! Seroquel has little or no withdrawal symptoms."

riptide_71 replied: "I tired this and Abilify caused me so much anxiety, I could not function. It was horrible. I wanted to punch people out. I went back on the Seroquel. Take it slow and hopefully it will work for you. Abilify is supposed to be weight-neutral."

Can Seroquel cause long standing side effects, even when you go off the medication? To better understand my question, I should probably provide you with some details. I have bipolar disorder, but before I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder I would self medicate. I ended up going into a drug induced manic psychosis and was hospitalized. My psychiatrist put me on seroquel temporarily to relieve the symptoms of psychosis. It worked and I was able to go off the seroquel with no psychotic episodes returning. I got better, but the doc kept me on it for an additional week to make sure I really didn't need it anymore. Anyway, while on it, I noticed that my vision was poor and I had trouble going down the stairs. I couldn't judge depth perception. I haven't been on that stuff now for near 5 years and I still have problems with depth perception. I still cannot go down the stairs without holding on to the railing for dear life. Can seroquel cause long standing problems like this? I have searched all over the internet, but found nothing and I forgot to ask my doc.

Terry S replied: "I can't say it is impossible, but it is unlikely. Most drug induced side effects disappear after the drug is stopped. It is most likely that something else caused his problem and just happened to coincide with your use of Seroquel. This is especially true since your problem is not one of the listed side effects of it. I encourage you to go back to your doctor to have this checked out. It may be as simple as needing corrective lenses or it may be a neurological or optic nerve problem. Anyway, it's worth a few dollars and a visit to your doctor to ease your mind and make things right. Below is a link to a page on WebMD perhaps you can find answers there. Sincerely, Terry"

krazzi_katt replied: "I am on serequel and am bipolar. I also, used other methods of self medication (alcohol) and have had similar experiences. I have not experienced your problem, and I am at risk to ask you whether your means of self medication may have caused the problem. Either way, you might want to see an opthalmologist."

how to taper off seroquel and lamictal? i cant afford psych dr anymore and now she wont give me any advice.? i cant pay my dr anymore so now my perscription is running out soon and she wont tell me how to taper off cause i dont have the money to see her anymore. kinda in a bad spot hear. any advice?????

CB replied: "arent all mental health professionals covered by health care?"

1001001 replied: "use this over the counter medication to either taper off are replace your current meds. I had a similar situation and found this to work by accident. it is used for sleep but actually acts like seroquel. saved me alot off money too. I bought it for 5.99 at w_all_mart. "

BLESSED replied: "This sounds serious!! Your doctor should be turned into someone. She should at least tell you how to taper off your medicine & give you names of some that will help over the counter. DON'T just STOP taking the drugs. It is very dangerous! and you'll feel VERY BAD also. Do you have like a clinic in your area. There has to be someone, even a regular doctor that can get your records from that psycho! I'm sorry, I don't usually talk about people like that, but in my opinion, THEY ARE NOT HELPING YOU! They just wanted their money & left you out in the cold. I don't even know who to turn her in to. I would call the hospital where she works on People, call the better business bureau, & I know there is someone who you can turn doctors in for this. I am on a milder medicine & wanted to stop. I missed 3 or 4 days in a row & WOW did I feel bad. I still have my insurance, (for now) & I'm taking it everyother day right now. You may have to make a lot of calls, & you might get lucky & find one pretty quick. I also know that I stopped seeing my psych (which was a good one) but my family doctor kept filling my meds & would even give me samples. And, he knows how to get off the medicine without causing more trouble. GOOD LUCK!!!"

comeing off seroquel having trouble sleeping what can i do to get better sleep hi i have been on seroquel from feb to just now it made me gain over 30 pounds so i decied it would be best to do with out (dont worry i talked to my DR about comming off it too) anyways i see now that with out it i never get sleepy or tired and im staying up late and its hard to get sleep and when i do sleep i wake up and find it hard to go back to sleep what can i do besides taking more sleeping meds to just make myself use to sleeping with no meds i was taking 400mg of seroquel any help advice or tips would be great

Dark Lord replied: "sex"

Penny B replied: "i am not coming off of any drugs like that, but when you find out how to sleep well, please let me know."

zizze48 replied: "Ok I have trouble sleeping to but i watch a bunch of tv B4 i go to bed and it gets me tired so then i go to sleep and dont even know! But watch a bunch of tv!Like 2 hours before going to sleep!"

Jessica B replied: "ask your doc if you can use valerian root and melatonin. These are both natural sleep aides, but may interact with something else you are taking. Another thing is meditation, that's what gets me to sleep most nights."

jaxbus3000 replied: "I am on seroquel, but at a lower dose. My doctor prescribes 200mg at night, but I have found that if I take 1/2 of a pill or less, I sleep fine. Have you tried a lower dose to see if it works? Sadly, if I did not take my seroquel, I would never sleep. My mind kicks into high gear at night, and before I was prescribed seroquel I tried so many things but none worked. But thats me. The only thing that ever came close to helping was reading when I went to bed. Wish I could offer something better, sorry. But good luck in your search."

bryna b replied: "You will have difficulty sleeping for a while but there are a couple things that are worth a try. Avoid a lot of mental stimulation for about an hour before bed that means tv shows with a lot of action and maybe even the news or reading anything that causes you to be upset. If you have a lot on your mind try journaling it and then go back to it in the morning ( thats not easy I know but it helps)try just going into your room when it is time to sleep and meditation on a peaceful thought is a great idea. A snack before bed (lite snack) like a glass of milk or some chamomile tea helps some people i swear by the tea :) hope some of this is helpful nothing worse then not sleeping well good luck"

How can I wean off of Seroquel and Sertruline? I'm getting headaches at work, I wonder if it is withdrawl or something else?

C2IT replied: "I've heard some patients complain of headache on Seroquel and Sertraline, but headaches are very common and very non-specific. Also most of the time if a headache is medication induced, then it gets better over time. I would get checked out by your doctor who can give you an exam and maybe switch you to a different medication if thats what you really think is the problem."

Does your motabolism speed when you come off seroquel?? does anyone know? i have been off this med for two weeks. could it have stuffed up my motabolism for good??? i was on it for two years?

mandalaybay15 replied: "possibly- I am on seroquel 2 ."

honeychild_star replied: "Hey im on seroquel and its highly unlikely that it will stuff up your metabolism for good, my metabolism actually seems to be faster now im on it.. i might be one of the lucky ones that hasnt put on weight but has lost it? Did you have any withdrawal symptoms when you stopped taking it?"

How long does Seroquel take to wear off? I just got the script today and started to have feeling of worthlessness kept thinking about hurting myself, as in taking the entire bottle of pills. I only took 25 mg of the Seroquel( i am prescribed 200mg) .And now I am really tired and dopey. How long should I expect to be feeling this way?

rbartok replied: "The sedation should go away as you take your pills - But you've stated something more important here - I would touch base with your prescriber to explain 1. your feelings of worthlessness, and thoughts to harm yourself and 2. also to discuss your concerns about your meds. The first one is really the most important."

lawyerfan2006 replied: "well i am not a doctor for sure and i dont even know what seroqyel means but i am guessing some sort of pill ur taking to ignore ur problem what ever it is the longer u wait to ignor the problem the harder it is to fix the problem ur going to have to do it sooner or later so u might as will do it now and get the darn problem over with hope this advice helps let me know bye"

doug k replied: "I've been on Seroquel for over a year now. It takes a while to get used to it. My doc started me on 25 mg/day at first and adjusted it slowly. Whatever you do, don't abruptly stop taking it. I felt real sedated at first, and even now I wake up a bit groggy for the first hour or so. Talk to your doctor right away about your feelings. The med's are supposed to help, but your doctor needs to know how you are feeling. There are dozens of medications because some work well for some people but not for others."

How long does seroquel withdrawal last after 6 years of taking it and then properly weaning off of it? I've been taking seroquel and other medications for about 6 years now and have been made horribly sick by them. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 15 due to a family history but I never had any symptoms other than mild depression. After being reevaluated, the doctors realized that they misdiagnosed me. I've been off of all of my other medicines for over a year but seroquel has been the worst to get rid of. My doses have been halved for about 2 months and each new does was taken for two weeks. I've been off of it for a week and I'm still having all kinds of withdrawal symptoms (jaw clenching, fever, body aches, interrupted sleep, muscle spasms, stomach trouble, itchiness...you name it.) How long does this usually last? I've been told that since I've been on it for so long the withdrawal might be more difficult. I wish the doctors would have investigated more instead of being so quick to put me on all of this medicine.

hopesclan replied: "It depends on the dosage. I was on 1200 mgs for 5 years and the withdrawal was hell. I did it in 6 weeks in a hospital--well I got down to 100 ml and the last but took about 2 months. It was much more difficult or maybe it was because I had to deal with life at the same time. What I can tell you is that it was worth it. I was no longer a walking zombie, the world seemed to come alive! I am sorry about your misdiagnosis. That was also my issue and it still pisses me off that I wasted so many years when I could have gotten proper help to get better."

Has anyone been on Seroquel for a long time and then came off of it with success? I started out taking 600 mg of Seroquel in 2004. I am now down to 100 mg. I would like to come off of it. ANy suggestions?

Looney Tunes replied: "Wow! Awesome. I take Seroquel too and went from 800 mg to 400 mg. I am trying to get off too because I have gained weight. I have been on it for 10 years. I suggest going down by 25 mg now. So, take 75 mg for 2 weeks, 50 mg for another 2 weeks, and then 25 mg for awhile. Let your body get used to the decrease. My shrink said that after you are off it, you might feel dizzy for a couple of weeks and may not feel hungry. But it will take about 2-3 weeks to get used to being off it."

layla replied: "I was only on it for 6 months, so I had no problem getting off it. I loved it, but I gained 20lbs."