Seroquel Support Group

[[ga...]]

I am no longer tapering my Seroquel and don't follow this thread like I used to.

 

I will share that I used a liquid taper of suspending it in water (mashed it up in a tiny bit of water with a glass mortar and pestle and then diluted to 100ml, using a good graduated cylinder and an oral syringe to make measurements), shaking it up and down in a jar with a tight lid, pitching out a small portion of it, and then immediately consuming it. It is not very stable as a liquid, so don't let it sit around more than an hour or so.

 

I would not reduce more than 10%/month as a test reduction. I had difficulty with reducing my Seroquel. You can always increase the rate if the 10% is easy for you.

 

The site survivingantidepressants.org has information about tapering lots of kids of meds. I got info from reading there about Seroquel. If you become a member, you can ask questions there, too.

 

Benzo w/d does cause twitching. I have twitching. I don't know if it's from the Seroquel or not.

 

Good luck everybody. Remember, on this difficult journey, each day is one day closer to freedom!

 

Gard

[[Co...]]

I am no longer tapering my Seroquel and don't follow this thread like I used to.

 

I will share that I used a liquid taper of suspending it in water (mashed it up in a tiny bit of water with a glass mortar and pestle and then diluted to 100ml, using a good graduated cylinder and an oral syringe to make measurements), shaking it up and down in a jar with a tight lid, pitching out a small portion of it, and then immediately consuming it. It is not very stable as a liquid, so don't let it sit around more than an hour or so.

 

I would not reduce more than 10%/month as a test reduction. I had difficulty with reducing my Seroquel. You can always increase the rate if the 10% is easy for you.

 

The site survivingantidepressants.org has information about tapering lots of kids of meds. I got info from reading there about Seroquel. If you become a member, you can ask questions there, too.

 

Benzo w/d does cause twitching. I have twitching. I don't know if it's from the Seroquel or not.

 

Good luck everybody. Remember, on this difficult journey, each day is one day closer to freedom!

 

Gard

 

At what dosage are you now? (it's unclear in your signature)

[[ga...]]

20mg

[[lo...]]

question guys, so I did a fairly rapid taper from seroquel 50mg, basically doing a week of 40 or so, then a week of 20 or so, and last night not taking any. my sleep as expected was a bit worse, but still got 6+ hours. at 20mg I was still sleeping 8h and feeling 'normal' (you know the zombie like mornings with seroquel). but when I dropped to 0 last night, this morning just plain sucks. I have this adrenaline rush again plus bad anxiety. not quiet as bad as in my benzo acute, but still pretty bad.

is this seroquel withdrawal, or still benzo withdrawal which the seroquel was just masking (i did read it bind to adrenaline receptors, which would make sense that it helps with 'toxic' mornings)

if this is pure seroquel w/d, maybe I tapered too fast, and should go back to 20, and take slower reductions? on the other side, while I was still on benzos, I did CT seroquel 2 or 3 times (was taking it for sleep), with no w/d symptoms at all. so either the benzos were masking the seroquel w/d or who knows....I am confused.

on the other hand, if I am still in benzo w/d (which at 3 months out I am probably still affected by it), maybe it is just better to keep taking 20mg seroquel or so, and revisit the taper in 3 months.

thank you for all tips

 

[[ga...]]

Just a guess, but I would say you are still experiencing benzo withdrawal. When you have 2 drugs in w/d at the same time, it's very hard to sort it out. The drop of the Q may or may not be related to your symptoms. I never got lower than 20mg myself, so I can't share an experience. Sorry.

[[lo...]]

you are still tapering Librium? yeah having multiple withdrawals doesn't help for sure.

in a sense I find seroquel to have the least side effects at least at low doses. I wake up as a zombie with no feelings being the only one. but it is also annoying. today, I woke up and went outside, and despite having this anxiety, I actually enjoyed little things, like the nice fog and fresh air. with seroquel you just a zombie. even at those doses. not sure what is worse, w/d or feeling like a robot.

I prob have to go back on 10-20mg or so, and keep it there for a while. I definitely build some tolerance to seroquel, since when I started taking it, 25mg was plenty, and I had to go up to 50mg. but never more then 50. that makes me think that I developed some dependence to this drug and a slow taper might be better....

 

Just a guess, but I would say you are still experiencing benzo withdrawal. When you have 2 drugs in w/d at the same time, it's very hard to sort it out. The drop of the Q may or may not be related to your symptoms. I never got lower than 20mg myself, so I can't share an experience. Sorry.

[[Co...]]

I don't believe in masking. It just makes everything worse , because of the other neurotransmitters being neuromodulators and so also making your gaba-glutamate imbalance worse.

These systems aren't seperate. So it all depends on how you feel, do you want to continue like this (can you handle it) then you hold on.

If it's bad maybe go back on a very low dose and wait to get stable. But do not up it too fast because it needs to build up again.

[[lo...]]

so this is how it went so far. yesterday my morning was pretty bad. I had this idea, that since withdrawal probably causes adrenaline, serotonine and histamine rebound (at least from lower doses Seroquel), that propanolol and diphenhidramine should counter the effects a bit. I took 3x20mg propanolol spread through the day, and 50mg diphenhydramine (unisom) at bedtime.

my day after the toxic morning was pretty good. but my evening was revved up, despite taking diphenhidramine. so I took 10mg seroquel at bedtime. my sleep was ok. it did not help that I had to pee 2h after falling to sleep, and that my little child also woke up to pee another 2h later. but in general I woke up feeling ok. so either I take another 5-10mg seroquel tonight, or I will be done for good.

I also noticed that my nose was running, and I've got red patches on my hands. I am wondering if this is a histamine reaction too.

Overall - since I dropped seroquel below 20mg or so couple days ago - I noticed that 80% of my twitching and muscle symptoms are gone! it must have been this nasty drug....

I also felt much more joyful during the day, like life came back to me. this drug had its place for 3 months post jump, but it is definitely time to be done with this poison.

I update all of you once i'm done for good for a couple of days.

[[lo...]]

I stuck at around 15mg seroquel or so. I sleep pretty good 7-8h at least at this dose.

but anything below 10mg and my sleep takes a hit. anybody here went off - how did you manage insomnia, I am wondering if this is something you just have to suffer through.

i have some old doxepin and remeron (hate this stuff) left, maybe this can act as a bridge.....

another question - anybody here thinks that seroquel at this dose could cause some muscle rigidness and twitching? this could be well benzo w/d in my case....but wondering what others exp.

[[ju...]]

Hi, I saw your post. I am tapering off seroquel. I hope someone can answer your question. I have not tapered off that much yet. I am going to try to read some of the posts here soon.

[[lo...]]

good luck, I had absolutely no problem getting down from 50 to 15. in couple days....

but below 15 it seems like the sleep effects are gone....

 

Hi, I saw your post. I am tapering off seroquel. I hope someone can answer your question. I have not tapered off that much yet. I am going to try to read some of the posts here soon.

[[Co...]]

good luck, I had absolutely no problem getting down from 50 to 15. in couple days....

but below 15 it seems like the sleep effects are gone....

 

Hi, I saw your post. I am tapering off seroquel. I hope someone can answer your question. I have not tapered off that much yet. I am going to try to read some of the posts here soon.

 

Yes it's hard isn't it! Once i had hit 15 it was hellish to get down even more. But slow wins the race.

I'm starting a microtaper soon. I will let people know how that works out.

I'm just having hellish tinnitus right now, very loud

[[lo...]]

Corsair: yes, below 15 the sleep effects diminish.

I took 15mg last night for the first time, and slept pretty good, it still made me pretty sleepy (took 1h before bed)

So i am hopeful to cut further.

the worst thing is the morning adrenaline rush though, some vitamin C and a walk outside helps

[[be...]]

Geez I thought this thread I started was abandoned but now I see it is up and running again. Sorry I missed so much of it, but I generally do not log into the support section. Sorry guys.I'll be back.

[[be...]]

Bets, have you ever considered liquid titration so you can make teeny tiny cuts?

 

Gard

 

Sorry so late GARD. Yes, I have thought if liquid because my dry MT went so well off my K. My my pdoc says people who have trouble with their Q taper have not yet healed from the benzos and thus their CNS are super sensitive. He believes that once you have healed from you benzo taper you should not have any trouble with the Seroquel, so he told me to hold off on that. But in the end, I think doing liquid is the right way to go. It's odd though, as I can taper off most anything with ease or even do a C/T and feel fine but this Seroquel taper will drive me mad no matter what.......

[[be...]]

Rose and GARD:

 

I'm actually scared to try tritation. I never did figure it out correctly. Like it makes no sense to me (for Valium) that you put in 1 mg into 2 ml of milk, then take out .25 ml, drink it and save the rest. WTH is that all about?. Seems like you'll be dropping 1 mg per day.

 

Bets, I think you have the numbers wrong. You would use at the very least 50ml of milk, 100ml would be better. Even 200ml. You want a very dilute solution.  The math guys on Microtapering thread will give you accurate numbers and even work out a whole titration plan for you. builder is there now. SG is usually there, too, but seems to be away right now. I call them the math gurus. They worked it all out for me when I was a confused, scared mess.

 

I have done my Librium taper by dissolving the capsule in 2ml of 80 proof vodka (then I have the L in solution so it will not settle out and I can see it more clearly than in milk) and then adding 98ml water to make 100ml of solution. Then every day I would remove a small part and pitch it out and drink the rest. I haven't tapered the L in awhile, so I'll just guess-timate my numbers. Day one:remove 2/10ml. Day two:remove 4/10ml. Day three:remove 6/10ml. So you can see I am reducing my dose my 2/10ml each day (the smallest marking on my syringe) from a total of 100ml. That is a very small cut. The math guys over on the micro-taper thread worked it out for me because I couldn't figure it out. builder and SG are very, very patient with people who ask the same questions again and again (like me).

 

 

With Q, it will not dissolve, so you have to make a suspension and shake it up and draw out quickly before the particles settle, but it's the same idea. Use a lot of liquid. The more dilute the liquid, the less little mistakes matter because there is so little med in the mistake. Anne, also on MT sometimes, uses a suspension successfully.

 

Hope that was helpful and not confusing!

 

Gard

 

I did ask this to builder, DP and SG about my Valium taper and I think I had a bad case of benzo brain and thought it was the opposite. Remove a tiny bit and take it and then save the rest. I also could not figure out why he told me the jar would last for 4 days or so......I'm sooo confused but your post makes sense to me. TY 

 

[[be...]]

Hey, Benzogirl.

 

Now I'm here.

Today I was about getting hospitalized, because I was worried about my life.

My GP (and I) both knew that Cymbalta could do this to me in the beginning. And the only way to reduce the terrible thoughts was to reinstate Sobril for some days. I hate all this, but what do you do when desperate? I really want to taper Cymbalta from now. I have only used it for five days.

Seroquel: Tapering. From 200 mg to now: 150 mg.

 

Good job on the seroquel! Sorry I missed so many posts. But I'm feeling good so I want my life back while I can get it. I hope you got off that nasty Cymbalta. Taking it for only five days should not be a problem. But there is an ongoing class action suit about this against Lilly. I have not checked up on it to find out what is happening.............On my must do list.

[[be...]]

Oh thank you Betsy. Thanks so much.  I rarely talk about how I feel here at home as my daughter is still quite young and my dad is a sprightly 81 year old but they are the best 

 

My story :  I was taken off Cymbalta cold turkey by dare I say it , a thick trainee pdoc in 2013 This sent me into a downward spiral for 2 weeks and I went into hospital .  The saddest time . I still cry over this because it was so unnecessary and he told me I had to come off Cymbalta there and then . Horrific.  Of course , the pdoc in this hospital was considering a diagnosis of bipolar 2 disorder. Six weeks later , he decided that he made a wrong diagnosis and I was left wondering where do I go from here. This is when I was on Seroquel first for 3 weeks among other meds. Under the guidance and help of my local pdoc , I have managed to get off all those meds and here i am today. This particular doctor knew my story and really listened . She knew that mistakes had been made. I eventually got the diagnosis of PTSD and Anxiety. From there , I went onto do the counselling course for a year.

 

So I hope this is clearer.

2013 - Seroquel 75 mgs for 3 weeks.

2015 - Seroquel 25mgs - jumped 23 / August 2016.  I jumped off at 3.125 mgs. A crumb. No I am not on any other meds. That was my last one. 

 

 

I will be truly honest that I had a really rough experience post taper off Valium. Horror. I had to leave BBs early last year because I was suffering that much.  I could barely interact at that time on the forum. I found it so very difficult to concentrate or read. Benzo withdrawal is the beast of all beasts for me anyway. I was properly messed up from the Cymbalta cold turkey . :'(

 

 

So that's my story Betsy. Hope its all a bit less confusing.

 

And I will be there for you when the time comes or anytime . No matter what. You are a dear sweet person. 

 

Stupid doctors! UGH! I'm glad you are off. My K taper was such a breeze, but this Valium, well, you don't know what you are in for. My main problem used to be horrible insomnia, but that went away recently after I cut more frequently but by a lesser amount. Now I have the dreaded fatigue. I hate this as I feel I have not accomplished anything for that day. Like today, I slept way too much. I think the ppl on the insomnia board would hate me for saying this, but well..If I was not paradoxical to the K I would have done a direct taper. Needless to say, I hate Valium! It sux big time and now I wonder what Ashton would say about it........

[[be...]]

i've been on and off seroquel. ct'd every time. never problems. took it for 4 months probably straight, took a break, 2 months, and couple times here and there. never any issues to go off. its a potent antihistamine at those levels. i'm not sure how you would kindle from this. i don't think it improves sleep that much at the end. it kind of knocks you out, but like a strong benadryl. doesn't do much.

have you tried alternatives? like gabapentin and doxepin or remeron -

Oh and yes i have severe insomnia.

 

You should look at my history. I've been over 20 meds i think , all classes. Antihistamines work on circadian rhythm, smooth muscle, and immune system. It's good that you don't have any problems, but i'm telling you , cold turkeying benzo's was much easier for me than tapering this nightmare of a drug.

 

Ditto on that one!  Such a horrid drug.

[[be...]]

question to all seroquel buddies:

does the super sleepy zombie feeling ever go away?

if you take 200mg seroquel, what is your regular dosing. do you need to take it 3x a day?

i am thinking currently of 25,25,50mg 3x a day

i think i can also stop gabapentin while taking seroquel as it is more effective and even less related to benzos

 

LOB:

 

I used to get sleepy for the first few weeks but that went away. I honestly hate this drug but I believe it has helped me go through any major w/d. Actually, I did a CT off 700 mg gabapentin w/o a problem bit I knew it would not be hard because I had enough benzos in my system to back me up so much that it would probably kill a horse. Which reminds me of another thread posted a few years back. One guy started an OP on what he should tell his prospective employer about the missing part of his resume. The one response that made me laugh was one reply that said, "I told mine I got kicked in the head by a horse."lol.

[[lo...]]

benzogirl: thanks for reply. I out this stage. I never really took it during the day, other then 2-3 times during acute. it zombied me out, which was better then the horror of acute.

i'm currently at 15mg or so of the drug, only for sleep. I want off asap.

I have weird muscle sensation, twitches, I am wondering if seroquel is part of it, altough this is hallmark of benzo withdrawal.

I think seroquel made me sleep for 6-8h during my entire benzo w/d post jump, so it was help, but I need to be done 4 months out.

[[be...]]

benzogirl: thanks for reply. I out this stage. I never really took it during the day, other then 2-3 times during acute. it zombied me out, which was better then the horror of acute.

i'm currently at 15mg or so of the drug, only for sleep. I want off asap.

I have weird muscle sensation, twitches, I am wondering if seroquel is part of it, altough this is hallmark of benzo withdrawal.

I think seroquel made me sleep for 6-8h during my entire benzo w/d post jump, so it was help, but I need to be done 4 months out.

 

LOG:

 

When I tried cutting 10 mg of it, my main problems were complete lack of sleep for a week and all night pacing. I did not have the twitches, but I'll expect them, but not looking forward to any of those w/d symptoms. Mebbe post w/d from benzos? If it were me and it will be me, I will be sure I have healed from my benzo taper. Though I haven't suffered from my K taper per se, I do think that taper has made my Valium taper more difficult. Now since I began cutting my Valium by a lesser amount but more frequently, my insomnia has gone away, only to be replaced by fatigue. I feel like such a slug-a-bed now. Oh how I wish I was only on 15! You've got it!

 

Betsy

[[ga...]]

Rose and GARD:

 

I'm actually scared to try tritation. I never did figure it out correctly. Like it makes no sense to me (for Valium) that you put in 1 mg into 2 ml of milk, then take out .25 ml, drink it and save the rest. WTH is that all about?. Seems like you'll be dropping 1 mg per day.

 

Bets, I think you have the numbers wrong. You would use at the very least 50ml of milk, 100ml would be better. Even 200ml. You want a very dilute solution.  The math guys on Microtapering thread will give you accurate numbers and even work out a whole titration plan for you. builder is there now. SG is usually there, too, but seems to be away right now. I call them the math gurus. They worked it all out for me when I was a confused, scared mess.

 

I have done my Librium taper by dissolving the capsule in 2ml of 80 proof vodka (then I have the L in solution so it will not settle out and I can see it more clearly than in milk) and then adding 98ml water to make 100ml of solution. Then every day I would remove a small part and pitch it out and drink the rest. I haven't tapered the L in awhile, so I'll just guess-timate my numbers. Day one:remove 2/10ml. Day two:remove 4/10ml. Day three:remove 6/10ml. So you can see I am reducing my dose my 2/10ml each day (the smallest marking on my syringe) from a total of 100ml. That is a very small cut. The math guys over on the micro-taper thread worked it out for me because I couldn't figure it out. builder and SG are very, very patient with people who ask the same questions again and again (like me).

 

 

With Q, it will not dissolve, so you have to make a suspension and shake it up and draw out quickly before the particles settle, but it's the same idea. Use a lot of liquid. The more dilute the liquid, the less little mistakes matter because there is so little med in the mistake. Anne, also on MT sometimes, uses a suspension successfully.

 

Hope that was helpful and not confusing!

 

Gard

 

I did ask this to builder, DP and SG about my Valium taper and I think I had a bad case of benzo brain and thought it was the opposite. Remove a tiny bit and take it and then save the rest. I also could not figure out why he told me the jar would last for 4 days or so......I'm sooo confused but your post makes sense to me. TY 

 

Bets, Your valium will last at least 4 days, maybe more. Librium is unstable as a liquid. (Valium is stable.) That's why I do pull and pitch rather than mix up a bunch and measure my dose. But you could do that with Valium.

 

From what I have read. Q is also unstable as a liquid. Very unstable. However, builder recently came up with a wiki page that said Q is actually soluble in water. That is the first and only place we have been able to find that. I have been treating the Q as though it is not stable (because I am paranoid) and shaking very well and then pulling and pitching very quickly. I do that within an hour of taking my dose. I found a paper showing that Q breaks down rapidly once liquefied. Of course, I can't find again.

 

So, I still treat my Q as thought it were a suspension and shake like crazy and as thought it were unstable, and drink it almost immediately after pitching out my reduction. I am not tapering. I am holding but using liquid because my attempt at dry cutting was a disaster. I hated it.

 

I will probably not cut the Q again until I am off the benzo or have held and stabilized on the benzo for a very long time.

 

I'm glad to hear you are sleeping better. That makes such a huge difference!

 

Gard

[[be...]]

GARD:

 

If you pull out a small dose of Valium, and drink the rest, how can it last for 4 days? Is it me???

[[ga...]]

GARD:

 

If you pull out a small dose of Valium, and drink the rest, how can it last for 4 days? Is it me???

 

No, it's my confusing directions! I think that people who taper Valium, liquefy a week's worth and measure their dose from it, and drink it. They don't pitch. No waste.