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Anybody Come Off Quetiapine?


angel tears

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Hi

I am trying for the second time in 6 months to come off my quetiapine at 350mg a day. It has completely stopped my periods, have gained a stone in weight and I have got double vision. I am seeing my psych DR in May but I am going to try coming off it now as my life is a lot more stable. I am on day 3 of the first drop of 50mg's, so far only a bit of nausea. I am going to take it slower this time as last time I got very irritable and out of control but I dropped 50mg's every 3 days. I think it was too fast. Gonna go for a week this time or 10 days.

The double vision is awful, I struggle to read and see anything on the road, good job I am a passenger!!!. I already have problems with my hormones anyway and lack of periods but now nothing in 11 weeks and I am not pregnant.

Does anybody else have experience with quetiapine withdrawal?.

Thanks xxx

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Hey

I'd go for 10 days, or even 2 weeks.

I came off this stuff. I was on 200mg of it. The main side effect for me was not being able to sleep.

I can't remember how long the symptoms lasted but I'm thinking it can't have been that long (because I can't remember it).

I hate this drug, I mean, I REALLY hate it. All it does it knock you out and make you want to eat.

Good luck coming off it - try and remember the symptoms won't last forever :)

xxx

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I am in the process of either coming off/changing as I too, hate this drug - just leaves me a hungry zombie!!

I have tried to take myself off it before (not my smartest idea) and the insomnia was horrendous and the nausea - oh God and he night sweats!! I also had to stand up with the speed of a tortoise as the dizziness was immense!

I'd be interested to see how you get on with coming off it though - how long the symptoms last etc?

What side effects have you had on it? Aside the eating and sleeping, I also had terrible dreams!

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I was only on 25mg for a while and didn't experience withdrawal but my dad takes 400mg a day...with changing meds I just keep taking things until I can get a proper medical opinion, they should know how to take you off things properly. Does it matter when you take them? But I'd just keep taking them until you encounter good advice! I'm sorry for replying when I don't have a solution its just I have taken it and my dad takes it and I've tried coming off other medications and always found it best to leave it to the professionals! I hope something helps soon.

Rogue xxx

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i came off quetiapine 50-75mg no problems, but i started on amisulpride instead so maybe that helped, i found mirtazepine made me hungry more than quetiapine and i lost weight soon as i stopped it pretty much,

xx

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Hi yeah I get the munchies, tired, sometimes dizzy too. Yeah I get awful nightmares on them too and my periods had stopped so enough was enough! Oh and the weight gain too!, about 2 stones!!. I am down to 150mg now and I have had an upset tummy and bad anxiety, it's a killer actually but hopefully it will settle. The aching eyes have gone now too and I don't feel dizzy or get the munchies!!!. Just gonna take it easy for a few days while I feel so emotional. It's uncomfortable to say the least!! Xx

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Since April, I have been coming off quetiapine.

I was on 100mg a day, and am now on 40mg.

It's going well, and I hope it continues to go well.

I put my 25mg quetiapine tablet in 50ml of warm water.

I shake up the jar as its not soluble and then, with a syringe, I remove my daily cut.

I have been cutting 2mg a day, which is why I am probs not experiencing withdrawal symptoms due to the smooth decline.

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Sounds like you are doing well :) and thats a good way to cut down too. Do you think that you get a regular dose every day?. I am on day 22 now. Am currently on 50mg quetiapine and I have had quite bad headaches but they are not so bad now. Still a bit irritable and feeling a bit hyper and anxious but I am coping. Keeping busy helps. Just hoping that I don't get the awful insomnia this time as I did when I tried before but I am on trazadone too which helps me to sleep. How long have you been withdrawing now SW? Xxx

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Sounds like you are doing well :) and thats a good way to cut down too. Do you think that you get a regular dose every day?. I am on day 22 now. Am currently on 50mg quetiapine and I have had quite bad headaches but they are not so bad now. Still a bit irritable and feeling a bit hyper and anxious but I am coping. Keeping busy helps. Just hoping that I don't get the awful insomnia this time as I did when I tried before but I am on trazadone too which helps me to sleep. How long have you been withdrawing now SW? Xxx

Hi

What a coincidence, I am also on trazodone, 300mg

It helps me sleep but it numbs my miind and stifles creativity.

I can only hope that my doses that I measure are as accurate as possible.

I take it every 6 hours, but sometimes i miss a few hours.

Im hoping the rest of the taper will go as well as it has done so far.

You are now on 50mg, you seem to be cutting really fast.

I hope you don't mind me saying but careful, you don't want to be hit with withdrawals.

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Hello;)

I have been on quetiapine and came off it 2ce- it wasn't an amazing dose just 100mgs- but it did cause me memory blanks that were quite scary...

I did not feel any of the positive effects- apart from being able to sleep at night quite easily...

Not much of a help but hopefully it will be a use to you!

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Is it regular Seroquel or Seroquel XR? That's the brand name of quetiapine and I don't think there's a generic for the XR but I wanted to check.

Regular Seroquel, which I take as quetiapine like all of you, has never caused me problems. Even when I've missed doses or had to go without. But my primary reason for taking it is as a sleep aid as I cannot take trazadone or ambien without horrid reactions. If I didn't take quetiapine along with the other sedative affects in my other meds I probably wouldn't sleep very often. That's the main thing it does to me when I come off it is I stop sleeping. Like, period. I only take an average of 200mg but I can go as low as 100mg and as high as 300mg. I'm required to keep a steady stream in though as it is also a minor anti depressant for me as well as sleep.

Seroquel XR was another story entirely. If you are taking that I recommend you find some help to withdraw from that. For starters going cold turkey from it can cause life threatening complications. Last October I had to withdraw cold turkey from both Seroquel XR and Abilify and I seriously thought I was going to die. It was the worst experience of my life. If it's XR don't do it on your own or without your doctor's knowledge. Seriously.

If it's just the regular the best I can offer toward advice is to take it slow and don't jump a whole bunch down. It's likely to affect your sleep. That's the biggest of what it does to me. But it can also make me nauseated and anxious as well as cause occasional headaches and mood instability. The nausea can be settled with ginger. Whether it's ginger tea with honey or even genuine ginger ale. Anxiety can be relieved in a number of ways including chamomile tea and lavender. As usual, you'll want to check with your doctor before using some herbal remedies as it can interact with medications but I don't think chamomile or ginger interacts with anything. I use them all the time.

I've got a recipe for ginger tea, whether it's made from powder or actual root. And I'm quite willing to listen and talk to you if you have questions or just need someone to chat with. Getting off drugs is a pain and it sucks to be alone at times when you go through the worst of it. I've had to do it several times and felt blessed having this forum around. So, send a message if you need/want to. =)

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Did anyone coming off quetiapine find they suffered depression?

I've been coming off really slowly. I'm down from 100mg a day to 25mg a day and I am happy to be less toxic from this drug.

I've been getting depression but I think it may be due to my external circumstances more than withdrawal, because in the past, when I have not taken my quetiapine, the first withdrawal symptoms i got were sneezing and a runny nose.

I'm not getting any of that at the moment, but I am still holding at 25mg for now.

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when i came off seriquel i also found my anxiety went up

i've been on both vertions

regular and slow rilees

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when i came off seriquel i also found my anxiety went up

i've been on both vertions

regular and slow rilees

Hi

I'm coming off seroquel slowly. Started on 100mg and down to 25mg. No withdrawals yet.

Do you mind me asking you some questions.

Did you come off slowly in stages?

What dose had you got down to when the anxiety showed up?

How long did the anxiety last?

Thanks :)

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i was in hospital when they took me off it, i was on 200 mgs a day and i didn't know where i was, what day it was or time.

my anxiety was noticable after they dropped me to 100 mgs a day

but my anxiety is still here

hope that helps

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I came off quetiapine,

I reduced a little bit then I waited a few weeks, then I reduced a little more and waited a bit longer and then I'd take it alternate days for a while then reduce some more I kept reducing this way till I was off it completely.

I did the same with citalopram and diazepam although I had diazepam for sleeping last two nights for the first time in about 1 and a half years, Re entering therapy has made things a little difficult again.

Otherwise I am medication free.

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when i came off it i was under doctors supervition so i didn't get withdrawl symptems where i would have done if i'd tryed to do it my self.

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  • 8 months later...

It may increase the risk of death when used to treat mental problems caused by dementia in elderly patients. Most of the deaths were linked to heart problems or infection. Quetiapine is not approved to treat mental problems caused by dementia.

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