Vancouver1986: 50mg I.R. Seroquel: Extremely Slow Taper

[Vancouver1986]

Hi there, OP.

 

You and another user wanted some solidarity with other people stuck on Seroquel, right? Let me introduce myself: Almost 38/F. Vancouver, Canada.

 

I'm starting a taper from 50mg I.R. Seroquel next week.

 

I've been stuck on it since July 2021, when I had a horrific reaction to LoLoestrin on the 6th day of taking it. I started having symptoms on day #3 (2x/day panic attacks!)  Went to walk-in clinic on day #5 & was dismissed/told it was normal. Not for me. I've been on ~7 different b/c pills (all made me spot, and as I got older, really putrid stuff started comming out of me or I bled constantly and never stopped for 2 weeks until I gave up. So, I'm stuck with a menstrual cycle. lol.) I listened to him & kept taking the LoLoestrin. The next night, I went into Psychosis (rapid switching b/n manic laughing & weeping rapid-fire within seconds - I've always been in control of my emotions. I have the emotional regulation of a titan, humble brag.) Next morning, I went to the small local E.R. (even though my mom said nothing's wrong) & they gave me an Rx for something called Seroquel 50mg I.R. (was either that or Ativan - NO! I don't drink, so I never thought of getting drunk until my endocrine system re-balanced) & told me to get my Psychiatrist to get me off of it later. He was always on vacation (80 yrs old?), & I don't trust him whatsoever. I was finally able to get rid of him in Dec 2022. Wanted to get rid of him in Feb 2022 when things really started spiralling out of control, but nobody else avaliable. The 50mg I.R. snowballed out of control with mis Dx's, mood stabilizers, etc.

 

I've tried to taper off of 50mg I.R. Seroquel 11x with either my own pill splitter (crumbly mess) or an in-patient industrial pill-splitter to reduce 1 of the 2 mini pills by 1/4 (12.5%). This never worked. I almost went into Psychosis 3x. I thought the birth control incident was scary enough. At no point since July 2021 in the Hospital's Mental Health & Substance Use Unit (had to get my mom to drive me many times due to withdrawal symptoms from Seroquel or other meds or the meds themselves!) or In-Patient facilities (3x w/in 6 months) did anybody mention a liquid taper. Shocking and pathetic incompetence. I learned about a liquid taper earlier this year by myself. I also learned more about Seroquel last November (h1 & d2 receptors & how the serotonin is different than the serotonin in Pristiq - ******* hell). & even more about its action on Histamine recently.

 

& nobody since July 2021 ever plainly outright straight-up admitted that withdrawal symptoms are real. I've experienced w/d symptoms in the past. The only way I was able to get off Effexor (side-effects because I was Rx'ed way too much in 2015) was to go to Pristiq. I do well on Pristiq. My physiology can't tolerate any of the other SSRI's & SNRI's, although my Psychi always Rx'ed me too much - dangerous!

 

The only reason I want to get off of the 50mg I.R. is because my muscles constantly jerk/twitch all over my body. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes more frequent. Sometimes less. This is a red flag and dangerous. But I've put up with it because until recently, I had no idea how I was going to try to taper again with a pill-splitter.

 

Since learning about Histamine, I'm doing a low-histamine diet & started a couple of days ago. I do not Diet. It's not necessary for me, nor do I want to restrict. But this is a VERY special circumstance. This may help with the taper from Seroquel, since I learned from someone else on this message board about histamine from their withdrawal from Seroquel essay. (Heartbreaking.)

 

From what I've read in your thread, you're doing quite a fast taper. I plan to do -0.25% off of the last dosage every 4 weeks minimum. Or 6 weeks? & Holding for ever how long. & then going again. Hold however many times my physiology requires. It's not up to me. It's up to my individual nervous system. I'm a non-smoker, non-drinker, and never done weed before. I drink plenty of water & plenty of fibre. I'm sure the other meds I'm on will help at least a little bit with the taper. & I've read that you need to do smaller decreases as time goes by. So, it'll eventually have to be a 0.075% decrease. & then 0.05%. & then 0.025%. I'm not even sure if my syringe for the liquid solution will work. Since I've been on the two 25mg pills for so long, I'm pretty sure I'll have to use 1 of the 25mg pills plus two 1/4 pills (12.5mg total) and then the rest liquid.

 

I've been stuck on this ******* Anti-Psychotic for 2.75 years. If I knew it was an anti-psychotic and how complex it is, I would've taken the ******* Ativan. If it takes 5 years to fully get off of this bullsh*t, I have no choice. I already have partial insomnia for a long time now because of the Pristiq - even with the Seroquel (I'm usually up in the middle of the night tranquilized. I cannot work anymore due to this. It's too exhausting to fight it.) So, I don't want to make it worse by doing a fast taper.

 

I'm going down until the mg where my muscles are no longer tranquilized & the twitching stops. I do not consent to my body moving without my permission, nor do I consent to being tranquilized and unable to move until mid-day next day or rarely the whole day until I take it again at 8pm. Sometimes the tranquilzing wears off a few hrs after I wake up. The tranquilizing decreased when 50mg X.R. Seroquel was added in Nov 2022 because I was withdrawing so severely from a few things at once - dangerous! People really have no idea what they're doing out there. My boyfriend has been right the whole time. I do not have BiPolar #2. I do not have Borderline Personality Disorder. I do not have 'Cluster B'. The reason he likes me is BECAUSE I'm bland, boring, average, emotionally stable, and can regulate my emotions. ie: I'm an incredibly easy partner. I come from a relatively good family. No drinking, no drugs, no domestic violence, no history of "mental illness", etc.

 

So I'm starting to experiment with the low-histamine diet (especially with my dinner & before-bed snack) to see if it helps with the tranquilizing the next day.

 

In July 2021, I went from my trusty 100mg Pristiq ($2/day) -> 5 medications + now 150mg Pristiq ($3/day); I think 9 pills per day. I've been emotionally violated, gas-lit, and dismissed repeatedly in these past ~2.75 years. This is by far the worst thing that's ever happened to me and will ever happen to me. Psychiatric Medication Withdrawal is worse than anything on this whole entire god-forsaken planet.

 

I'm extremely over-medicated, but this myoclonus is downright dangerous. I was extremely hot as well until fairly recently. My long-term boyfriend had to have multiple blankets on during the summer with the A/C full-blast on me. I've been emotionally labile as well. Especially during the summer when the heat was messing with the 2 Seroquels and the SNRI. The Lamictal, Gabapentin, & Seroquel X.R. weren't enough to combat that.

 

Sorry for hi-jacking your thread. I should make my own and make a signature for myself.

 

Anyway. OP, take a looksee:

https://reversepsychiatry.org/

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pw4tjImAJ92OIVyRvZoZYjqxiKMk7wvp-ljiIi1olRo/edit#gid=246292188

https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/taper/special-tips-calculations-and-liquids

https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/taper/doing-calculations-taper#taper-schedule-2-daily-microtaper

https://www.willhall.net/files/ComingOffPsychDrugsHarmReductGuide2Edonline.pdf

Specific for Histamine/Seroquel: https://rxisk.org/guide-stopping-antidepressants/#Prominent_withdrawal_symptoms

https://beyondmeds.com/2012/12/04/psychiatric-drug-withdrawal/

 

Thanks

[Vancouver1986]

Hello all.

 

I've researched this extensively now, after a google search in late Nov 2022 lead me to this message board and other Psychiatric Medication Withdrawal Supports. I'm finally ready to try again. Trauma from previous attempts has kept me dealing with the extreme tranquilizing + myoclonus (ie: adverse effects) instead of trying again.

 

This will be the 13th attempt. If it takes 5 years, that's out of my control. It's up to my particular nervous system. When I recently suggested to my Doctor about a 10% reduction per month using a liquid, they said it'd be perfectly fine. (& I guess reduce that amount by 10% per month until I'm off?) After going home and calculating how I did it in the past (-12.5%), NO. 

 

In the past, taking off 1/4 (6.25mg) of 1 of the 2 tiny pills hasn't worked 11x. (Either by myself making a crumbly mess with my pill-splitter or at an in-patient facility with an industrial one.) I almost went into Psychosis 3 of the 11 times & had to go back up to 50mg right-away. I had to admit myself to the hospital a few of those 1/4 pill reduction attempts, too. I recently calculated that was a -12.5% drop in dosage. No wonder it didn't work.

 

Also, I was told by a Psychiatrist & once by a Doctor to stay with the 1/4 pill reduction and to take "just a little bit of Seroquel" when the limbic system withdrawal symptoms re-appeared. ...You mean like a Benzo? This is literally playing ping-pong with your neurotransmitters, and I wasn't even given "little bit" amounts so had to make do with a crumbly mess. This didn't work and fairly quickly sent me right back to the hospital where they sent me to an in-patient stay again. I held on for as long as I could at home using little pieces of Seroquel like a Benzo, because I did not want to go back to an in-patient facility again. All of this since July 2021 shattered my reputation with my Employer and caused unnecessary stress to my long-term partner, parent, and sibling; let alone myself.

 

Earlier this year, I learned on my own about a liquid taper. It's truly shocking how nobody since July 2021 ever mentioned getting it made into a liquid in order to do an extremely slow taper; not even my Psychiatrist, who I chose finally to stop seeing in late 2022. But from extensive reading online, it's the standard to stop with a Medical Professional when things get unnecessarily out of control, doing harm and no good, and too much frustration.

 

I also recently learned on my own more about Seroquel. I looked it up on go.drugbank.com in early 2022 when things were really getting really out of hand, I was unwell on medications, and things were snowballing out of control. I was scared shitless at how complex Seroquel was and how it differed so severely from Pristiq. Late last year, I learned even more about Seroquel: H1 (histamine - severe tranquilizing for my particular physiology) & D2 (inconsistent myoclonus for my particular physiology). It explained everything & confirmed that it's not "Psychosomatic" symptoms. & earlier this year, I learned more about Histamines, histamine receptors all over your brain and body, allergies, anti-histamines, stomach acid (H2), Monoamine oxidase (MAO) & Diamine oxidase (DAO), etc. Further, last week, I learned about a Low-Histamine Diet for people who have Spring-time allergies. While I don't have any comorbidities of any kind, this Seroquel is a beast on my particular physiology and am now semi-unenthusiastically doing a Low-Histamine Diet for the next handful of years as to not complicate this extremely slow taper & to hopefully reduce the extreme yet inconsistent tranquilizing. I'm now pretty sure how much water I drink + what I eat at dinner and before-bed most-definitely affects the severity of the tranquilizing the next day. Most days, it doesn't fully wear off until mid-afternoon! Rarely, it wears off once I'm awake in the morning. & Rarely, it lasts all day until I take it again at 8pm. From reading online, the menstrual cycle (different levels of the hormones during each phase) also affects Psychiatrric Medications's potency, clearance, etc. + hormone levels and histamines interract with each other + hormone levels and dopamine (D2 inconsistent myoclonus) interract with each other. So that's fun. I never wanted to take this 50mg I.R. Seroquel in the first place, but an E.R. had to give me something to take, because I had a severe reaction to LoLoestrin, which I went the day before to see a Doctor about growing symptoms and was told that the literature says mental health symptoms are very common for hormonal birth control. That's nice, & I've heard that from hundreds of women online, too. Bt I've tried ~7 different b/c pills before with no issues. I've never gone against my better judgement before.

 

This link was very informative for Histamine: https://rxisk.org/guide-stopping-antidepressants/#Prominent_withdrawal_symptoms , as was FerralCat's Essay.

 

When an in-patient facility had to add 50mg X.R. in Nov 2022 because I was withdrawing so severely from a few things at the same time, the tranquilizing greatly reduced, but it's still enough to halt my life. I think the inconsistent myoclonus also increased.

 

So, now to the taper:

 

I have a few questions. In the 'Seroquel Withdrawal' thread, they mention doing 1/2 pill + 1/2 liquid taper, as your Physiology is so used to pill-form. (I've ben stuck on this Anti-Psychotic since July 2021. That's 2.75 years.) So, maybe I should start my taper with one 25mg pill, two 6.25 mg (1/4's), & the rest liquid. (& as I slowly go down, get rid of a 6.25mg and replace that with a liquid, & so forth.) My question: does this seem fine to you guys? Note to self: I'd need to go back to the walk-in clinic to get an Rx for 6.25mg pieces, an Rx for 25mg pills (I only have like 16 left), & a revised Rx for the liquid. Currently, my liquid Rx is 40mg/day (-10% reduction) for 4 weeks & then go back to the walk-in clinic to get more liquid for the next "month-long 10% drop". I don't have the liquid on me, so I'm not sure the total mL in the bottle and whatnot. I'm aware that syringes can be very price with micromL's.

 

This link overwhelmed me: https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/taper/special-tips-calculations-and-liquids

 

This link is similar to the info on this forum: https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/taper/doing-calculations-taper

 

This link confused me: https://antdep.alwaysdata.net/liquid/liquidForm.php

 

I generally understand this link: https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/sites/default/files/2017-05/TheWithdrawalProject_TaperJournal_LiquidMixture_SampleChart.pdf

 

After all of my reading around on here and all of the online calculators/etc, here's what I've come up with (holding for 2-6 weeks as needed not included):

 

See 2 attached images.

 

 

****I'm a bit unclear about making smaller and smaller % (or mL?) reductions each 4-6 wks (however slow you want to go). That's been discussed on this forum regularly & want to make sure this taper doesn't go badly whatsoever. I can't afford to stress my partner out anymore, losing money anymore, or traumatizing myself even more than already am from all of this by being it withdrawal.

 

& Finally, I will keep tapering off until the myoclonus & tranqulilizing of my physiology. If that's one 25mg, fine. If that's one 25mg and a 1/4 (6.25mg), fine. I'm still stuck on the 50mg X.R., but that can wait for the future, if at all. I'm on a lot of Serotonin-medication and was extremely hot for the last 1/2 of 2023, as well as scatter-brained and confused. Somehow, the extreme temperature went away back in Nov. I also had a lot of very unusual unlike extreme emotional lability due to all of the meds, especially in the summer. My partner likes me BECAUSE I'm emotionally uneventful and stable and can regulate my emotions/stress. I'm overmedicated, so I should've been experiencing the opposite. I'm well-aware from my Pristiq how dangerous the heat can be with Psychiatric Medications: they clear faster from your body or something? Especially if you're drinking more water in the summer? I expect to have issues with the heat for the next handful of summers, unfortunately.

[Erimus]

Hello and welcome to Surviving Antidepressants.

 

This topic is for anything relating to you, and any questions you have. Please do not start another topic.

 

You already seem well versed on the information provided within this forum.

 

If I understand correctly, you are set to begin a taper off 50mg instant release Seroquel, am I correct?

 

I would not recommend cutting the tablets up using a pill-splitter in order to achieve 6.25mg pieces. This is not accurate. I would instead consider using a scale to make your own doses or making your own liquid. These are both acceptable for instant release tablets, as far as I am aware.

 

Some people prefer to transition the whole dose to a liquid before starting, whereas some transition only a partial amount of the dose. As long as you are taking a consistent amount each day it is okay.

Edited March 13 by Erimus

[Erimus]

On 3/9/2024 at 4:37 PM, Vancouver1986 said:

****I'm a bit unclear about making smaller and smaller % (or mL?) reductions each 4-6 wks (however slow you want to go). That's been discussed on this forum regularly & want to make sure this taper doesn't go badly whatsoever. I can't afford to stress my partner out anymore, losing money anymore, or traumatizing myself even more than already am from all of this by being it withdrawal.

If your reductions are only 0.1mg you don't need to worry about making smaller and smaller reductions, at least for the foreseeable future.

[Vancouver1986]

On 3/13/2024 at 1:21 PM, Erimus said:

You already seem well versed on the information provided within this forum.

 

If I understand correctly, you are set to begin a taper off 50mg instant release Seroquel, am I correct?

 

I would not recommend cutting the tablets up using a pill-splitter in order to achieve 6.25mg pieces. This is not accurate. I would instead consider using a scale to make your own doses or making your own liquid. These are both acceptable for instant release tablets, as far as I am aware.

 

Some people prefer to transition the whole dose to a liquid before starting, whereas some transition only a partial amount of the dose. As long as you are taking a consistent amount each day it is okay.

Good morning @Erimus (evening in the U.K.).

 

Thank you kindly. I've definitely spent hours reading.

 

Yep. 1st med to go is most-definitely the 50mg I.R. Seroquel due to the inconsistent but severe tranquilizing of my body when I take it before bed until mid-afternoon most-days since July 2021. I want my life back. It's been stolen from me because of a birth-control pill gone wrong, which I was dismissed about. The others can wait. I'm dangerously extremely over-medicated and my front-brain always feels fuzzy, but the tranquilizing needs to stop ASAP.

 

Ah. The Pharmacy would use their industrial pill-splitter to make 1/4's (6.25mg). My apologies for the confusion. It wouldn't be my pill-splitter. It always just ended up a crumbly-mess. ***But is that still not a good idea? To get 6.25mg 1/4's so I can do one 25mg pill, three 6.25mg pieces, and the rest liquid?***

 

Using just the liquid for the whole entire taper (over however many years) would be more convenient and easier, but I want this taper to be as unnoticible as possible, and someone had mentioned in the 'Seroquel Withdrawal' thread that especially with Seroquel, your body is extremely used to it in pill-form, and going straight to a liquid may not be a good idea. I've been stuck on this tranquilizer for 2.75 years now. I'd say my body is used to it.

 

Yep. I've already gone to the walk-in clinic to get the liquid a couple of weeks ago. It's 500mL. But I mentioned to the Walk-in Clinic Doctor that I'd like to do a -10% reduction before I realized that past attempts at using my own pill-splitter or an in-patient industrial pill-splitter were a -12.5% drop! It's no wonder I got so immensely extremely unwell (histamine symptoms in addition to the dopamine/serotonin loss) and almost went into Psychosis 3 of those 11 times. The instructions on the 500mL bottle are to take 40mL (the -10% reduction) for a month and then go back to the walk-in clinic to get another bottle do do a 10% of 40mL.

 

On 3/13/2024 at 1:23 PM, Erimus said:

If your reductions are only 0.1mg you don't need to worry about making smaller and smaller reductions, at least for the foreseeable future.

 

Oh okay. I was definitely concerned about that, as I want this taper to be as unnoticeable as possible on my nervous system. So, should I stay at -0.1mL reductions indefinitely until I'm at 0mg or at a dosage where I no longer have inconsistent myoclonus and inconsistent severe tranquilizing due to my body being SEVERELY sensitive to histamine? (doing a reduction every 2 weeks, minimum, for example & with holds as needed)?

[Erimus]

1 hour ago, Vancouver1986 said:

Ah. The Pharmacy would use their industrial pill-splitter to make 1/4's (6.25mg). My apologies for the confusion. It wouldn't be my pill-splitter. It always just ended up a crumbly-mess. ***But is that still not a good idea? To get 6.25mg 1/4's so I can do one 25mg pill, three 6.25mg pieces, and the rest liquid?***

I've just read the thread on Tips for tapering quetiapine (please read if you haven't already) and it mentions cutting the pills into halves and quarters, so don't worry about what I said before.

 

What I would do:

• Take 25mg pill + 6.25mg piece + 6.25mg piece + 6.25mg piece (as you described)
• Dissolve the last 6.25mg piece in 125ml water

This would mean you take 43.75mg pill + 6.25mg liquid suspension.

 

Your liquid would have a dose of 0.05mg/ml, so 2ml = 0.1mg (the reduction you wanted)

 

You would take 43.75mg pill + the full amount of liquid (125ml), for a week or more to transition.

 

Then when it comes to your first reduction:

 

You would take 43.75mg pill + 123ml liquid suspension = 49.9mg IR Seroquel

 

Each reduction you would keep knocking another 2ml off the amount of liquid you take, until you reach 0ml. You would then repeat the above process with 37.5mg pill + 6.25mg liquid suspension, and so on.

 

 

 

This would mean you don't have to deal with taking a pre-made liquid that may affect you differently to the pills. You would need to dilute the liquid from the pharmacy anyway, as it is 0.889mg/ml (if my calculations are correct).

Edited March 16 by Erimus

[Erimus]

1 hour ago, Vancouver1986 said:

So, should I stay at -0.1mL reductions indefinitely until I'm at 0mg or at a dosage where I no longer have inconsistent myoclonus and inconsistent severe tranquilizing due to my body being SEVERELY sensitive to histamine? (doing a reduction every 2 weeks, minimum, for example & with holds as needed)?

Just keep reducing as and when you feel able, don't burden yourself with what dose you must reach. You health should greatly improve as you reduce your drug burden, and I think you're aware that you are taking too many. One step at a time.

[Vancouver1986]

On 3/16/2024 at 9:27 AM, Erimus said:

I've just read the thread on Tips for tapering quetiapine (please read if you haven't already) and it mentions cutting the pills into halves and quarters, so don't worry about what I said before.

 

What I would do:

• Take 25mg pill + 6.25mg piece + 6.25mg piece + 6.25mg piece (as you described)
• Dissolve the last 6.25mg piece in 125ml water

This would mean you take 43.75mg pill + 6.25mg liquid suspension.

 

Your liquid would have a dose of 0.05mg/ml, so 2ml = 0.1mg (the reduction you wanted)

 

You would take 43.75mg pill + the full amount of liquid (125ml), for a week or more to transition.

 

Then when it comes to your first reduction:

 

You would take 43.75mg pill + 123ml liquid suspension = 49.9mg IR Seroquel

 

Each reduction you would keep knocking another 2ml off the amount of liquid you take, until you reach 0ml. You would then repeat the above process with 37.5mg pill + 6.25mg liquid suspension, and so on.

 

 

 

This would mean you don't have to deal with taking a pre-made liquid that may affect you differently to the pills. You would need to dilute the liquid from the pharmacy anyway, as it is 0.889mg/ml (if my calculations are correct).

Ah, ****. I wish I had read this earlier. I've already started the full liquid taper. Since I've been on these god damn pills since July 2021, I had wanted to do mostly pill-form for the taper (one 25mg + three 6.25mg 1/4's) and then the rest (6.25mg) liquid. & take off a 6.25mg and replace it with liquid and lower the liquid amount as time goes on.

 

But I went off of your reassurance to just keep it simple and do all liquid. I also didn't want to go back to the walk-in clinic and get an Rx for more 25mg pills & an Rx for 1/4's. That doctor intimidates the hell out of me.

 

So, I'm doing a liquid equivalent of 49.6mg. That's one 3mL syringe, one 3mL syringe, and one 0.2mL syringe. The bubbles are a nuisace, but I try a few times slowly & can't get rid of them.

 

The Rx on the bottle is that 8mL of the liquid = 5mg. I had went to the walk-in clinic ~4 weeks ago now with the idea to do a -10% reduction of the 50mg I.R.. So, that would've been taking 40mg for a month & then reduce again by 10% or whatever (L.O.L.!) So, it would've been 8mL x 5mg = 40mg of the I.R..

 

So, 8mL x 6.2 mL syringes = 49.6mg. I'm thinking this first reduction should last 4 weeks. Especially since the bubbles make it an imperfect amount. If 6 weeks, so be it.

 

When I say slow, I mean slow. If it takes years, that's not my responsibility. My responsibility is to make sure my limbic system doesn't notice the reduction. & to fix this god-forsaken mess the Healthcare System in this god-forsaken province has put on me. This is 1 thing that everyone on this forum says. & it's 100% accurate. We've unconsentually been givin this bullsh*t responsibility that we didn't give permission for. How is this our responsibility? It's not. Not even remotely. They get to go home at night. I got to stay at a god-forsaken in-patient facility and go through this mess I didn't give permission for.

 

I feel like a drug addict using these syringe's of my partner's Labrador Retriever's insulin. And I've never even tried weed before, nor do I drink. I don't f around with my brain chemistry. What the f has my life become. Truly.

 

The weird dreams have already started. My first night trying liquid was Sunday night. & it's not Psychosomatic. It never is. I know my physiology and my psyche better than anyone. I've lived with myself for 38 years. & I haven't appreciated the constant relentless intense gas-lighting from medical professionals since July 2021.

 

The gas-lighting has made me question my sanity numerous times. I'm not a cryer at all. Ask any of my friend groups in my past. I've always been the 'voice of reason', nice, and calm. But I've wept, sobbed, and cried my eyes out at being violated so severely. I've never felt violated before, nor have I experienced heart-break or felt devastated. They're very intense emotions. I have very low expectations for every-day people. I do not get angry. But for medical "professionals" dealing with delicate neurotransmitters of one's physiology, I have sky-high expectations. I am not unreasonable with my anger. My life has unconsentually been put on hold, and my life has already been tampered with with the Pristiq's side-effects and protracted withdrawal symptoms.

 

These bizarre dreams has ALWAYS been a withdrawal symptom for my particular physiology when I've tried to go off of something or reduce it, like eliminate 50mg Pristiq or eliminate 1/4 of one of the two Seroquels. Most of the time, they've nightmares about seeing someone raped. I've never seen someone raped before. But this time it's about my dad's death/dying. I've NEVER EVER gotten get those unless something's f'ed up from medications. It's not Psychosomatic. That's always a sign that I'm in withdrawal.

 

Also, I am having an increase in libido. It's a different type of libido. I'm also a cis-female. This isn't the type I had as a teen or when I ovulate. This is also a classic withdrawal symptom for my physiology.

 

All I can do is do a Lucille Bluth eyeroll and be genuinely horrified at the medical "professionals" who I took their word for with these Psychotropic drugs. The only reason I had to take the 50mg I.R. Seroquel back in July 2021 is because I went into Psychosis on the 6th night of taking LoLoestrin. I had gone to the walk-in clinic on the 5th day with growing concerns (panic attacks...I don't get those. The 50mg Pristiq took care of that back in 2012.) I was reassured that hormonal birth control gives cis-women Psychiatric side-effects. Yes. I know. Go on Reddit or in real life to hear endless stories. But my file shows that I've tried 7 or 8 different ones. I listened to him. I should've just stopped taking the b/c pill. This is the very first time I've ever gone against my good judgement. And I'm still stuck on this bullsh*t tranquilizer 2.75 years later, because NOBODY, not once, not in the god-forsaken Psych Ward where I've never ever been before until fall 2021 due to withdrawal symptoms, not at the walk-in clinic, not at an in-patient clinic 3x within 6 months, not my own aloof extremely ESL Psychiatrist, nowhere ever once mentioned a liquid taper to get off this tranquilizer.

 

I have a legal right to suppress my messy, inconvenient, environmentally-unfriendly menstrual cycle. A lot of women on this planet do not have that legal right. But I've long given up on that, as my physiology just doesn't like synthetic hormones, especially as I've aged. My first attempt was at 27. & my physiology most-certainly does not like any Psychotropic drugs. They're side-effect pills for me. The only one my physiology can moderately tolerate is Pristiq; Not even Effexor, although I was irresponsibly Rx'ed 112.5mg without an apology. My only sibling has taken a starting dosage of Effexor since 2003. It doesn't do much for her anxiety and panic. But they were a different child than me. Even 50mg Pristiq gives me side-effects that I unconsentually live with. And I've been on **150**mg since August 2021.

 

That Seroquel the small local E.R. gave me (it was either something called 'Seroquel' or Ativan - NO!) turned into a 2 year ordeal with me ending up on 4 additional Psychotropic drugs. If my reputation wasn't shattered at my employer during this time (I had to miss so many shifts due to withdrawal symptoms or the meds themselves - even though I always found coverage for my shifts,) I would've had to take a sabbatical.

 

I'm hoping to take a course or 2 this summer at the local Community College; just to get out of the house. My body is not reliable enough to work. As I mentioned before, the tranquilizing effect of the I.R. Seroquel has been infuriatingly inconsistent since they had to add 50mg X.R. back in Nov 2022 at the 2-week in-patient place when I was withdrawing at the same time from: 0.5mg Ativan, the Divalproex that was lowered too fast + taken off and replaced with ANOTHER mood-stabilizer - the mildest one that should've been given to me first if I actually legitimately had BiPolar#2/rapid-cycling, & the Pristiq being lowered from 200-->150. They even lowered the Pristiq again to 100mg just as I was leaving, after only 7 days of being on 150mg. Incompetence. I'd have to check my calendar journal personal documentation, but I lasted max 5 days on 100mg before I had to go back up to 150mg. My parent heard me constantly yelling in my sleep. When they had to add the 50mg X.R. Seroquel - which I'm still stuck on, the tranquilizing went down significantly. I could literally barely move before-hand most of the time the next day when I took it the night before ~8pm. I was used to my job, so I could infuriatingly stumble around & be sloppy with my speech + cognition without being noticed. But still unacceptable. I'm still too tranquilized to start a new job where I have to learn new muscle-memory. I have phenomenal muscle-memory ability. & even something like clerical where I'm a phenomenal typer is not a good idea right now. I shouldn't be doing anything until this tranquilizer gets to a low enough dosage where I can have my body autonomy and freedom of movement back. I once told a Psych Ward Psychiatrist that it literally feels like a tranquilizer dart that they give an elephant, giraffe, etc before they fix his/her wound.

 

I'm not interested in continuing the low-histamine diet, as I've seen no positive change in the intensity or consistency of the tranquilizing. And the low-histamine diet generally shys away from carbohydrates - besides rice. I don't have an adverse reaction to whole grain whole wheat bread, so I've decided to resume having it, & my partner's various rice breads from the store taste like cake.

[Erimus]

It will be easier taking the full amount as a liquid.

[N2deep]

Hi, I'm sorry you've been put on these drugs and having had all these negative experiences because of which. I'm interested to know more about your myoclonus or muscle twitching symptoms. I'm also on an AP and been having a good bit of twitching (eyelids, lips, cheeks, hand, toes) on and off since I have been tapering ... I have been on a long hold and it hasn't totally went away. Just interested in your experience.

[Mittenraised]

@Vancouver1986, I bought a stir plate with a stir magnet. (Used on ebay)It was very helpful in mixing my water solution. I also bought a few pipettes. They are used in various laboratory settings for accurate to deliver measurements. I'll try to post a few pictures if I can figure it out. It helped me immensely in measuring accurately and making the process easier. I think that's what makes it seem so daunting at first. Anyways, I thought that info might help you with water titration.

 

Wishing you rest and good health.

[Carmie]

Hi @Vancouver1986

 

I thought I’d pop over to your thread and answer you here. I am going off the Seroquel because I shouldn’t have been put on it in the first place. I was put on and off all sorts of meds due to  chronic pain. I don’t even remember all the meds they put me on. 
 

I’m down to 3.10mg at the moment and it will take me many, many more years to taper. I’ve only been able to taper by about 1.5% every 5 or more weeks for quite some time now. I might be on my death bed before I’m off these meds😏. When I joined this site in 2018 I was on 7.50mg. 

 

I don’t have any trouble water titrating my meds. I just crush them with a mortar and pestle and add water.

 

As regards the bubbles I just pump it a few times in the liquid. After a few times the bubbles usually disappear. 

 

Sending hugs🤗

Edited April 5 by Carmie
Clarification