baddove: Seroquel and xanax

[baddove]

On xanax 10 years. High was 9 mgs. Current 5.25. On seroquel 7 years. high was 500 mgs spread over 3 doses overnight. A month ago, it started to go adverse. Reduced to 4.75, no benefit. I then inadvertently missed several doses, enough that I ended in seroquel wd. Have spent the last week trying to stabilize. The problem is, its not working. The seroquel is very adverse, and as it takes effect, just feels like wd.

 

Saw my doctor today, he does not know what to advise. Also talked to pharmacist, he said stabilization could take 3 months. (by then Iwill be assigned to a new doctor as mine is retiring) Own Mark horowitz book  Deprescribing guidlines, and his paper on antipsychotics. Using his hyperbolic method of tapering bemzo dose one dose at a time better than cutting all 3. Stable enough on xanax, but not tapering it while I am destabilized on seroquel.

 

Also, my doctor is retiring this year. He said he would try and find someone to replace him, but I doubt they will be as generous with my slow taper of such high doses.

 

I am concerned right now with getting stable andout of wd of the seroquel. I am confident I will have to taper it when I get my new doctor, but for now, just want to get outof wd. 

 

I know this forum is not for antipsychotics, but I suspect my expereince with it, and what is coming, will have similarities to anti depresant reduction.

 

Thank you for any input, looking forward to making new friends and being an active memeber of the community in a positive way.

Edited September 13 by Emonda
Name to title

[baddove]

My concern and issue is about seroquel. It has become adverse, and I have no idea what to do. Tried tapering 5%, still got intense symptoms. Eventually went into wd after about 2 weeks. Updosed  back 3 days ago. first 2 times, it worked again, but last night it was paradoxical again. Currently @ 500mgs, taking at bedtime (200) midnight (150) and 4 am (150). The only thing that stops the paradox is  a dose of xanax, and this is messing with my xanax taper. The paradoxical (if it is a paradox) state is one of terror, and I can't get out of it unless I do that. I was prescribed it for sleep and insomnia. I do not have a preexisting mental ilness that would be treated with an antipsychotic. 

 

My pdoc isn't knowledgable about antipsychotics, even though he prescribed them, and thinks my dose is crazy high. I have no recall as to how my dose got so high. I am assuming tolerance. however, the adverse/paradoxical reactions and the wd are new experiences for me.

 

My pdoc is also retiring, and I am hoping to procure the services of a doctor who specializing in tapering psych drugs. Will call tommorrow (Monday) and set that up. Hopefully, I can start being treated by this new doctor for both drug dependcies. It is a 4 hour drive, so if I become a patient, will use telehealth after intake and evaluation.

 

I have been tapering xanax for 6 years. It is slow and low. Was given seroquel after getting floxed 3x in a row with different fluoroqinilones for a reistant UTI infection. Took  a very long time to recover, so my intial xanax tapering was almost nothing for 2 years. Since the seroquel started turning on me about 2 months ago (it was intermittent) I have halted my benzo taper. If not for the seroquel agony, I would have made progress by now. I am doing a hyperbolic taper of xanax, about 3 % per cut. using the Maudly deprescribing guidlines to do it: Cutting 1 dose at a time, wait, next dose, wait, 3ed dose. Since I started that, the xanax taper got easier (if it can ever be easy) however, with the seroquel drama, I am in limbo per the xanax taper as I am so destabilized. I am in a lot of misery from the seroquel, and the xanax can't fix it. The seroquel sxs are so intense, that my anxiety and other mental sxs have escalated greatly. I'm not really getting much relief from it, and the xanax has also become less effective. I do not think this is a xanax issue at all. I think the xanax is less effective because of the dopamine/serotonin influx from seroquel.

 

I know this group is for antidepressants. I am hoping that some folks in here have dealt with antipsychotics, and can help me figure out how to approach seroquel. I'm between a rock and a rock. The wd I experienced from reducing seroquel was  worse than anything I have experienced from cutting xanax.

 

i hope my info is comprehensive enough.

 

Thank you for any input.

 

Edited September 15 by Emonda
Name to title

[LotusRising]

Hi @baddove

 

Welcome to SA,

 

I moved your second post back to your thread. This here is your main thread where you can continue to ask questions about your particular situation.

 

5 hours ago, baddove said:

It has become adverse, and I have no idea what to do

You mentioned this above, and then this, below

 

On 9/12/2024 at 8:20 PM, baddove said:

A month ago, it started to go adverse. Reduced to 4.75, no benefit.

 

Are you thinking that both stopped working?

 

5 hours ago, baddove said:

The only thing that stops the paradox is  a dose of xanax, and this is messing with my xanax taper

Are you taking extra doses of xanax?

 

On 9/12/2024 at 8:20 PM, baddove said:

I am confident I will have to taper it when I get my new doctor, but for now, just want to get outof wd. 

 

I would continue holding all doses and not adding any extras. Stabilization can take time, but unfortunately, I can't say how long it will take.

[baddove]

20 minutes ago, LotusRising said:

Hi @baddove

 

Welcome to SA,

 

I moved your second post back to your thread. This here is your main thread where you can continue to ask questions about your particular situation.

 

You mentioned this above, and then this, below

 

 

Are you thinking that both stopped working? I think only the seroquel stopped working.

 

Are you taking extra doses of xanax? I take then when the seroquel hits so bad that  it feels like wd from it. This calms the worst symptoms, so I'm not completely freaking out. I dont like doing this. It gets my body to chill out enough I can rest, but I still feel the effect of the seroquel  assault on my cns the next day. I would not be adding a rescue dose of xanax if it were not for what seroquel is doing to me. I don't want to do that.

 

 

I would continue holding all doses and not adding any extras. Stabilization can take time, but unfortunately, I can't say how long it will take.

Per your comments:

 

I actually have felt like my body is ready to cut xanax, even in the midst of this, for about a week. Went ahead and made a 3% cut today. I have to say, the xanax is better at the lower dose. ( I cut one dose at a time, that works best for me, per Maudsley) As to seroquel, I don not know what to do. The regular 200 mg went bad again last night. I was thinking of cutting it ot 150. I'm shoooting in the dark with the seroquel. I dont know what to do. I am just sick of the torment it brings.

 

I think the seroquel quit working, it has beeen getting less effective for a few months. Then made a cut of 5% , disaster, went into wd. Worse wd I have ever experienced. Went back for 2 nights, it was better, then last night the old dose got me again.

I do not have a habit of rescue doses. However, when the seroquel is adverse it is just like being in wd from it. The palps get real bad, terror, and even some hints of psychosis. I do take a reduced xanax dose, it helps tone it down. I still wake up with a very traumatized CNS the next day. ALso, my anxiety is through the roof the next day after a night of seroquel trauma.

 

Thank you for your input.

[LotusRising]

1 minute ago, baddove said:

I think the seroquel quit working, it has beeen getting less effective for a few months.

Are you certain your symptoms aren't WD symptoms? How have you been tapering? You said your current dose is 500mg, but where did you start from?

[baddove]

26 minutes ago, LotusRising said:

Are you certain your symptoms aren't WD symptoms? How have you been tapering? You said your current dose is 500mg, but where did you start from?

When it comes to seroquel, I have no idea what is going on. Tolerance is a posability, it could be wd, and my body wants more. I'm sure thats how I got to 500 over the past 7 years. its the only thing thatmakes sense. I am scared to updose however, what if it makes the adverse experience worse?

 

I do not know my start dose, its all a blank to me, and I didnt keep records. I had no intention of tapering seroquel until I finished the xanax taper, but then it went adverse. When it worked, it worked well, It gave me a good sense of calm, enough that I could ease into sleep. It also allowed me to not take night doses of xanax. Was working well enough , not perfect, but enough. Now its cray-cray. I started the taper  at 175/150/150, same issue. Went to 150/150/150, not much benefit, not much sleep, but not the terrors, until, I went into wd after 2 weeks. As I said, I have never experienced anything like that. And, I was CTed of xanax 20 years ago. The seroquel wd was pure insanity. My son is on an antipsychotic (abilify) for schizophrenia. He said when he misses a day, he goes into this hell that is not wd, its pure psychosis, even if one never had it before. He described it as unbearable, but said reinstating fixes it in about a week. 

 

Im thinking of starting with 150, then adding another 50 in 45 minutes, for the totalof 200 mgs. (first dose) Splitting it might prevent the adverse affect, and not destabilize the total dosage. the remaining 2 doses I have left the same: 150 and 150.

[StayHopeful]

Hi @baddove!

 

When you taper both the Xanax and Seroquel at the same time, if your withdrawal symptoms get worse, you won't know which medication is causing it or which one to adjust if you need to. I tapered both of my meds at the same time (Seroquel and Lexapro), but I wish I hadn't. Unfortunately, I didn't find this site until several months after I'd already finished my way, too fast taper.

 

This thread is useful concerning Seroquel withdrawal and tapering; there are other's experiences, tips and links to information about how Seroquel works on the brain. It helped me tremendously, just to know how the medication worked, what parts of the brain were affected and why I had certain symptoms during my tapering and withdrawal journey.

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/1707-tips-for-tapering-off-seroquel-quetiapine/

 

I hope it helps.

 

SH

[baddove]

1 hour ago, StayHopeful said:

Hi @baddove!

 

When you taper both the Xanax and Seroquel at the same time, if your withdrawal symptoms get worse, you won't know which medication is causing it or which one to adjust if you need to. I tapered both of my meds at the same time (Seroquel and Lexapro), but I wish I hadn't. Unfortunately, I didn't find this site until several months after I'd already finished my way, too fast taper.

 

This thread is useful concerning Seroquel withdrawal and tapering; there are other's experiences, tips and links to information about how Seroquel works on the brain. It helped me tremendously, just to know how the medication worked, what parts of the brain were affected and why I had certain symptoms during my tapering and withdrawal journey.

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/1707-tips-for-tapering-off-seroquel-quetiapine/

 

I hope it helps.

 

SH

First, thank you for reaching out to help me. I dont want to taper seroquel, but was kind of pushed into it. I am trying to restabilize on it now, takes time. It has completely screwed up my xanax taper. SO, good advice. I bookmarked the link. That is awesome. I have not been able to find responsible information in regards to tapering, etc, and you gave me the first solid  lengthy text that will guide me in understanding how to deal with sero. I bookmarked it, will read through it over time. Lots of information, and I need it!

[StayHopeful]

@baddove,

 

You're welcome.

I think you'll find it very enlightening.  As I mentioned it really helped me understand what was taking place in my body during withdrawal, due to the receptors Seroquel binds to and its cascading effects. For me, after all I'd been through, the "what's" and "why's" made sense and made it a little more bearable when new symptoms showed up.

 

I can relate to your situation regarding Seroquel and I'm sorry the destabilization messed with your current Xanax taper. I was given Seroquel off label for insomnia in 2014, I can't remember if I started at 25 or 50mgs but it worked great, I was asleep within 15 minutes. After several months though, I developed tolerance, and my dose would be increased. Within approximately 4 years I was at 800mgs = 2 XR 400mg tablets taken before bedtime.  Tolerance started again toward mid 2020 and slowly became worse (much slower than the times before) but I wasn't attributing the increased symptoms/side effects I was having to Seroquel tolerance, I just figured it was job stress from the pandemic. Now, I know better, and in my case, I would have always become tolerant of it at some point.

 

Hang in there and I hope you stabilize soon. 💪

 

SH