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Kiwiki: Tapering off 25mg seroquel


Kiwiki

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How to come of the lowest dose of serequel. Who has been successful?

I Was on Diazapam for 10 years (all of my 20's). Decided to come off and tapered down through my doctor over 2 years. 2 months in to being completely drug free I woke up one day with what I understand now to be withdrawal syndrome. Or at least I think that is what happened as no GP or psychiatrist has ever explained anything to me, and I have had to do countless hours of research myself in trying to understand what I went through. I could not handle colors or patterns, they just seemed so overwhelming. Sound was overwhelming also, the noise of a teaspoon in a cup was too much. I felt as though I had lost my mind. I had dizziness, loss of appetite, diarrhea. I shook uncontrollably. When I went to see my doc 2 days in, she scolded me and told me I was seeking more diazapam. She told me I was having a panic attack and no one ever died of those and sent me home on sereguel, 25mg when needed. Serequel did nothing for me and I suffered for 3 weeks. I wanted to kill myself towards the end. I was always aware of time and place so I do not believe it was a 'psychotic episode'. I no longer see that GP and now have an excellent doctor, but the problem is, he does not know much about Serequel. I now want off serequel as I don't like the idea of being on an anit-psycotic for insomnia. This is what I take it for and it started to work well for me in that area once my brain came back to some kind of normalization after the benzos. I have generalised anxiety disorder but can cope without meds. I just have extreme trouble sleeping. It scares me to read other peoples horror stories about serequel and what some of the side effects are. It makes my muscles quite stiff and could be affecting my eye sight as I do get blurry vision although the optometrist says my eyes are fine. I feel alone as no-one seems to know how to taper me off 25mg, and I have actually been told it is safe to just stop taking the serequel as I am on the lowest dose. I doubt this could be true as I have been on it for 4 years and it changes brain function. I would not like to risk it either after what happened after coming off diazapam. 

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I am really becoming scared. I've been on serequel for 4 years and was told it was such a safe wonder drug when I was prescribed it.was prescribed it for generalized anxiety disorder (25mg per night). I was previously on diazapam for 10 years and tapered off that. That was not easy but I did it. I'm learning more and more about serequel and it's very alarming to see all the side effects. I feel like I'm in a lot of trouble here as I have no idea on how to get off it as I am completely reliant on it to get to sleep. I don't know where to turn. My GP doesn't know much about the drug so he sent me to a psychiatrist who told me I didn't need to come off it and in fact, should take antidepressants as well. Doctors always want to prescribe pills yet they can't advise you on how to get off them. Really scared. Help.

I Was on Diazapam for 10 years (all of my 20's). Decided to come off and tapered down through my doctor over 2 years. 2 months in to being completely drug free I woke up one day with what I understand now to be withdrawal syndrome. Or at least I think that is what happened as no GP or psychiatrist has ever explained anything to me, and I have had to do countless hours of research myself in trying to understand what I went through. I could not handle colors or patterns, they just seemed so overwhelming. Sound was overwhelming also, the noise of a teaspoon in a cup was too much. I felt as though I had lost my mind. I had dizziness, loss of appetite, diarrhea. I shook uncontrollably. When I went to see my doc 2 days in, she scolded me and told me I was seeking more diazapam. She told me I was having a panic attack and no one ever died of those and sent me home on sereguel, 25mg when needed. Serequel did nothing for me and I suffered for 3 weeks. I wanted to kill myself towards the end. I was always aware of time and place so I do not believe it was a 'psychotic episode'. I no longer see that GP and now have an excellent doctor, but the problem is, he does not know much about Serequel. I now want off serequel as I don't like the idea of being on an anit-psycotic for insomnia. This is what I take it for and it started to work well for me in that area once my brain came back to some kind of normalization after the benzos. I have generalised anxiety disorder but can cope without meds. I just have extreme trouble sleeping. It scares me to read other peoples horror stories about serequel and what some of the side effects are. It makes my muscles quite stiff and could be affecting my eye sight as I do get blurry vision although the optometrist says my eyes are fine. I feel alone as no-one seems to know how to taper me off 25mg, and I have actually been told it is safe to just stop taking the serequel as I am on the lowest dose. I doubt this could be true as I have been on it for 4 years and it changes brain function. I would not like to risk it either after what happened after coming off diazapam. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Kiwiki, I have moved your topic to create an Introduction for you, since you are new and this is about your situation.  You can bookmark your Intro to find it more easily, and by clicking "Follow" above, you will be notified anytime someone responds to your thread.

 

It would be very helpful for the mods and others if you will fill out your signature block.  This allows everyone to see your situation at a glance rather than having to read your whole thread (as it grows).  Include all meds you have been on over time, with dates as best as you can.  I'm sure we will ask questions once we see your info, and then you can modify your signature block to include that information.  Instructions on how to do all this are here:

 

Please put your Withdrawal History in Signature

 

Big Pharma doesn't make it easy for us to come off these meds since the smallest dose they produce are still too large to jump off from or even divvy down into smaller doses.   At SA, we recommend a 10% taper per month, based on the previous month's dosage.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Here's some info about tapering Seroquel:

Tips for tapering off Seroquel (quetiapine)

 

The whole point of a slow taper is to avoid or minimize withdrawal symptoms so that you can be comfortable, functional and continue living your life in the process.  Tapering too quickly can amount to a cold turkey and can be devastating.  Many who end up here have tried, perhaps more than once, and ended up back on because the withdrawal was so horrible.  Here is more info about withdrawal:

 

Introduction to AD Withdrawal Syndrome

 

I hope that this info will give you a good platform for planning your taper.  We are here to help, so please come back with questions :-)

 

Welcome to SA - I'm glad you found us!

SG

Started ADs back around 1995 after bad break-up, starting with Prozac.  Switched to Wellbutrin, and then to Effexor in 2002
Effexor XR 2002-2014 up to 225 mg at one point, down to 37.5 mg towards end but back up to 75 mg in 2014; now realize I had W/D as I dropped down, memory very poor about history.  Extreme emotions, poor concentration as I stepped back down, didn't connect the dots!
Summer 2014 reduced to 0 very quickly, was sick of anhedonia/sexual dysfunction due to meds, depression never controlled if not worse. Didn't recognize WD since symptoms built slowly (thought I had ADD! and menopausal on top of it), starting with severe sweats, very bad cog-fog and memory issues, culminating in weight loss, severe anxiety and depression, panic, severe apathy and insomnia by eight months off.  Saw p-doc who put me on Remeron, increased from 7.5 mg/day to 37.5 mg by May 22, 2015; still doing very badly though able to sleep.

June 1. 2015 Reinstated Effexor XR 37.5 mg, Remeron dropped to 30 mg PM. Immediate relief of symptoms, like nothing had ever happened!  Joined SA and began on advice of friend who recognized it was WD all along! Began tapering in July 2015.

Been tapering both meds ever since, focusing on one more than the other or doing no more than 5% of each per month.

12 mg Effexor and 5.8 mg Remeron (mirtazapine SolTabs to make a solution with OraPlus) as of 5/4/2017 

Update 3/14/18: 2.9 mg Remeron and 6 mg Effexor; 6/10/18:  2.6 mg Remeron and 4.9 mg Effexor

 

My intro: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9313-squirrellygirl-effexor-withdrawal-etc/page-2#entry196679

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

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Hi Kiwiki. Welcome. 

 

If you could add your drug history signature , it would enable us to see where you have come from , and what " tapering " advice to give . You have landed in a great place for encouragement and support.  This is your thread to ask questions / journal and report tapering progress.

If you click FOLLOW,  ( top right ) , you will see notifications.  SG has given you all the pertinent links. Have a read and come back with any questions that you might have . We can help you through this . Yes , there are many who have been successful in stepping off .

Ali

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Kia Ora Kiwiki,

 

I see you are in NZ, and I am too so wanted to pop in and welcome you.  I know it feels really scary at the moment - I remember feeling that way when I first got here (most people do) but after you start reading some of the links SG and Ali gave you, you'll probably start to feel a bit better.

 

There are safe ways to taper, and a lot of info and support here for you. 

 

Come and check into the NZ members thread, as it has some good local info. 

 

Welcome to s/a,

Karen

2010  Fluoxetine 20mg.  2011  Escitalopram 20mg.  2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS.  Effexor 150mg. 

2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants.  Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. 

Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms).

8 month hold.

2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent).

2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well.
Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea.

2023 Now on 7 micro-beads of Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops.

 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.'  Dr Gabor Mate.

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Just wanted to welcome you too.

Welcome. So glad you found sa.

 

I think kiwi people are the best ! The kiwi doctors leave a lot to be desired though.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Kiwiki,

I'd liked to suggest that you copy your current signature block and paste it into a post.  This is for a couple of reasons.  The first is that it is an excellent history of your situation but it is very hard to read.

Secondly, the signature block is more useful if it shows a summary of ALL drugs, dates doses and how you decreased/increased.  This will make it much easier for people to be able to glance at your signature and understand your drug history.

BTW welcome to SA.  It's a fantastic site.  The members are very encouraging and supportive and there is large amount of information on the site.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 3 months later...

Kiwiki are you able to give an update.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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