quetiapineAddict: tapering from Seroquel XR to Seroquel IR

[quetiapineAddict]

8 years ago I was in a ward voluntarily for three months and then I have been taking Seroquel XR since I have been released .

400mg XR for a period of time and lowered the dose to 350 and then 300.
since september 2017 i have reduced the dose to 200, increasing to 300 three times and bouncing back to 200 again.

I have stabilized on Seroquel 200mg XR since January 2018 until now.

In order to continue the taper I have tried tapering to seroquel 150 XR but I had sleeping disorders.

I have asked my psych to change the prescription to 200 IR and I have also got a precription for 25 mg IR pills.

I've been told to take 100mg IR at night and 100mg at day. Last night I took the pill and had a good sleep.

Today Ive taken the daily dose at around 10PM and I have been very sleepy until 4PM which kinda sucks. I have slept around 3-4 hours during that time.

 

I have thought about decreasing the daily dose soon to 75mg.

What are your thoughts about this. How should I continue the tapering?

[Songbird]

Hi quetiapineAddict, welcome to SA.  Thanks for creating your signature.  It's great that you are getting prepared in advance for your taper.  Here is some good information about preparing for your taper:  before you begin tapering - what you need to know

 

Since you've recently changed from XR to twice-daily doses of IR,  it's probably best to keep the dose the same for a while and let your body adjust to the new dosing regimen.  Even though the overall dose is the same, your body may notice the change.  I'd give it at least four weeks and see how it goes.  Then you could commence your taper once you've stabilised on the new pills.

 

A decrease from 100mg to 75mg is a 25% drop, which is a big drop, and so has a high risk of resulting in quite severe withdrawal symptoms.  The guideline here is drops of no more than 10%, as smaller drops generally result in much milder withdrawal symptoms and are easier for your system to adjust to.  For more information see:  why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

For tapering you will need a way to accurately measure the doses you need (for example making a liquid, or using a digital scale).  For more information about tapering quetiapine, see:  tips for tapering off seroquel (quetiapine)

 

Please post all your updates and questions here in your introduction topic.

 

 

[quetiapineAddict]

5 hours ago, Songbird said:

Hi quetiapineAddict, welcome to SA.  Thanks for creating your signature.  It's great that you are getting prepared in advance for your taper.  Here is some good information about preparing for your taper:  before you begin tapering - what you need to know

 

Since you've recently changed from XR to twice-daily doses of IR,  it's probably best to keep the dose the same for a while and let your body adjust to the new dosing regimen.  Even though the overall dose is the same, your body may notice the change.  I'd give it at least four weeks and see how it goes.  Then you could commence your taper once you've stabilised on the new pills.

 

A decrease from 100mg to 75mg is a 25% drop, which is a big drop, and so has a high risk of resulting in quite severe withdrawal symptoms.  The guideline here is drops of no more than 10%, as smaller drops generally result in much milder withdrawal symptoms and are easier for your system to adjust to.  For more information see:  why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

For tapering you will need a way to accurately measure the doses you need (for example making a liquid, or using a digital scale).  For more information about tapering quetiapine, see:  tips for tapering off seroquel (quetiapine)

 

Please post all your updates and questions here in your introduction topic.

 

 

Thanks I will do that.

 

The 25mg  is a decrease from the daily dose of the seroquel. I take seroquel mainly for sleep and I don't feel any benefits whatsoever from this drug.

25mg off of 100mgx2 is 12.5% which is almost 10%. 

 

My question is should I taper the daily dose only(because it makes me sleepy during the day) or taper from both daily and nightly dose(which will be harder because I will have to cut the pills)?

I thought about tapering the daily dose only until I'm left with 100mg IR for night sleep.

[Songbird]

On 6/21/2018 at 2:23 AM, quetiapineAddict said:

Today Ive taken the daily dose at around 10PM and I have been very sleepy until 4PM which kinda sucks. I have slept around 3-4 hours during that time.

 

Did you mean 10 a.m.?  By daily dose I guess you mean daytime dose.  I was confused because to me "daily" means once per day.  If we can call it daytime dose it will be clearer.

 

How well are you sleeping on the 100mg IR nighttime dose?

[quetiapineAddict]

11 hours ago, Songbird said:

 

Did you mean 10 a.m.?  By daily dose I guess you mean daytime dose.  I was confused because to me "daily" means once per day.  If we can call it daytime dose it will be clearer.

 

How well are you sleeping on the 100mg IR nighttime dose?

Yes I ment 10 a.m.

I have decided to decrease the a.m dose to 75 mg. it's been well for 2 days without side-effects. the only problem is that it makes me sleepy so I have to take a nap until 3~4 p.m.

 

100mg nighttime is sufficient for my sleep. no complaints. it is the reason I changed from XR to IR because below 200mg XR I could not sleep very well. 

[Carmie]

Hi QuetiapineAddict, 

 

Just popping by to let you know I’m tapering off the same meds as you. I’ve managed to get from 300mg to 7.5mg over many years and I have many more to go. The smaller the dose, the smaller the taper. 

 

The two things I’ve learnt in this journey is to taper slowly and to have long holds. I can’t taper by 10%, though I’ve done it in the past. At the moment my body will only allow me to taper by about 4% to 5%. I definitely need to hold at least a month and sometimes much longer. 

 

I only take  quetiapine once a day, in the evening, so we’re a little different. It puts me to sleep still, but I know in the future I will get rebound insomnia. I’m just taking a day at a time though, and making the most of each day. You can only live in this very moment. All the worrying about the future doesn’t change a single thing. 

 

I’ve  been having a break from tapering for a few months and won’t be tapering again until probably the end of August. 

 

Sending hugs🤗

 

 

[Altostrata]

Hello, QA.

 

You've been taking 200mg-400mg Seroquel XR since 2010 for sleep?

 

Please let us know how you're doing since you've reduced your morning Seroquel to 75mg, with 100mg in the evening for a total daily dose of 175mg.

[quetiapineAddict]

On 6/24/2018 at 5:35 AM, Altostrata said:

Hello, QA.

 

You've been taking 200mg-400mg Seroquel XR since 2010 for sleep?

 

Please let us know how you're doing since you've reduced your morning Seroquel to 75mg, with 100mg in the evening for a total daily dose of 175mg.

Iv'e had some kind of a system failure two days ago, and now I'm back to 200mg XR. 

 

It seems that my brain and body are programmed and conditioned to work under the XR formula. If it doesn't get the XR formula things go really bad. 

I have started to have really bad back pains, and I also have bad metabolism problems due to the seroquel toxication. when I was under the IR seroquel I felt like I'm losing it from all the pain and the discomfort, so I shoved the 200mg XR, ibufen and advil. *** everything 😞

 

I probably have crohn's disease or upset stomach. when I don't get my XR formula all system falls apart.

 

I'm going to stay on 200mg XR until I solve my back problems and metabolism issues.

[quetiapineAddict]

Carmie my body is programmed and conditioned to work under the XR formula. and I can't really taper from the 200mg because the smallest pills are 50mg.

I have tried reducing to 150 XR 3 times and it went bad sleep wise and mental wise.

I thought i might start to combine 150XR and 50IR for the night sleep. and slowly switching to IR in the future.

[Songbird]

24 minutes ago, quetiapineAddict said:

I thought i might start to combine 150XR and 50IR for the night sleep. and slowly switching to IR in the future.

 

Yes, there are options for combining XR and IR - the Seroquel topic talks about this under the heading "Use a combination of tablets or capsules and liquid".

 

I'm not sure what you mean by metabolism issues.  You got back pain, upset stomach - what other symptoms? 

 

What time are you taking the 200mg XR now?

[quetiapineAddict]

5 hours ago, Songbird said:

 

Yes, there are options for combining XR and IR - the Seroquel topic talks about this under the heading "Use a combination of tablets or capsules and liquid".

  

I'm not sure what you mean by metabolism issues.  You got back pain, upset stomach - what other symptoms? 

  

What time are you taking the 200mg XR now? 

Metabolism issues - constipation, abnormal amounts of stools per day,some of them are blood/containing blood. rectal bleeding.  I will have a colonoscopy at the end of July.

The above issues worsened when I was under Seroquel IR and it was very dis-comfortable.

I'm taking the 200mg XR pill at 21:30 PM.

[quetiapineAddict]

"Use a combination of tablets or capsules and liquid". couldn't find that thread. can you give me a link?

[Songbird]

7 hours ago, quetiapineAddict said:

"Use a combination of tablets or capsules and liquid". couldn't find that thread. can you give me a link?

 

It's near the bottom of the third post: tips for tapering off seroquel quetiapine post 3.

 

There isn't much detail there, but your idea of 150XR combined with 50IR seems like a reasonable place to start.

 

 

[Carmie]

Hi QuetiapineAddict, 

 

Just wondering how you are going with tapering the quetiapine.

 

Sending hugs🤗

 

 

[quetiapineAddict]

1. I've been doing good. in august I have changed my dose from 200mg XR  to 150mg XR +50mg IR. I have been doing good and my back problems and digestion got better. it turns out I have IBS syndrome so I have to follow a strict diet.
2. This month I have changed my dose to 100 mg XR +75 mg IR.
3. My plan is to change my dose to 50 mg Xr +100mg IR next month.

Cheers

[Carmie]

On 9/17/2018 at 4:46 PM, quetiapineAddict said:

1. I've been doing good. in august I have changed my dose from 200mg XR  to 150mg XR +50mg IR. I have been doing good and my back problems and digestion got better. it turns out I have IBS syndrome so I have to follow a strict diet.
2. This month I have changed my dose to 100 mg XR +75 mg IR.
3. My plan is to change my dose to 50 mg Xr +100mg IR next month.

Cheers

 

Hi QuetiapineAddict, 

 

Glad to hear you’re doing well and wishing you the best for your continued tapering 💚

[quetiapineAddict]

On 9/19/2018 at 3:46 AM, Carmie said:

 

Hi QuetiapineAddict, 

 

Glad to hear you’re doing well and wishing you the best for your continued tapering 💚

 

I have tapered to to 150mg(100 mr +50 xr)

 

How do you think I should continue the tapering?

 

Obviously I will still need to have some daily maintenance so I have thought about changing the 50 xr from the nightime to daytime 25 mg. (100mg IR at night, 25 mg IR at day)

Leaving the xr formula was quite hard last time therefore the other option is to change to 75mg IR and keep the 50mg XR.

[Carmie]

Hi QuetiapineAddict, 

 

I don’t know anything about the extended release meds, I’ve never used them, though one of the mods my be able to help.

 

Take care💚

18 hours ago, quetiapineAddict said:

 

I have tapered to to 150mg(100 mr +50 xr)

 

How do you think I should continue the tapering?

 

Obviously I will still need to have some daily maintenance so I have thought about changing the 50 xr from the nightime to daytime 25 mg. (100mg IR at night, 25 mg IR at day)

Leaving the xr formula was quite hard last time therefore the other option is to change to 75mg IR and keep the 50mg XR.

 

[quetiapineAddict]

I know I can sleep well with only 100mg IR but I question my daily functionality with daily dose of 25 mg IR

[Carmie]

Hi QA, 

 

Just checking in to see how you’re doing with your tapering💚

[Carmie]

Hi @quetiapineAddict

 

Just wondering how you’re doing with your meds. 

 

Sending hugs🤗

[quetiapineAddict]

On 10/19/2018 at 4:26 AM, Carmie said:

Hi @quetiapineAddict

 

Just wondering how you’re doing with your meds. 

 

Sending hugs🤗

I am now on 125 mg IR at night and 25 mg IR at day. feeling quite lethargic. I also always wake up at the middle of the night around 4-5 am

[Carmie]

On 10/23/2018 at 11:58 PM, quetiapineAddict said:

I am now on 125 mg IR at night and 25 mg IR at day. feeling quite lethargic. I also always wake up at the middle of the night around 4-5 am

 

Hi QuetiapineAddict, 

 

Besides the lethargy and the waking up at 4am how are you doing? How did you end up figuring out the swapping between the extended n immediate release formulas?

 

Take care💚

[quetiapineAddict]

On 10/25/2018 at 2:17 AM, Carmie said:

 

Hi QuetiapineAddict, 

 

Besides the lethargy and the waking up at 4am how are you doing? How did you end up figuring out the swapping between the extended n immediate release formulas?

 

Take care💚

 

I've been doing fine with the change from XR to IR. now I only take 125 mg IR at night and 12.5 mg IR at day. in 1.5 weeks i plan to toss off the daily dose. 

[Carmie]

7 hours ago, quetiapineAddict said:

 

I've been doing fine with the change from XR to IR. now I only take 125 mg IR at night and 12.5 mg IR at day. in 1.5 weeks i plan to toss off the daily dose. 

 

Glad you’re doing fine QA, 

 

Looks like you’re doing great n you’ve gotten down even further. Your question on my thread surprised me n I answered you there.  There is no way I could turkey the last 7.5mg. 

 

Please be careful not to taper too quick or you may pay for it down the track. Keep me informed as to your progress.

 

Sending hugs🤗

[Seamus]

Hello 🙂

Omg seroquel people! So nice to meet you! 

 

Can I ask if you guys have continuously muscle spasms or neck/back pain continued when tapering?  Im having a really rough time and its really encouraging to see both of you tapering

[Carmie]

3 hours ago, Seamus said:

Hello 🙂

Omg seroquel people! So nice to meet you! 

 

Can I ask if you guys have continuously muscle spasms or neck/back pain continued when tapering?  Im having a really rough time and its really encouraging to see both of you tapering

 

Hi Seamus, 

 

I’ve connected with you on your thread. No, I don’t get neck or back pain at the moment but everyone gets different symptoms and they can also change all the time, come n go etc. They are all over the place. 

 

Sending hugs your way🤗

 

 

Hi QA, 

 

How are you doing lately? You’ve done so well in changing from XR to IR. Wishing you all the best on your continued taper💚

[quetiapineAddict]

On 11/12/2018 at 6:27 AM, Seamus said:

Hello 🙂

Omg seroquel people! So nice to meet you! 

 

Can I ask if you guys have continuously muscle spasms or neck/back pain continued when tapering?  Im having a really rough time and its really encouraging to see both of you tapering

yes I was having back pains but it was because of different reasons. i was vegan for a while and now after starting eating meat again my back problems are much better.

 

Carmie, i was trying to toss off the daily dose but it didn't go well. i will try to remove 12.5 mg from the night dose soon.

[manymoretodays]

Hi QA,

Is there a reason you are going so fast with changes?  I'm not sure I'm following here.

I'm seeing changes in your narratives briefly, and then another change.

My guess is, that you might consider HOLDING for a bit longer between changes.  You're changing to more IR AND decreasing dosages?

It can be pretty dis-regulating to the nervous system to be making too many changes, too fast.

See:  What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

Is there a rhyme or reason to your method?  I mean can you clarify what you are presently doing with your Seroquel tapering plan?  e.g. 10% tapers from the previous dose.  ? switching to 50% IR and 50% XR?  Planning to cross to all IR soon?  Or continue with using XR and IR differently? 

I just hate to see you experiment on yourself too much here.

 

So.....give me an idea, if you will, on your tapering plan here for Seroquel.  I just don't want you to wind up with insomnia or hearing voices.  It looks like you started it for sleep purposes?   Or continued it for that reason?

And overall, how are you doing?

 

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

mmt

Edited November 13, 2018 by manymoretodays
clarity

[Carmie]

Hi QA, 

 

Your message on my thread made me laugh but it’s important to go slow and I will continue to do so.

 

I think Manymoretodays is concerned about your changeover from XR to IR. I’ve never used XR tablets. Please answer her questions.

 

How are your withdrawal symptoms going at the moment? If you change over too quickly or taper too quickly you may end up having many problems down the road, that’s why I’m going so slow. When I don’t my withdrawals get so severe. Please listen to her advice and answer her questions. 

 

All the best with your continued tapering💚

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[quetiapineAddict]

On 11/13/2018 at 7:19 PM, manymoretodays said:

Hi QA,

Is there a reason you are going so fast with changes?  I'm not sure I'm following here.

I'm seeing changes in your narratives briefly, and then another change.

My guess is, that you might consider HOLDING for a bit longer between changes.  You're changing to more IR AND decreasing dosages?

It can be pretty dis-regulating to the nervous system to be making too many changes, too fast.

See:  What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

Is there a rhyme or reason to your method?  I mean can you clarify what you are presently doing with your Seroquel tapering plan?  e.g. 10% tapers from the previous dose.  ? switching to 50% IR and 50% XR?  Planning to cross to all IR soon?  Or continue with using XR and IR differently? 

I just hate to see you experiment on yourself too much here.

  

So.....give me an idea, if you will, on your tapering plan here for Seroquel.  I just don't want you to wind up with insomnia or hearing voices.  It looks like you started it for sleep purposes?   Or continued it for that reason?

And overall, how are you doing?

  

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

mmt

HI,

I have changed from XR to IR gradually, as you can see in my signature, and currently I only take IR. My drugging is 125 mg IR at night, 12.5 mg at day.

 

I changed the daily dose relatively fast from 25 mg IR to 12.5 mg IR because 25mg IR made me too sleepy during the day. right no I'm stabilized on this dose.

 

My plan is to taper 25 mg  IR from the night dose in the next two months.

 

I can taper faster than other people because I don't work, I sun-gaze, grounding and I eat healthy.

[quetiapineAddict]

On 11/13/2018 at 11:32 PM, Carmie said:

Hi QA, 

 

Your message on my thread made me laugh but it’s important to go slow and I will continue to do so.

 

I think Manymoretodays is concerned about your changeover from XR to IR. I’ve never used XR tablets. Please answer her questions.

 

How are your withdrawal symptoms going at the moment? If you change over too quickly or taper too quickly you may end up having many problems down the road, that’s why I’m going so slow. When I don’t my withdrawals get so severe. Please listen to her advice and answer her questions. 

 

All the best with your continued tapering💚

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carmie I know a guy who completely withdrawed himself from seroquel over the course of 1 year. 

 

tbh 7.5 mg IR is nothing and if it was me I would just toss it off and take something else for the sleep instead.

 

my only withdrawal symptom is that sometimes I wake up late in the night. during 4-6 AM usually. but it's not too bad because I go to sleep early.

I'm a guy who uses to sleep a lot so its kind of a bummer to sleep only 6-7 hours at night. I would like to sleep at least 8 hours a night. any ideas?

[Carmie]

8 hours ago, quetiapineAddict said:

Carmie I know a guy who completely withdrawed himself from seroquel over the course of 1 year. 

 

tbh 7.5 mg IR is nothing and if it was me I would just toss it off and take something else for the sleep instead.

 

my only withdrawal symptom is that sometimes I wake up late in the night. during 4-6 AM usually. but it's not too bad because I go to sleep early.

I'm a guy who uses to sleep a lot so its kind of a bummer to sleep only 6-7 hours at night. I would like to sleep at least 8 hours a night. any ideas?

 

Hey QA, 

 

I’m sorry but I can’t agree with jumping off at 7.5mg. If I go down by just 10% I get such severe symptoms. My body is very sensitive to any changes, so I taper at around five percent. 

 

I’m glad your withdrawals haven’t been severe but that’s not the case with everyone, not the case with most people really, especially if you’ve been on and off meds and have been cold turkeyed in the past etc. . Just read some of the stories on here or watch YouTube videos of people who are struggling as much as I do. 

 

I have tried tapering quicker in the past before I knew anything about tapering and I’ve also been cold turkeyed by doctors and I had such severe akathisia that I was suicidal. Akathisia is the absolute worst thing one can go through. I still get it at times even when I’m tapering slowly but it doesn’t last as long and it doesn’t get to the stage where my body feels like it’s been plugged into a power socket. I literally feel like I’m being electrocuted!!

 

Even though you haven’t really had many withdrawals I would still say please be safe. Off course, it’s up to you what you do, we all have to take our own journeys but there is no way I would recommend people going quick. Please keep us posted though on your progress.

 

As regards sleep, a lot of people find they wake up early due to elevated cortisol levels. One of the things that’s recommended is to make your room as dark as possible with black out curtains n wear an eye mask. There is a whole thread on the first page of  Symptoms And Self Care on sleep. You can also google survivingantidepressants.org and sleep.

 

Take care, and wishing you all the best in your continued journey 💚

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[manymoretodays]

16 hours ago, quetiapineAddict said:

HI,

I have changed from XR to IR gradually, as you can see in my signature, and currently I only take IR. My drugging is 125 mg IR at night, 12.5 mg at day.

 

I changed the daily dose relatively fast from 25 mg IR to 12.5 mg IR because 25mg IR made me too sleepy during the day. right no I'm stabilized on this dose.

 

My plan is to taper 25 mg  IR from the night dose in the next two months.

 

I can taper faster than other people because I don't work, I sun-gaze, grounding and I eat healthy.

 

On 11/11/2018 at 9:27 PM, Seamus said:

Can I ask if you guys have continuously muscle spasms or neck/back pain continued when tapering?  Im having a really rough time and its really encouraging to see both of you tapering

 

16 hours ago, quetiapineAddict said:

my only withdrawal symptom is that sometimes I wake up late in the night. during 4-6 AM usually. but it's not too bad because I go to sleep early.

I'm a guy who uses to sleep a lot so its kind of a bummer to sleep only 6-7 hours at night. I would like to sleep at least 8 hours a night. any ideas?

 

Hey.  What I see in your signature is:

January 2018 to June 2018: Stabilized on Seroquel 200 XR

20/6/2018 - Switching from Seroquel XR to Seroquel 200 IR in order to continue the tapering. didn't work well, back to 200mg XR after a few days

8/2018 - Changed my dose to Seroquel 150mg XR +50mg IR

9/2018 - Tapered my dose to Seroquel 100mg XR +75mg IR

10/2018 - Tapered my dose to Seroquel 50mg XR +100mg IR

 

Go to Account Settings:  Create or update your signature in Account Settings

Also see: Tips for tapering off Seroquel(quetiapine)

 

Your decreases in total daily dosage have been 12.5%, when you went from 200 mg to 175 mg.  And then 14.3 % when you went from 175 mg to 150 mg. 

When did you go to the 12.5 mg dose in the day?  Go ahead and update your signature with it please.   If I were you I would consider just holding for a bit to see if you continue with the stability that you are reporting. 

Can you HOLD for 4-6 weeks now.

The back and neck spasms could be W/D symptoms.   If it seems they started with your decreasing dosages.....I think it's very likely.  Sometimes quetiapine has side effects like that also.

 

Carmie went over some sleep hygiene I see in a previous post......so take a look at that too.  Even though you know someone who went off completely in a year.........I sure wouldn't risk that, if I were you.  I think it would be better to HOLD and then if all is well........start to liquify part of your dose.......so that when you get down to the lower doses, it looks like around 50 mg or so, you could just continue to work with the liquid, as you might begin to only tolerate smaller drops.

 

That's great you have a relaxing lifestyle........still you have 8 years of taking quetiapine.  Sometimes it's good to just get to a lower dose for awhile.......before plunging off.  In fact we would never have you plunge off too quickly.  Taper, taper, taper!!!!   I too, came off Seroquel, and too rapidly.  It took me quite some time to recover from that.  So I don't recommend it.  You really don't know all the details of this other guys situation.

 

Are you eventually wanting to be drug/medication free?  Are you on any other medications?

See what you think after reading a bit more on the quetiapine topic. 

Often haste causes more harm......please consider slowing down a bit and giving your nervous system time to adjust to the changes you've already made.

 

How's the gut? 

I had quite a bit of neck and upper back pain after coming off a different drug.  I used a rice filled flexible pack......microwaved it and draped over my neck and shoulders.......as well a began doing some regular physio therapy.......range of motion exercises and gentle stretches.  Those things seemed to help.

 

A bit more here if you scroll down in the topic to discussions on neck aches and what seemed to help.  Migraines, headaches, neck aches......

 

Also magnesium may help.  There are 2 supplements that we recommend you have in your toolkit:

BASIC SUPPLEMENT TOOLKIT

King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker

 

Just start with one at a time and start with a low dosage until you see how you tolerate.  Epsom salt is one form of magnesium that I put in a warm tub and soak in.......seems to be calming, as well as it eases, muscle pain and tension.

 

All for now.

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

mmt

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by manymoretodays

[quetiapineAddict]

2 hours ago, manymoretodays said:

 

 

 

Hey.  What I see in your signature is:

January 2018 to June 2018: Stabilized on Seroquel 200 XR

20/6/2018 - Switching from Seroquel XR to Seroquel 200 IR in order to continue the tapering. didn't work well, back to 200mg XR after a few days

8/2018 - Changed my dose to Seroquel 150mg XR +50mg IR

9/2018 - Tapered my dose to Seroquel 100mg XR +75mg IR

10/2018 - Tapered my dose to Seroquel 50mg XR +100mg IR

 

Go to Account Settings:  Create or update your signature in Account Settings

Also see: Tips for tapering off Seroquel(quetiapine)

 

Your decreases in total daily dosage have been 12.5%, when you went from 200 mg to 175 mg.  And then 14.3 % when you went from 175 mg to 150 mg. 

When did you go to the 12.5 mg dose in the day?  Go ahead and update your signature with it please.   If I were you I would consider just holding for a bit to see if you continue with the stability that you are reporting. 

Can you HOLD for 4-6 weeks now.

The back and neck spasms could be W/D symptoms.   If it seems they started with your decreasing dosages.....I think it's very likely.  Sometimes quetiapine has side effects like that also.

 

Carmie went over some sleep hygiene I see in a previous post......so take a look at that too.  Even though you know someone who went off completely in a year.........I sure wouldn't risk that, if I were you.  I think it would be better to HOLD and then if all is well........start to liquify part of your dose.......so that when you get down to the lower doses, it looks like around 50 mg or so, you could just continue to work with the liquid, as you might begin to only tolerate smaller drops.

 

That's great you have a relaxing lifestyle........still you have 8 years of taking quetiapine.  Sometimes it's good to just get to a lower dose for awhile.......before plunging off.  In fact we would never have you plunge off too quickly.  Taper, taper, taper!!!!   I too, came off Seroquel, and too rapidly.  It took me quite some time to recover from that.  So I don't recommend it.  You really don't know all the details of this other guys situation.

 

Are you eventually wanting to be drug/medication free?  Are you on any other medications?

See what you think after reading a bit more on the quetiapine topic. 

Often haste causes more harm......please consider slowing down a bit and giving your nervous system time to adjust to the changes you've already made.

 

How's the gut? 

I had quite a bit of neck and upper back pain after coming off a different drug.  I used a rice filled flexible pack......microwaved it and draped over my neck and shoulders.......as well a began doing some regular physio therapy.......range of motion exercises and gentle stretches.  Those things seemed to help.

 

A bit more here if you scroll down in the topic to discussions on neck aches and what seemed to help.  Migraines, headaches, neck aches......

 

Also magnesium may help.  There are 2 supplements that we recommend you have in your toolkit:

BASIC SUPPLEMENT TOOLKIT

King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker

 

Just start with one at a time and start with a low dosage until you see how you tolerate.  Epsom salt is one form of magnesium that I put in a warm tub and soak in.......seems to be calming, as well as it eases, muscle pain and tension.

 

All for now.

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

mmt

 

 

 

 

Yeah during the last month Iv'e transitioned to seroquel IR only.

My goal is to be medication free and I don't take any other medications.

My gut have improved but I still have some IBS issues. My IBS issues started when I started taking psychiatric drugs. In the last yearr the IBS symptoms gotten worse but in the last 3 months I have changed my diet and my it's much better now.

I have purchased the magnesium supplement  recently. what is it used for? I don't really like taking supplements because I think it's a conspiracy.

[quetiapineAddict]

How does the product that weight small amounts of medication called? I would like to weight the pills that I split.