Erik Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Sorry to revive an old thread, but i recently weaned off of Seroquel and im just looking for a little guidance. My VA psych doctor, much like any other military or government psych doctor, probably has no clue what he is doing, but i'll give you my short story anyways. Current Medications: Celexa (Citalopram) - 60mg / 1x per day Klonipin(Clonazepam) - .25mg / 2x per day Trazodone - 100mg / 1x per day before bedtime Bentyl (Dicyclomine HCl) - 20mg / 1x per day for IBS I was recently medically discharged from the military for severe anxiety and depression and had to switch my health care to the VA (Veteran's Affairs). Upon meeting my new doctor he told me that i had gained a lot of weight and he wanted to take me off of Seroquel that i had been using for about 1 1/2 years. He weaned me off of the Seroquel in only 2 weeks, from 200mg to 0mg. After reading this post i can totally see that this was the wrong way to go about this. During the 2 weeks of weaning i felt extremely tired every day, more so than i did when i was taking the medication daily. Two days after completely dropping the medication (yesterday) i started to feel nervous, was crying for no reason, had stomach pains, diarrhea, etc. I was able to take a nap for about 4 hours and that made me feel a lot better. Also, i was able to sleep through the night due to the Clonazepam that i have been on and my newly prescribed Trazodone 100mg that is a replacement for the Seroquel. I was originally worried that i was going to have a relapse and fall back into my anxious and depressive state. When i first experienced all of these feelings 2 years ago, the combination of the Celexa and Seroquel were the only meds that were able to stabilize me. Naturally, when i started feeling this way again yesterday, it scared me to say the least. I am supposed to be starting a new job soon and i dont want to lose it like i lost my last one due to these conditions. I am trying hard to believe that what i am feeling is due to the fact of my abrupt discontinuation of the Seroquel and that there is hope ahead. The fact that i can still sleep without the Seroquel is very reassuring, but i still have reservations in the back of my mind. If it is withdrawl symptoms and not a relapse, how long do you think i will feel this way? Now that i am off of the Seroquel i dont want to go back and just work my way through the withdrawls, but i am so unsure about everything at this point. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Jemima Posted November 28, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 28, 2013 Moved from the Tapering discussion. Psychotropic drug history: Pristiq 50 mg. (mid-September 2010 through February 2011), Remeron (mid-September 2010 through January 2011), Lexapro 10 mg. (mid-February 2011 through mid-December 2011), Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg. as needed mid-September 2010 through early March 2012"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's RazorIntroduction: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1588-introducing-jemima/ Success Story: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6263-success-jemima-survives-lexapro-and-dr-dickhead-too/Please note that I am not a medical professional and my advice is based on personal experience, reading, and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted November 28, 2013 Administrator Share Posted November 28, 2013 Hello, Erik. Yes, you have withdrawal symptoms. As you've probably gleaned from reading the Seroquel topic, it's unknown how long withdrawal syndrome might last. Very gradual tapering is preferable to that experiment. How much Seroquel were you taking when you quit? You may wish to reinstate a very small dose, even 5mg, to lessen the withdrawal symptoms, stabilize, then taper off that. (Since your post introduces your special situation, we will move it soon to the Introductions section to avoid taking the Seroquel topic on a tangent. Ooops! I see Jemima did this while I was typing this post.) This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Erik Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 When I quit I was taking 50mg/night. The doc had me drop to 100mg for the first week and then 50mg for the second week and then just stop altogether. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted November 28, 2013 Administrator Share Posted November 28, 2013 You may wish to reinstate at least 25mg, stabilize, and taper off slower -- see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1707-tips-for-tapering-off-seroquel-quetiapine/ This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Erik Posted November 29, 2013 Author Share Posted November 29, 2013 The withdrawls have lessened a bit over the past few days. I'm assuming that the combo of the trazodone and klonipin is helping quite a bit. I am sleeping throughout the night, which was my biggest downfall when all of my problems first started 2 years ago. Thank you for the suggestions but the thought of putting this stuff back into my body now that I haven't for a while kinda makes me cringe. I think I am going to let this thing run its course and hope for the best. I don't feel like I am on the brink of a relapse, so this may be just another hurdle in the battle of mental stability that I need to overcome. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted November 29, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 29, 2013 Hi Erik, I'm glad you are feeling better after having such a tough time. I hope it continues for you. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
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