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Drug safety expert to doctors: Stop prescribing antipsychotic for insomnia (National Post)


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Drug safety expert urges doctors to stop prescribing antipsychotic for insomnia

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Recently, after morning rounds seeing patients admitted to his hospital through emergency, Dr. David Juurlink tweeted: “Can the next doctor wanting to prescribe Seroquel for sleep,” he said, “just not?”

 

Of the roughly 20 patients he saw that morning, four had been prescribed Seroquel, an antipsychotic, for insomnia.

 

Seroquel and its generics aren’t approved as sleeping pills. Quetiapine, the active ingredient, has been officially approved in Canada for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression only. Yet drug safety experts are growing increasingly alarmed by the drug’s use as a doctor-prescribed nightcap for insomnia, with a 10-fold increase in quetiapine prescriptions for sleep problems in Canada between 2005 and 2012 alone.

 

Quetiapine is sedating. Like over-the-counter sleep aids, it makes people drowsy. But it also comes with a multitude of potential side effects, experts say, including an odd sensation of tension and restlessness (akathisia), Parkinson’s-like tremors and movement abnormalities, weight-gain, high blood sugar, new or worsening diabetes and, in rare cases, heart arrhythmia that can cause sudden cardiac death. A recent Health Canada review linked quetiapine and other so-called “atypical” antipsychotics to an increased risk of sleep apnea —breaks in breathing during sleep.

 

Juurlink, a clinical toxicologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said quetiapine could also cause a particularly nasty complication known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening reaction to antipsychotics or major tranquilizers. “Over the last decade, I have seen several patients who have had quetiapine as part of, or one of the contributing causes to NMS,” said Juurlink, whose frustrated tweet to doctors last week was a repeat of one he has sent before.

 

 

Full article here:
http://news.nationalpost.com/health/seroquel-for-insomnia

Edited by scallywag
add white space, put quoted excerpt in quote box

200 Zoloft; 10 mg Zyprexa; 4 mg valium as of May 2021;  Valium taper: July 16: 3.5 valium; July 30: 3 mg (paused valium taper); Aug. 23: 2.5 mg
Zyprexa: July 26: 8.75 mg; Aug. 9: 7.5 mg; Aug. 30: 7.1 mg

-------
Dec 1, 2016. 10 mg zyprexa for 1.5 month. Started taper mid-Jan. 2017. Cut 1.25 mg every 2 weeks; smaller cuts 2.5 mg down. Stopped at .6 mg. May 7, 2017: zyprexa free. 
Zoloft: Dec1, 2016, 200 mg. Started taper: Jun12, 2017: 197.5 mg; Jun19,:195 mg; July 2:185mg; July 9,:180 mg; July16,: 175; July 23: 170; July 30: 165; Aug6: 160; Aug13: 155; Aug. 20: 150; Aug.27: 146 mg; Sept3: 145 mg; Sept10:143 mg; Sept17:140 mg....Nov5: 122 mg...Dec3:112.5 mg; Jan14, 2018: 95 mg...Jan28: 90 mg; Feb21:80 mg; Mar11: 75 mg; May2:70 mg; May15: 68 mg; May28: 65 mg; Jun9: 62 mg;Jun25: 60 mg:July22: 55 mg; Aug25: 45 mg. Aug28: 50 mg...Oct 28: 38 mg; Dec.4: 30 mg; Jan8,2019: 25mg; Feb6: 23.5 mg; Apr1:17.5mg; May1:1 mg; May 5: 18;  May 18:15mg; June 16:12.5mg; Sept 10:11 mg; Sept.16:10 mg; Oct. 1: 9mg; Nov. 27: 8mg; Dec.5: 7mg; Jan.1,2020, 6 mg; Feb1: 5 mg; May 1: 2.5 mg; Jn 1: 2 mg; Jy 1: 1.5 mg

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the insanity of these doctors when are they going to be arrested ,its getting worse ,why is nobody taking a stand ,maybe the doctors have everyone sedated ;)

Alcohol free since February 2015 

1MG diazepam

4.5MG PROZAC.

 

 

 

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Quote

 

Recently, after morning rounds seeing patients admitted to his hospital through emergency, Dr. David Juurlink tweeted: “Can the next doctor wanting to prescribe Seroquel for sleep,” he said, “just not?”

 

Of the roughly 20 patients he saw that morning, four had been prescribed Seroquel, an antipsychotic, for insomnia.

...

Juurlink, a clinical toxicologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said quetiapine could also cause a particularly nasty complication known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening reaction to antipsychotics or major tranquilizers. “Over the last decade, I have seen several patients who have had quetiapine as part of, or one of the contributing causes to NMS,” said Juurlink, whose frustrated tweet to doctors last week was a repeat of one he has sent before.

 

Read more -- National Post (Canada).

Edited by scallywag
merged topics, referring to same article

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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This off-label prescribing stuff needs to be made a criminal act.

Main thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/14472-shakeyjerr-say-hello/

History: Prozac & Lithium from 1999 to 2003. Ended up back on after 4 months because taking a beta-blocker caused immediate depression (just 2 doses - turned out I didn't even need it; I had no other withdrawal symptoms - I might have ended up med and withdrawal-free otherwise :(). - Switched to Effexor (75mg 3/day) and Seroquel (50mg 3/day) in 2010. - Did a self-taper during 2016. - Developed Discontinuation Syndrome 02/17.

Supplements: Magnesium-Glycinate 400mg split into 4 100mg doses throughout the day. Vitamin C 500mg - once per day. Fish Oil 1360 mg (950 mg Active Omega-3) - twice per day.

I'm not a doctor. I use the internet, experience, and trial & error. Seek medical advice if necessary.

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HAHAHA, antipsychotics for insomnia, HAHA. Yeah, friend of my friend got tricked into taking them for it. She really likes them anyway. Well, what can you do. Shame she can only take such a small dose for it. They also cure lye disease, anxiety, depression now and there are more on the way, there has been a wondrous breakthrough with some new one, I recall reading an article. The researchers are thrilled, it means a new hope for the sick people. Although there also has been research indicating mental illness shortens people's lifespan by 10 years on average. We can only hope new medicines will be discovered that can also extend the mentally ill people's lifespans.

 

It's remarkable, considering they started out as anesthetics. But such remarkable things happen on this planet, when a very smart expert employed by a nice company discovers a therapeutic drug and then more very smart experts take part in clinical trials and discover new uses for the drug and new scientific reasons for why it works in those cases too and get nice rewards for their hard work. 

1 year risperidone, 1 year olanzapine (10 mg). attempted first withdrawal cold turkey, failed. 2 more years olanzapine, switched to abilify which was very disruptive so attempted quitting cold turkey, failed. then 4 years amisulpride at 150 mg and about 3 zoloft at 150 mg. attempted withdrawal from both in 3 weeks, failed. reinstated zoloft and bridged to olanzapine (10 mg), successfully withdrew it over 10 months. tried withdrawing zoloft over 12 months, failed. bridged to prozac, at 40 mg,  now at 12 mg.

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Maybe soon there'll be some research soon indicating that it's actually better to take a normal dose of APs for insomnia too.

1 year risperidone, 1 year olanzapine (10 mg). attempted first withdrawal cold turkey, failed. 2 more years olanzapine, switched to abilify which was very disruptive so attempted quitting cold turkey, failed. then 4 years amisulpride at 150 mg and about 3 zoloft at 150 mg. attempted withdrawal from both in 3 weeks, failed. reinstated zoloft and bridged to olanzapine (10 mg), successfully withdrew it over 10 months. tried withdrawing zoloft over 12 months, failed. bridged to prozac, at 40 mg,  now at 12 mg.

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  • Mentor
On 6/19/2017 at 1:10 PM, ShakeyJerr said:

This off-label prescribing stuff needs to be made a criminal act.

yes yes and YES

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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  • Mentor

I was prescribed seroquel for PMS

seriously??

 

I refused it that time, but prior to that, I stayed on high dose seroquel because it was the only thing that helped me sleep thru a CT of some other drug (CT'ed by dr, not me)

..didn't know I was in withdrawal...

CT'd off seroquel and got lucky, the main symptom I had was severe neuropathic pain in my feet that came in waves and confused both my dr and myself.

 

didn't know about WD back then, of course.

 

 

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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