Misc Can't Get Doctor to Wean Me Off

[5_HT2A]

My doctor never listens to me... how can I safely wean Seroquel, im at 600 mg xr. i tried to wean off rapidly cuz i only have 300 xr pills but nearly died.

 

[5_HT2A]

bump

 

[EP158207]

you didnt mention the drug....

 

[Hammilton]

Thought I was blind for a minute there. What do you want off of?

Of course you can just start tapering on your own.

 

[5_HT2A]

you didnt mention the drug....

oh shit. i edited op

 

[sekio]

How did you "nearly die"? Seroquel is pretty tame compared to some other shit.

Either way, if you're on such a high dose and your doc says it's unwise to taper, you may want to consider that you should at least humor him. You certainly don't want to stop taking it suddenly or you'll go through wacky WD.

Try a reduction of 25mg of the XR a day, if that's even possible - or switch off XR onto generic quetiapine and take the tablets 3-4x a day. But do remember to take them.

Also, we don't generally allow post bumping here. We're not an emergency medical board.

 

[Nom de Plume]

A friend of mine used to (and maybe still does) get prescriptions for quetiapine (i.e., Seroquel) for a "mood disorder". She never would take it, but only satisfy her doctor by accepting the 'script and filling it. She had a shoebox of at least a year's supply of the stuff. After imploring her to let me have them for insomnia, she finally acquiesced and handed me a bottle.

The first experience was uncomfortable and caused dysphoria, dyspnea, tachycardia, anxiety, xerostomia, slurred speech, violent behavior, asthenia, dysphagia, erectile dysfunction, syncope, nasal congestion, vertigo, lethargy, cognitive impairment, and a feeling as though the force of gravity had increased on my body. I did get some sleep, however. So, I was thinking the unappealing effects of the first experience were coincidental or just a one time thing that would go away after further use.


After trying the drug 5 more times, I concluded that these effects were not coincidental, but that they were unavoidable and inherent side effects of the drug itself. I haven't used it since, and don't plan to, either.


I observed most of these same side-effects from Trazadone and Lexapro, too.


I had actually been prescribed Lexapro for depression (which was really social anxiety misidentified) at 12 years old, and had been physically addicted to it from 12 to 15. I was fed up with the erectile impotence, weight gain, fear of missing a dose (which, if missed, I'd suffer with diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and intense headache all day), depression, anhedonia, and worsening anxiety—the very disorder it was supposed to improve.


And so, I quit cold turkey. It was absolute hell. If hell is filled with puke, watery ordure, and stomach cramps of an unbelievable intensity, then this was indeed hell. And it lasted about two weeks. But afterwards, I felt as if a fetter had been removed; I felt emancipated from this vile, insidious substance. Most importantly, though, I gradually began to feel like me again.


If I were you, OP, I wouldn't waste my time and effort spending weeks or even months trying to ween myself off this wretched stuff. I would grow some balls, quit all at once, and wrap the whole thing up in a fortnight. You'll want to die initially, but it will all seem worth it in retrospect.

 

[5_HT2A]

A friend of mine used to (and maybe still does) get prescriptions for quetiapine (i.e., Seroquel) for a "mood disorder". She never would take it, but only satisfy her doctor by accepting the 'script and filling it. She had a shoebox of at least a year's supply of the stuff. After imploring her to let me have them for insomnia, she finally acquiesced and handed me a bottle.

The first experience was uncomfortable and caused dysphoria, dyspnea, tachycardia, anxiety, xerostomia, slurred speech, violent behavior, asthenia, dysphagia, erectile dysfunction, syncope, nasal congestion, vertigo, lethargy, cognitive impairment, and a feeling as though the force of gravity had increased on my body. I did get some sleep, however. So, I was thinking the unappealing effects of the first experience were coincidental or just a one time thing that would go away after further use.


After trying the drug 5 more times, I concluded that these effects were not coincidental, but that they were unavoidable and inherent side effects of the drug itself. I haven't used it since, and don't plan to, either.


I observed most of these same side-effects from Trazadone and Lexapro, too.


I had actually been prescribed Lexapro for depression (which was really social anxiety misidentified) at 12 years old, and had been physically addicted to it from 12 to 15. I was fed up with the erectile impotence, weight gain, fear of missing a dose (which, if missed, I'd suffer with diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and intense headache all day), depression, anhedonia, and worsening anxiety—the very disorder it was supposed to improve.


And so, I quit cold turkey. It was absolute hell. If hell is filled with puke, watery ordure, and stomach cramps of an unbelievable intensity, then this was indeed hell. And it lasted about two weeks. But afterwards, I felt as if a fetter had been removed; I felt emancipated from this vile, insidious substance. Most importantly, though, I gradually began to feel like me again.


If I were you, OP, I wouldn't waste my time and effort spending weeks or even months trying to ween myself off this wretched stuff. I would grow some balls, quit all at once, and wrap the whole thing up in a fortnight. You'll want to die initially, but it will all seem worth it in retrospect.

The thing is I literally can't stop all at once. I tried and got through the shitty feelings. It lowers your blood pressure a lot, and when you're on a high dose your body tried to raise it as a compensatory mechanism - homeostasis. When I come off the drug my blood pressure is high enough to give me a stroke.

 

[5_HT2A]

How did you "nearly die"? Seroquel is pretty tame compared to some other shit.

Either way, if you're on such a high dose and your doc says it's unwise to taper, you may want to consider that you should at least humor him. You certainly don't want to stop taking it suddenly or you'll go through wacky WD.

Try a reduction of 25mg of the XR a day, if that's even possible - or switch off XR onto generic quetiapine and take the tablets 3-4x a day. But do remember to take them.

Also, we don't generally allow post bumping here. We're not an emergency medical board.

Nearly died from insane rebound hypertension. I could have had a stroke but I went to the ER. Sorry about the bump I just really wanted to get a quick answer.

 

[EP158207]

Propranonol, gabapentin, and a slow taper. Why tell you doc? Just start cutting down on the dose on your own. Also maybe move from extented release to regualr.