seroquel replacing benzodiazepines

[Nightperfection]

I'm on the methadone program and have moved from Victoria to QLD after 16 years of a toxic domestic violence marriage and had a nervous breakdown 8 years ago. I've been on Valium and bromazepam ever since. I have just moved state due to housing issues and they don't prescribe benzo's if you are on the program and my new doctor has ceased them completely and prescribed me seroquel instead. I don't feel good and I feel like I am brain damaged. Does anyone know if I will get sick or will the seroquel cover the withdrawals. I'm barely coping with my life right now and I don't know how I am going to be okay. Does anyone know anything. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ?

 

[T. Calderone]

(moving from homeless)

Are you having withdrawals right now? It's ideal to taper off benzo drugs as opposed to them being stopped abruptly. My concern is you would be at higher risk for seizure and I don't think Seroquel will help with that like an anticonvulsant would. I've used Seroquel for opiate withdrawal but not for benzo replacement. Hopefully, someone with more experience with this will chime in.

 

[Steady Scootin]

Is this new doctor fully aware of your medical history? If they knew you'd been taking not one, but two benzos (daily?) for the better part of a decade, they wouldn't have just taken you off them like that, as T.C. said above.

They say why, or did you ask why the seroquel? Are you psychotic at all, or...? Details can only help us attempt to help you

 

[Pickledlemons]

seroquel will probably make withdrawal worse. Some ambien or zopiclone would help.

 

[Ignio]

Seroquel can be used to treat psychosis, but in my own experience and opinion it does nothing for PTSD or PTSD-like psychological problems. Only benzo's and pregabalin in combo have been capable of freeing me in a degree that one can feel.

I would make your doctor aware of your history and why you need benzo's.

 

[Scabby McSnatch]

I'd see a doctor. Cold turkey from benzodiazepines can be fatal. Last time I was forced to go cold turkey on Xanax and Clonazepam I had a seizure, was taken to ER and while there had a 6 minute seizure so violent I fractured my spine and broke 5 ribs. They had to put me into a phenobarbital coma.
Please be careful. If I were you I'd insist on a slow taper.

 

[Mmp85]

I believe Seroquel has anti-seizure effects?

 

[Ignio]

"Both first-generation and second-generation antipsychotic medications can lower the seizure threshold, increasing the chances of seizure induction" (Hedges et al., 2003).

However:
"The rate of potential seizure induction is prohibitive for:

clozapine
loxapine
chlorpromazine
An intermediate range of less than 1.0–1.2% seizure induction applies to:

fluphenazine
thioridazine
perphenazine
trifluoperazine
The typical agents with the least seizure-induction activity are:

haloperidol
molindone
pimozide
The antipsychotics of choice on the basis both of epileptogenesis and of the side effect profiles are atypical agents:

risperidone
olanzapine
quetiapine" https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/professionals/diagnosis-treatment/psychotropic-drugs-developmental-disabilities/comorbid-5

And according to this list https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/professionals/resource-library/tables/antipsychotics-and-seizure-incidence quetiapin have a very low risk for causing a seizure.

But to go from there and state that quetiapin have anti-epileptic/anti-seizure effects is just not right. SOME anti-psychotics are directly causing a lower seizure threshold and thus increase the risk for a seizure A FEW anti-psychotics have little or very little impact on variables used to calculate epileptic inducing measurements and are somewhat seizure neutral one might say.