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View Full Version : Problems coming off quetiapine



James244
02-04-16, 05:11
I've been taking it for about 2 years now, mostly 50mg a day in one dose. It's given me a problem with weight gain however and I would crave sugar at night. Anxiety problems have slowly diminished too so I tried to come off it slowly by taking a quarter less each night. Finally I got to a day where I only took a quarter and the next day I didn't intend to have any and things became problematic very quickly.

I was up all night, completely unable to sleep. I nodded off at about 8am and then woke up again after 3 hours. Was awake again all afternoon and evening unable to sleep. I managed to get to sleep again just after sunset, but once again I woke up after 3 hours unable to get back to sleep. Finally I gave up and took a 25mg pill. Had a very long sleep all night and through most of the next day. When I woke up I was feeling much more anxious than I had recently. After a few hours, I felt dizzy, shaking and anxiety levels skyrocketed. I took another single 25mg dose and I feel better now, but not perfect.

I don't know how much of what' happened has been caused by coming off the pills. I don't want to be dependant on them especially as they've made me fat lol, but it seems I am. I'm not aware that they're in anyway addictive. Is being unable to sleep a normal withdrawal symptom if withdrawal is indeed what I'm going through. How are you supposed to come off them without suffering? Maybe this is a sign that I still need them and shouldn't come off, I dunno. I don't know what to do

pretty flamingo
04-04-16, 00:03
Hey,

I can relate to this. Yes, insomnia is a common effect of quetiapine withdrawal. Anxiety can be too. It's horrible isn't it. I am trying to stop taking quetiapine, and I can get to a really low dose without too much trouble, but if I don't take it at all, I cannot sleep at all, which in turn makes everything so much worse!

I was just wondering if you're coming off it with guidance from your doctor or doing it on your own? I've had a couple of medication suggestions from my CPN that could help with getting through the withdrawal, so for now I'm resigned to taking it until that can hopefully be put in place. I would really recommend talking to your doctor; if you agree together that you're ready to come off it, there might be something they can offer or suggest that will help you get through the worst of it.

MyNameIsTerry
04-04-16, 05:18
It sounds like you are coming off far too fast and not allowing your body to adjust. It's not much more than a cold turkey.

Some advice here on how to taper off meds:

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/treatmentswellbeing/antidepressants/comingoffantidepressants.aspx

Emphyrio
18-04-16, 17:47
It sounds like you should go back to taking a quarter of a tablet each night - it sounds like you were able to taper to there without any problems? Once things have settled down you can cut the pill further and weigh it using a digital scale or get liquid quetiapine. Some people suggest decreasing no more than 10% each time to allow the brain to adjust.

elkjaerrasmus
29-04-16, 19:09
I've been struggling with this drug for a couple of years now. Doctors and psychiatrists don't have a clue about how hard it is to quit taking it. It's not addictive the same way smoking or drinking is. You don't feel the need to take your pill the same way an alcoholic feels the urge to have a drink (something I also have personal experience with), but you still feel horrible if you don't take it...I was finally able to quit it completely last december, but problems with insomnia and depressive moods have persisted ever since. I recently tried Mirtazapine as a substitute but it didn't work for me at all. So right now I'm thinking that I should probably just try to accept my addiction to this drug. Even if the pros don't really outweigh the cons, I don't really feel that I have a choice anymore.