Off Seroquel For Almost Two Weeks....The Aftermath

Greetings, ATS!

First, a warning: IM NOT A DOCTOR AND I CANNOT ADVISE ANYONE ON THE CORRECT MEDICATIONS THEY SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT TAKE. STOPPING MEDICATION WITHOUT YOUR DOCTOR'S APPROVAL CAN BE DANGEROUS AND EVEN FATAL.

Last Monday I wrote this thread, which reads like the ramblings of a lunatic. Basically, I was lamenting my ever-present battle with depression and PTSD and feeling sorry for myself.

In that thread, I mentioned that my doc has had me on Seroquel to help me sleep for over two years now. I took 400mg of the extended release daily. It did help me sleep...but it caused a host of other problems.

I began craving carbs and sweets, especially chocolate. I could not resist these impulses. I gained weight, and all the exercise and dieting I tried was to no avail.

I also noticed I was forgetting things, i grew more irritable, and other there were other less desirable attributes that I won't subject you to. A little digging, and it turns out Seroquel can cause all these problems.

So I told my doc I wanted to quit. Now, just stopping Seroquel cold turkey leads to some nasty withdrawal...and can even be life threatening. So she began to titrate me off. Last week was my last "step down" but I developed a nasty stomach bug. During that time I could not take any medicine, including my antidepressant. Once I recovered, I did not resume the Seroquel (doc confirmed this was okay). I flushed the remainder down the toilet.

It's now been two weeks, and already I can tell a HUGE difference in how I feel. My carb and sweet craving has disappeared and I've lost 8pounds (that stomach bug helped with this). My mental clarity is coming back and seems to be more focused. I have more energy, which makes it easier to want to actually get out and LIVE my life.

Of course, the fact that today started summer break has helped, too.

My reason for creating this thread was just to document how this one drug really changed my life, and not for the better. My point is, sometimes the "cure" can be worse than the illness. I still have insomnia, but now I use meditation during that time and that helps me fall asleep.

So here's what I've learned. No longer will I blindly trust my doc. I didn't even know Seroquel was a major psychotropic drug, I just took her prescription in good faith. No more. I will continue to see my doctor, and follow her advice, but only after I've researched the advice myself. I'm not a doctor, but I can read and I'm intelligent enough to choose if I want the possible side effects of a drug or not.

I truly feel like this is a milestone in my battle with depression. It's a good place to be, climbing out of that hole. I know I'll slide back down, I always do....but just maybe I'm climb faster and higher than ever before.

If you struggle with depression, PTSD, anxiety, and want to talk, I'm here. Sometimes un burdening yourself to a total stranger can be incredibly therapeutic. Talking to someone who "gets it" is powerful, so if you feel the need to vent...I'm just a message away.

Happy Monday to you all,

smylee

You're awesome, and I'm happy for you.

...that is all.

I'm happy that you are off that drug. It is a little hard on the mitochondria. You now know the feeling that the drug gave you, both the good and bad. Now you can use this knowledge to find foods that have some of the good effects and lessen consumptions of foods that possess the bad parts. Trust me, foods are very powerful in their psychotropic properties. Pay attention to how foods make you feel, it sometimes takes five or six hours for the effects to manifest while others jump out at you right away.

reply to post by smyleegrl


WAY TO GO, SMYLEE!!!!

I hope this is a new beginning for you

May others be inspired by your determination!

It's a great realization, and welcome back to reality. I had a negative experience with pain killers myself (for a herniated disk in my neck). It made me so irritable, that I felt pissed off at everyone, all the time. So much so, I almost got fired from my job over it, until I stopped taking the medication (with approval from my doc). It was like a wave of anger just receded away over the days following the change. I traded it for physical therapy and neck traction. Much less side-effects....to be sure.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Its always nice to see those that choose to take harder choice in pursuit of wellness. I tip my hat to you. I think pharmacy is a finger of the devil and i dont trust it. I suggest reading up on chi, it is good for mental energy and body energy. Maybe you gain your lost energy back from not sleeping, or you gain the mental energy to overcome your insomnia and ptsd. Good luck to you smylee

Big hugs to you Smylee! You are a strong and amazing woman.

While those medications definitely have their place, they are over prescribed, and come with some serious side affects.

are you against Holistic or Traditional Chinese Medicines? Herbs, Acupuncture?

or any meditation approach, Tai Chi Qi Gong?

Originally posted by Darth_Prime
are you against Holistic or Traditional Chinese Medicines? Herbs, Acupuncture?

or any meditation approach, Tai Chi Qi Gong?

Not against it, but I'm ignorant of it. Willing to research, however.

I practice meditation now for my insomnia. However, I'm a novice and have a long way to go.

As I remember, you are a school teacher and a mother of an autistic child. The following link could be a clue to what you are feeling (maybe?). Many moms go through this, but I suppose being a teacher of young children as well as a mom, you go through this to a much greater extent!

Worst end of school mom ever

So, Mom out there sending Lunchables with your kid, making her wear shoes with holes because we’re.almost.there, practicing “auditory reading” with your 1st grader, I got your back, sister. We were awesome back in October; don’t you forget that. We used to care, and that counts for something. Next year’s teachers will get a fresher version of us in August, and they won’t even know the levels of suckage we will succumb to by May.

My Translation: Parents are exhausted by the end of the school year, and so are teachers. And, teachers who are parents are probably double-tired.

God bless you! I'm glad you are feeling better!

Originally posted by tinker9917
As I remember, you are a school teacher and a mother of an autistic child. The following link could be a clue to what you are feeling (maybe?). Many moms go through this, but I suppose being a teacher of young children as well as a mom, you go through this to a much greater extent!

Worst end of school mom ever

So, Mom out there sending Lunchables with your kid, making her wear shoes with holes because we’re.almost.there, practicing “auditory reading” with your 1st grader, I got your back, sister. We were awesome back in October; don’t you forget that. We used to care, and that counts for something. Next year’s teachers will get a fresher version of us in August, and they won’t even know the levels of suckage we will succumb to by May.

My Translation: Parents are exhausted by the end of the school year, and so are teachers. And, teachers who are parents are probably double-tired.

God bless you! I'm glad you are feeling better!

That quote is right-on. September, I'm excited about school. December, ready for a break but still positive. By March, I'm questioning my sanity and profession...come June, and I'm a bleary-eyed mess.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Good for you Smyle

I for one am happy for you as well

It's not over yet. Give it two more months. See, you suffered from med head, where the memory quits and the voracious appetite happens, with the glazed eyes and wider pupils. Now your neurons are like stretched out balloons that have deflated, they aren't the same size they were before. You have a few other cycles to run through. Like the 4 week cycle most women encounter. The med isn't all drained out of your bloodstream yet, so that's 6 weeks until you're dry, as no speck of med in there, but you might still be getting homeopathic imprints.

You may know in about 3 months if you can walk on your own or have some sort of relapse with the insomnia. I tried that Seroquel and slept 22 hours a day, gained 20 pounds and started going pre-diabetic before I protested it to the doctor who knew I had zero tolerance for because-I-said-so blind obedience to doctors routine. It was a lifestyle poison, it must have been a spinoff from sedating wild bears before it was approved for use on humans.

How long is exuberance necessary before the honeymoon sobriety wears off? Time will tell. Yay for enthusiasm.

Love hearing these accounts. Great job:-)

Originally posted by Sandalphon
It's not over yet. Give it two more months. See, you suffered from med head, where the memory quits and the voracious appetite happens, with the glazed eyes and wider pupils. Now your neurons are like stretched out balloons that have deflated, they aren't the same size they were before. You have a few other cycles to run through. Like the 4 week cycle most women encounter. The med isn't all drained out of your bloodstream yet, so that's 6 weeks until you're dry, as no speck of med in there, but you might still be getting homeopathic imprints.

You may know in about 3 months if you can walk on your own or have some sort of relapse with the insomnia. I tried that Seroquel and slept 22 hours a day, gained 20 pounds and started going pre-diabetic before I protested it to the doctor who knew I had zero tolerance for because-I-said-so blind obedience to doctors routine. It was a lifestyle poison, it must have been a spinoff from sedating wild bears before it was approved for use on humans.

How long is exuberance necessary before the honeymoon sobriety wears off? Time will tell. Yay for enthusiasm.

Smyle, don't let this get you down... if you have a relapse with insomnia, there are other answers and non-prescription herbs that can help, from health food stores. I did it this way, as prescription sleep meds left me unable to really wake up for HOURS in the morning.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Do whatever it takes to keep your spirits up. Surround yourself with positive people, laugh often and laugh HARD Meditation is great, so is yoga and so is sex! All of these fun things will keep those endorphins pumping real good. You may always struggle with insomnia from time to time, but it doesn't have to control your life. Nobody lives in a perfect little world, we all have something to battle.

reply to post by smyleegrl


I used to be prescribed to Seroquel back when I was in my teens. It knocked me out pretty fast every night. Plus when I woke up the next day, I always felt like I had a hardcore flu that lasted for a couple hours each day. I also would have memory black outs the first 2 to 3 hours after I woke up.

I took it for awhile, but then I pretty quickly waned myself off of it. Since that era in my life, Ive decided to not take pills unless if I absolutely need to. (I do take generic allergy meds everyday, but those have no side effects). If I get a cold or the flu, I just battle through it, unless if I cant function what so ever, and that hasn't happened in years. I caught the swine flu a few years ago when it was running around, and I still didn't take any meds for it.

As always, everything affects each individual differently. Seroquel may work for some, but it doesn't work for others.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Good for you! This just goes to show that while doctors are truly trying to help, they can get a little too focused on fixing something to realize the other problems they may create. I believe a doctor/patient relationship should be two sided, a back and forth relationship. A doctor that takes your concerns and your insight in to account is a good doctor. Nobody knows your body as well as you do, not even a doctor with all their schooling.

/high five Smyleegrl!
DC

Awesome for you! I know terrible cravings you get from that drug. A social worker told me she had a patient that gained 50 pounds in a month.

Always a good idea to use a search engine to learn whatever you can about withdrawing from a med. In this case your illness was a blessing in disguise.

Happy for you.

Hope you stay well.

reply to post by smyleegrl


You really should look into a acupuncture to start .
Herbs ,depending upon other meds,might not be the best thing to start with .
There's a Japanese acupuncture protocol ,just for insomnia.
It also depends what's out of whack for you .

Chinese medicine,is basically another modality of medicine . It can and IS just as affective as any western protocol ,unless you need definitive surgery .
I've avoided recommended knee surgery for almost 15 years ,using acupuncture .

Depends upon the surgery . Emergency appendectomies need doing .

That being said ,to explain it a bit to you ,Chinese medicine is ancient . Modern medicine makes all these new and ex citing discoveries ,the Chinese knew 5000 years ago .

It is based upon yin and yang,and the five elements .
The five elements each rule certain organs .
These organs aren't viewed exactly the same way western medicine does .
It's said,when we are born,one of the elements ,is weak ,and the corresponding organs ,will have issues .
As we get older,abuses of our bodies,can lead to the weak organs,getting sicker .

Depression ,can be caused by physiological issues.
Poor digestion ,combined with a poor diet ,can cloud the mind. Disrupt the heart .
Sounds like nonsense to a layman ,but to a chinese doctor,it can mean a spleen issue .
Correct that,depression will lessen .
Thats an example . Everyone is different.
Some issues can of course be psyche ,but I suggest exploring the issue,and fine an acupuncturist near you .
Do at least a few treatments before making up your mind.
Herbs can also be a good thing for you,and maybe qi gong ,but one thing at a time .

If you have exhaustion issues,and Im sure you do ,its kidney exhaustion .
From reading about your situation ,I would venture you have heart kidney issues .
Doesn't mean your heart or kidneys are diseased ,but chronic abuse ,can lead to things like high blood pressure and premature aging .
Your insomnia means its already happening. Just a guess on my part.
You have fire on your heart meridian ,from an exhausted yin kidney .

If you want me to find practioners near you,give me the zip or nearest big city,and i can look .
Up to you.


HUUUGGHE KUDOS on quitting the meds. That's awesome,and much better for you all around .
Keep it up !