[possum220]

For the last 7 years I have taken 100mg of Seroquel at night and 4mg of Klonolpin/Paxam. I have weaned myself of Paxam and stopped taking it altogether two nights ago. Each time I have drooped the Paxam I have had very mild withdrawal affects that normally pass after 10 days.

What has distressed me a lot over the past couple of months is my lack of ability to function and to remember things. I 'lost' my house keys. I 'lost' my car keys. I go into shops that I think I have made orders at only to find that I am in the wrong place. My driving has taken a downward dive and this week I backed into a pole. I am disappointed with even how i park my car now. My brain just feels like it's in a fog. I forget so much.

Anyway my episodes this week with my brain have finally given the motivation to take the last small step off Paxam. I also intend to stop my Prazosin because the side affects from that outweigh the benefits.

I am determined to get off 100 mg of Seroquel and intend to start dropping it when the Paxam has gone from my system. About 3 weeks.

Getting to the point of all this........ I just googled getting off seroquel and the reports on that are horrid. Itchy skin, headaches, flue like symptoms, insomnia blah blah blah.

Does anybody have some good advice for breaking free of Seroquel?. My P'doc says its not as addictive as Klonolpin,,,,, but reading all that stuff on the internet does not fill me with joy. I need hope. I need to know that I haven't wrecked my brain for life.

I need my brain back.

Encouragement anybody?????

[Moogieotter]

Hang in there possum! I have no experience w either med, but the internet likes to exaggerate!

Good luck!

moogs

[eskielover]

I honestly don't remember any reactions coming off the seroquel but then, maybe that's because that whole period of my life was a black hole. It was one of the few meds that my pdoc put me on after the trauma I went through with the home care person when my mom was dying of cancer 10. I was having such bad nightmares that I couldn't sleep & none of the benzo's even touched the mess I was in on top of the anorexia that I ended up in the medical hospital with.

My pdoc actually had me on 600mg of seroquel at night so I could sleep & I was pretty much useless all day even though I would end up at the ranch with my filly who was by then 6 months old. I had so many things going on with me at the time, I don't think I would have known what was causing what. I actually stayed on the seroquel for almost 2 years but had slowly lowered the dose so I could function a little bit more. It wasn't until I finally left my H 2 years later that I stopped taking the seroquel all together & just went to taking the EPA omega 3 fish oil at 1800mg/day.

I already had bad migraines that were being handled by a high dose of pain medication. I was living in a completely NEW place 2100 miles away from where I had lived & I felt sore places where I had injured myself in the past but blamed that on the higher humidity......then the hot flashes hit but that was a normal thing for my age.

One thing I did find that totally amazed me because my brain was totally mush by that point also from everything I'd been living around for so many years & then add the trauma on top of that. I remember trying to express myself & couldn't find the right word.....was really getting frustrated but after taking the Omega 3's with the EPA being for the depression mostly & the DHA just because it was in the fish oil....one of the first things I did after moving here was join the book club at the library. Why???? I have no idea but I read the first book & went to the discussion & was able to talk about what I had read .....I had never been able to do that before IN MY WHOLE LIFE......so there was something seriously good about not taking the seroquel (or any meds) & the fish oil Omega 3....helped the depression & my mind to think more clear.....& the fact that I was no longer living with my H after 33 years in that bad marriage.......the combination I'm sure was what helped.....but I would strongly suggest the Omega 3 for the memory while you are lowering the seroquel. As I said, I don't remember side effects like you said....but had so many things going on at the same time not sure I would have realized it if I did.

But honestly I think it's worth going off of but that's from my own personal experience. I love having the clear head where there is NOTHING that interferes with my ability to think clearly.

Oh the driving....I can so relate. The first year after my mother died, I was having horrible flashbacks to it all & my pdoc had me go into PHP since I refused to go into the psych hospital. I was driving home that first day & got into 2 rear end accidents within 30 minutes of each other in the massive California traffic....& I was the one who rear ended the cars in front of me....part, I was struggling with depersonalization at the time also. I had to make arrangements for being picked up with a van from then on because I realized I really couldn't drive & definitely NOT on that amount of meds....but I was still so messed up that I needed them to sleep.

I love being finally in a place in my life where I'm free from all of that. It's totally worth it IMO.

[elevatedsoul]

i haven't come off seroquel yet but all the medicines i discontinued i had only mild withdrawal effects, taper yourself slow and take care of yourself eat healthy drink lots of water

[possum220]

Thanks Moogs and Eskie and Elevatedsoul.

I am determined to get off these meds. I can't remember when my brain wasn't in some kind of fog. I hate to think of how many near misses I have had in my car. I hope that it wont take too long.

I should know better than to be my own doctor by using the internet.

I am glad you are out the other side of your usage Eskie. That was a big amount to get down from. Good news that you did it and have a clearer mind.

I do like to drink hot water when it is cold. It is winter here.

[*Laurie*]

Hi possum220 I can share my experience with you.

The withdrawal from Klonopin (for me and for most people) is a NIGHTMARE. Dangerous, leaves people terribly ill long-term. MUST be done verrrry slowwwly. I've been on 2mgs/day of Klonopin for 20 years, with the exception of 1 year during which I stopped the K-pin. I went off it too quickly and found myself so physically sick that there were times I literally could not walk from my bed to my driveway to get into my car. I felt like I had a catastrophic illness, I was so sick, weak, exhausted. I recall vividly one evening - attempting to walk around the block and making it just a few houses down the street and feeling like I had run a 25-mile marathon. I made it only that far and had to turn around and walk slowly back to my bed.

I am currently going off K-pin, but this time I'm taking at least a full year to do so. Maybe more. And I am SCARED. I'm afraid that even with a very slow taper I'll be sick for years to come. But, I'm doing my best to prevent that from happening by taking this so slowly.

Now. Seroquel.

I was on Seroquel for about 2 years and recently switched over to Geodon. I started out doing the Seroquel taper pretty quickly, as my p-doc suggested. Soon found out that I had to go more slowly than she had said I would. I got the Seroquel down from 400 to 100 okay. 100 to 50 took a couple of weeks. 50 to 25 was a rough 3 weeks. I felt nauseated (a half-tab of non-drowsy Dramamine helped with that, also sipping ginger ale over ice helped). The biggest problem, though, was insomnia. Especially when I dropped 50 down to 25mgs of Seroquel, the insomnia was really bad. I took about 2 weeks to go from 25mg Seroquel to no Seroquel. I found that when I went more than 3 days on no Seroquel I had bad withdrawal symptoms (nausea, sleeplessness). SO, I decided to go two nights with no Seroquel, then every third night I took 25mgs. I did that for three weeks...25mgs Seroquel every third night. That seemed to ease withdrawal a lot.

At this point I have been off Seroquel for about a week. I have not felt sick (nausea) at all. I am having some insomnia, but I'd not sure whether that's the Seroquel w/d or whether it's the Geodon (which apparently can cause insomnia).

Take it slow and try the every-third-day routine. Best of luck to you. Med withdrawal is hard, but you are certainly not alone.

[*Laurie*]

Possum, I'm just realizing that Paxam is Klonopin. I'd say that if you came off the Paxam as easily as you did, I don't think coming off the Seroquel will be so terrible for you. Just don't rush it.

[possum220]

I haven't come off Klonopin an any way that could be described as a rush. I have been dithering around for a couple of months not doing anything about stopping the .25mg until this week when circumstances gave me a nudge in the right direction.

A little while ago I vomitted up my nightly dose of Seroquel. I got not one wink of sleep that night. I do like the suggestion when I am at the end of it to not have some one night and then to have it on alternative night. That sound very sensible and doable.

Thanks for the support. Practical tips are great.

[*Laurie*]

Originally Posted by possum220

I haven't come off Klonopin an any way that could be described as a rush. I have been dithering around for a couple of months not doing anything about stopping the .25mg until this week when circumstances gave me a nudge in the right direction.

A little while ago I vomitted up my nightly dose of Seroquel. I got not one wink of sleep that night. I do like the suggestion when I am at the end of it to not have some one night and then to have it on alternative night. That sound very sensible and doable.

Thanks for the support. Practical tips are great.

The good thing about both meds is that they are in tablet form (not capsule) so you can cut them down as small as you'd like to. When it comes time, try taking the med every other night before you go to every third night. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to withdraw slowly.

Also, why have you decided to go off meds? You know, if they're helping you maybe you need to stay where you are with them for a bit.

[possum220]

Hi Laura. The reason why I decided to drop back on my meds is..........

What has distressed me a lot over the past couple of months is my lack of ability to function and to remember things. I 'lost' my house keys. I 'lost' my car keys. I go into shops that I think I have made orders at only to find that I am in the wrong place. My driving has taken a downward dive and this week I backed into a pole. I am disappointed with even how i park my car now. My brain just feels like it's in a fog. I forget so much.

When I got my second wind in regards to getting down all I wanted to do was to stop the Seroquel at once. Reason has now prevailed and I am content to take the Seroquel down 25mg each month or fortnight depending on how my body tolerates it. It will be a sensible taper with the support of my p'doc.

Years ago one night and the morning after I didnt take any meds. I was in hospital at the time. I couldn't walk to save myself.

I am really hoping to get a better level of concentration back.

[*Laurie*]

Originally Posted by possum220

Hi Laura. The reason why I decided to drop back on my meds is..........

What has distressed me a lot over the past couple of months is my lack of ability to function and to remember things. I 'lost' my house keys. I 'lost' my car keys. I go into shops that I think I have made orders at only to find that I am in the wrong place. My driving has taken a downward dive and this week I backed into a pole. I am disappointed with even how i park my car now. My brain just feels like it's in a fog. I forget so much.

When I got my second wind in regards to getting down all I wanted to do was to stop the Seroquel at once. Reason has now prevailed and I am content to take the Seroquel down 25mg each month or fortnight depending on how my body tolerates it. It will be a sensible taper with the support of my p'doc.

Years ago one night and the morning after I didnt take any meds. I was in hospital at the time. I couldn't walk to save myself.

I am really hoping to get a better level of concentration back.

I offer my apology: I carefully read your original post, then promptly forgot what I read....ah, an example of exactly what you're describing

Yes, I understand. The cognitive lapses are not only frustrating, they truly impair one's life. I do believe that the very low dose will help lessen those cognitive issues. I hope so, my friend.

[possum220]

After putting yet another ding in my car I really really want to get off Seroquel. I took my last .25mg of Paxam/Klonopin two weeks ago. Things seem to be okay.

I know I should wait another week before I start droping the Seroquel. Yet I feel impatient about the whole thing. Kinda want to stop taking it now. I know 100mg of seroquel isn't much but then again it has been in my system for 6 years.

My p'doc is pleased that I have managed to get off the klonolpin. Still fuzzy around the edges. I like my sleep. Maybe without the seroquel my nightmares won't be as bad.

Slow and steady wins the race??

[eskielover]

Possum...need to loan you my truck...it a tank & mostly people get out of YOUR way while you go through this. It also has so many dings that one more will never be noticed. My only problem with it is backing up with my hitch & dinging cars with the tow ball...not even on meds..lol.

That has been costly. One guy parked in a no parking area right in back of my truck & I couldn't see his car...smashed his fog lamp... I was so mad at him for parking there told him it was his responsibility. He parked there while I was in my truck playing with my dogs so his car wasn't there when I had come out of the store....he backed off real quickly....don't mess with a little woman that has a big truck!!!! Glad I'm not on psych mess & glad my pain med doesn't effect me in that way...just makes me functional cause the migraines sure didn't.

Interesting..I was on the seroquel after the trauma so I could sleep without the nightmares....hope they go away for you coming off. Of it...we all have such individual reactions to the same meds.

Hope this gets better for you

[possum220]

Ohh a truck. Now I really be rolling,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Last night I found it hard to sleep. My lips felt so numb that they didn't feel like they were mine. Felt like some kind of caterpillars on my face. I had to bite them until I could feel something. Not sure this is caused by breathing of the change in meds.

I have also had to drop two other non psych meds. Wondering if that has anything to do with things.

[*Laurie*]

possum, I really feel for you. It sounds like your body is all over the place from the withdrawals. I'm in a very similar situation and it SUCKS. All I can say is, hang in there until you're on a stable med regime again. And I can't emphasize enough how important it is to be patient & take med withdrawals slowly.

[possum220]

Originally Posted by LauraBeth

possum, I really feel for you. It sounds like your body is all over the place from the withdrawals. I'm in a very similar situation and it SUCKS. All I can say is, hang in there until you're on a stable med regime again. And I can't emphasize enough how important it is to be patient & take med withdrawals slowly.

Thanks for you reply Laurabeth.

I did have a better nights sleep lasts night. Still feeling out of sorts and just want to hide under a rock.

We can do this.

[vital]

Originally Posted by possum220

Thanks Moogs and Eskie and Elevatedsoul.

I am determined to get off these meds. I can't remember when my brain wasn't in some kind of fog. I hate to think of how many near misses I have had in my car. I hope that it wont take too long.

I should know better than to be my own doctor by using the internet.

I am glad you are out the other side of your usage Eskie. That was a big amount to get down from. Good news that you did it and have a clearer mind.

I do like to drink hot water when it is cold. It is winter here.

Hi possum,

One thing that might be encouraging to you is to learn about how to support your general brain health and how your brain has remarkable abilities to heal if you treat it right

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOPRp_K6QQY

Here's a resource for drug withdrawal that might help

Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal - Mad In America

- vital

[possum220]

Another 10 days on my dosage of Paxam/klonolpin has been dropped to nothing and my body is doing another "adjustment". Sleep has become a problem. I am now getting to sleep around 4am or 5 am in the morning. I am reading books but that can only go so far. I wait for the morning to come. I only have one wall one between me and my neighbours I dont want to make any noise at all because I don't want to wake them. I am beginning to feel trapped and can't want for the morning to come.

When I close my eyes at night I can see these amazing pictures out of an art book. One even had a glowing fire. They are very odd. I have never had hallucinations before. I am not sure what these pictures are that I see.

My plans to start dropping the seroquel tomorrow night might just have to wait until my sleep patterns are semi normal again.

I hope this phase doesn't last too long......

[*Laurie*]

I'm so sorry you're having such a rough go of it, possum. The insomnia sounds hellish. I'm thinking that the 'hallucinations' are most probably the result of exhaustion. A cruel twist, because those kinds of mentally stimulating hallucinatory experiences can keep you from falling asleep.

I had rotten insomnia last night...sleep since coming off Seroquel is unpredictable.

I think your decision to wait a bit on dropping the Seroquel is a good one.

[possum220]

I read something today. It said that when other people are dreaming of you then you can't sleep. We must be very well thought of LauraBeth. So many people are dreaming of us. Bahaha. Now if we could just find out who they are and tell them to stop then we will be set.

It would be easy just to give in and take the klonolpin even if it is only .25mg. Hmmmm.

However we shall persist. Good Luck to all of us.