have any of you ever heard of

the drug Seroquil? I have been told it is great for insomnia. My friend gave me some samples. I have been trying to ween myself off and had 30mg of hydrocodone yesterday, but could not sleep at all last night. I was confused, because it was still in my system right?? Maybe I'm just already preparing for when my last one is gone. Anyway, I'm' going to try Seroquil tonight. i hope it works!

[GA Guy]

OK, you're taking a very strong antidepressant after a friend gave you samples? Do you see the dangers of this? Sleep is one of those things that will happen when it's time. Relying on another drug is just a continuation of the addictive personality.

[IBKleen]

It is mostly used as an anti-psychotic drug and also used for sleep. It is a very powerful drug and personally I think you are playing with fire using it to help with the detox.

If you are at 30 mgs, I suggest you just get it over with. If you stop now by Sunday the better part of the physical withdrawal will be over.

We get ourselves in trouble when we think one drug can help us get off another drug and then another and so on.

Whatever you decide, good luck and please be careful.

[ljj28]

My friend gave me the samples months ago. I have never tried them. Just thought about it.

[IBKleen]

You stated that you were going to take them tonight. Again, please reconsider.

[ljj28]

I do not function without sleep. I don't know what to do. i'm not even off the tabs completely yet and I'm already not sleeping. I have 7 left. I am not getting anymore. I do truly want to find myself again. I'm scared of not sleeping again. I will be horrible at work, and I can't afford to mess anything up right now. I will not try the pills tonight. Maybe I will be able to sleep. Today is the bf's birthday and I'm sure I will be drinking. Hopefully, I will just be able to get some sleep so I can feel at least somewhat rested. I'm just worried, because I can't imagine what its going to be like with no tabs in my system at all... It scares me to death.

[Seldomane]

Seroquill is primarily used for depression, and you say you can't sleep at night.  Considering you've been taking significant doses of rather powerful NSAID's and likely steroids as well, I have no trouble believing you have trouble sleeping.

First ask yourself what you consume in a day, when, how much, how late at night.  If it's past 7, cut back and eat earlier.  This will maintain a regular metabolism and you won't have any extra energy as you're trying to sleep.  

Hopefully you don't drink any energy drinks and if you drink soda daily, that should stop.  You obviously must have other health problems if you were prescribed Hydrocodone, but that and Seroquil are the same type of medication, and no physician would recommend using both.

Post more about your living habits and medical history if you'd like more help, otherwise it's hard to be very specific other than warning you against taking those.

[rainbow230]

what type of tabs are you taking?

[avisg]

They are an antipsychotic they are not sleeping pills they are finding there is major side effects with them and they were NOT prescribed to you .plz dispose of them

[freebird227]

Our best and worst decisions begin with a single thought, I see you as in desperate need of sleep. Lack of sleep will make our decision making abilities pretty lame.
I have taken melotion sublingle ( under the tongue) 1mgx3 at bedtime. I almost always get 4 hours of sleep
Seroquel is an anti psyc.and if the med is not perscribed by a medical pdoc.I would not take it.
Hang in there...go see a doc that knows you are tapering.
Keep posting and getting the support you need.

[ljj28]

Thanks guys... I"m taking lortab 10/650. I was never prescibed them. I started taking them because my boyfriend was prescribed them. Then I started developing connections so easily to buy them off the street. Before I knew it I was taking them at work for enery, then I realized that I could drink alcohol with them and still be able to maintain. Meaning, not get sloppy drunk. I desperately need help. I tried AA for the alcoholism, but since I've been on tabs, the drinking got under control. I just traded one addiction for another.

I will throw the seroquil out. I just thought maybe you guys had heard of it as a cure for insomnia. I dont' want to do any more damage to myself than I already have. Thanks so much for the support and advice. I REALLY want to live a clean, healthy, happy life. I'm so on the fense though about getting some xanax to sleep tonight.

[avisg]

you need to stop looking for replacements yes you will have a few nights where you wont sleep. For me it was 4 nights but you  will make it threw. xanax is just as addictive as the narco and wd is much more dangerous to wd from if you end up addicted to it and you are prime to just switch your addiction.If its not oct sleepmeds I would stay away from it .exercise try melation its going to be rough butt doable.

[mtgoat911]

it is a fact that some addicts suffer from sleep disorders, i am one of them, i was told by several people that i would return to normal sleep after a few months, but the problem is that i have never experience normal sleep, even before the opiates, i have a condition called aspergers, insomnia and sleep apnea is a part of this condition, some people looking into getting clean have bi-polar or other issues that may need to be taken care of so that the addict can recovery from both the addiction and other condition, in the medical community this is called dual-diagnosis, if you have an honest problem that causes sleep deprivation you must treat this in order to recover, taking a friends seroquel is not the answer, for one it is an anti-psycotic not an antidepressant, it is not used for depression it is used for mania and is over prescribed for sleep during opiate wd, many detox facilities use it to treat cocaine induced psycosis, its not a mild medication,
i have personally taken this drug for "melt downs" associated with my autism, it helped, even curved my opiate craving early in recovery, and no doubt i would have relasped if i did not seek medical help for the aspergers, to stay clean i had to treat both conditions, the reason is started using was because of the aspers, and from what you are saying, lack of sleep can be a big problem for you, if that makes any sense , i was prescribed seroquel in an inpatient dual diagnosis ward 6 years ago, i explained the way it helped me but it made me gain 75 pounds in a year, after i took the medication it would make me eat like there was no tommorow, i mean it induced hunger pains and cravings, even if i was stuffed, oh god it was aweful, i am going to cry just thinking about it, i am a fat asss because if that drug and i would hate to see you take it when there are other safer alternatives for sleep, so if you are not "manic" or have other issues like aspers please do not take this, avis is right the otc meds and melatonin are great, hopefully they will work if not the most common sleep med prescribed to addits is a drug called trazadone, now this drug is an anti-depressant but can make you tired during the day, all of them have side effects but that seroquel in my opinion should only be used to people on the verge of a breat down, it serves a purpose but leaves so much wreckage,
for anyone reading this post who needs to take seroquel, please do not stop taking your medication, there are several cases where seroquel is the only option and is much needed to help the patient function

[ljj28]

I am throwing the seroquil out tonight. Can you get melatonin at Walgreens, or a grocery pharmacy? I will get some right after work.

[mtgoat911]

yes, there is also a supplement called kava root that helps with sleep
and if these natural products do not work you may just have to see a doctor
hope you feel better soon

[ljj28]

Thanks! It would be so nice to be able to sleep well tonight.

[christos24]

Hey there, the seroquel, which chemicals name is Quetiapine, is in the class of drugs known as atypical anti-psychotics, used for patients with schizophrenia and many other mental disorders. It is in the newer class of anti-psychotics and like many other atypical anti-[psychotics has been found to not only help tremendously in that field, but also as a mild sleep aid. It doesn't really have any negative side effects and really no addictive qualities to it, but one side effect which it is often prescribed for off-label and that is drowsiness, so its prescribed sometimes for recovering addicts or as a first line drug to treat sleepless nights. After about 45minutes to an hour youll start to get pretty drowsy and then pretty much want to go to bed. Its doesnt last super long but if you take it super late and then have to get up early in morning then you may feel extra sluggish and drowsy, other than that the seroquel should have little to no effects positive or negative on you.
I wouldn't exactly just throw them out. If you take them and you dont have any mental disorders or schizophrenia it wont give you weird effects or do any harm, just some drowsiness thats all. Even if you do have some mental disorders it wont give you any harmful or weird effects it basically levels off the dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine in your brain to regulate one's mood. So people have really high mood swings and then really severe depression and seroquel can help regulate the extremes in your brain, but for your situation it can just be used while you may not be feeling your best due to some WDs or lingering wds as a good sleep aid, which sleep is extremely important in order for your body to function properly and to also  combat wds.
I do agree with others post that you can try other ways to help you get some sleep, melatonin works for some people, others find that all natural sleep aids like Valerian root help them sleep, but honestly everyone reacts differently to every substance out there.
It is also been shown that buying OTC sleeping meds, like the many different anti-histamines like Unisom, Sominex, Tylenol PM, and so on, which usually uses diphenhydramine or diphenhydrinate can be found to be just as habit forming and actually bad for proper sleep structure for sufferers. And the same can go for prescription sleeping meds  like hypnotic benzos (restoril, Prosom, Ativan, etc.), or the newer "z" class of drugs used for insomnia( Ambien (Zolpidem), Sonata (Zapeplon), and Lunesta (Eszopiclone), then there are many other meds, including some that can be used as anti-depressants, but have been found to be useful sleep aids like Trazodone and Amitriptyline, among many others. So this is not something that is life-threatening or that you will be looked down upon for using while you are going through WDs. You need to get good sleep and the more you sit restless, tossing and turning, thinking and craving, the worse your physical and mental wds are going to seem, so it is much better to find a solution if you are suffering from lack of sleep.  Sometimes a medication should be used for insomnia especially during any kind of wd.
I do agree that getting any kind of medication through a friend isn't exactly the way to go about it either.The seroquel or any other medication during WDs should be prescribed by a doctor who knows your situation and understands whats really going on, but at the same time I also don't see much harm with the seroquel or that it is a must that you throw it out, its harmless, other than what I said about taking it to late at night and having some next day drowsiness.
Seroquel has lots of medical use in the field of psychiatry and mental disorders, but overall for many it is just prescribed as a mild sleep aid that is quite effective and doesn't give a high and isn't addictive. I wish you the absolute best of luck, stay strong and you'll truly get to see and feel how amazing being truly sober and clean can feel.-Christos

[lilbay]

You really do not want to mess with Seroquil I remember many years back that is what they gave that to  anyone who came into jail and prison with a mental defect It was NOT fun watching these people who were taking it. I remember I was kicking a heroin habit in jail and i gave a woman some smokes for a dose of hers WOW what a HUGE mistake. Not only did i sleep Oh yea i slept but not before i shook like a earthquake and sen rats on the floor trying to get my feet and so many other things that were NOT there
Please do not mess with it Not a good choice at all.

Why not go to your doctor and ask for something to help you sleep??
Your taking alcohol or xanax or Valium or anything  is in fact just creating a monster of a habit and keeping your addiction going.

All addicts have to deal with a lack of ability to sleep for a week or tow before they actually are back to normal sometimes longer depending on how many different pills and substances they are taking and how long they been taking them. So you are only really making it worse in the end.
Try some natural supplements to get through the touch periods

GOOD LUCK

[puglove27]

oh my gosh i have been reading what your writing and you remind me exactly of me. i know what you mean about drinking and taking the pills so you don't get sloppy. its like instead of drinking a lot u just have a couple glasses of wine and a couple pills and you feel great. but this is day 9 for me and the funny thing is that now i do't really want to drink much either. i feel so good so far.i know u can do it to. and i also know what u mean about them giving you energy. this was my typical day before i would lov e to take a couple pills at noon and clean my house, i would get in a zone and get a lot done. then i would take a couple more at work, went by fast, and i felt like i did a better job. then i would come home take a couple more with my boyfriend and have some drinks. but then those days u run out, u just feel worthless. i have been going to the gym a lot, and it helps, it makes me feel good in a positive way. my boyfriend is still bringing up getting some just every now and then for like special occasions. like we are going to a wedding this weekend, and he is like we should get some pills for it, just a couple. but i know i will want more after that. its hard because im trying to make him see the light.....he is clean 9 days too cuz im the one with the hook up, so i don't know if he would be otherwise. hang in there ...keep in touch

[ljj28]

YEP! We are a LOT alike. I am the hookup for my bf too. He does have a couple of connections, but things got really bad when I started finding all of my hookups. I feel the same way, without pills, I don't even have the desire to drink. It doesn't seem as fun. I am a smoker too, but without them, I don't feel the urge to smoke as often. That is awesome you are at 9 days. How bad were your wd's? did you have the sleep problem that I am having?

It's great to know that people really understand this stuff... it's like noone knows this private little demon that I carry everyday with me. It's horrible. :(

[puglove27]

well for me it was the first four days the worst, with sleeping i took nyquil, i woke up a little groggy but it worked. go to the gym, eat healthy. this forum helps a lot...what is hard for me is the dealers still calling......now that im not buying there offering better deals than before. im just afraid ill cave in and have a couple one night and then start all over...this is the longest ive gone without in 2 yrs...ivetried before but only lasted a couple days.......

[ljj28]

Well hang in there... You will just have to go through all of it over again, and will not be happy with yourself at all. I understand though.. It is really hard. Not just physically, but mentally. Have you thought about changing your number?

I'm about to head home. Keep in touch.

[Kevin_Bacon]

Ever notice that if some people here disagree with you -- you're quite well-informed, you know -- they sometimes kind of "walk around" your post?

Everything you submitted was pharmacologically correct, and many rehabs use Seroquel to get their patients past the Days 3-5 insomnia. Of course, you have to be careful with the dosing, and stop when you're over the insomnia,  the main cause of relapse.

Very informative post, christos.

[Kevin_Bacon]

I should add that if milder sedatives, including melatonin, work for you, then that's great. The Seroquel situation is best discussed with your doctor -- it's a really expensive drug, and if he / she recommends it at that dosage, it might do you some good.

So I'd wait to see if it's a go, and whether the dose is the right dose. Desperation can lead to serious mistakes, so check it out.

And go to the manufacturer's site (and your doctor) for accurate information on prescription drugs, rather than rely on anecdotal contributions entirely.

Good luck.

[candothis247]

I totally agree w/ Christos on the topic of seroquel. I think it was a very informed and accurate post. I spoke to a fellow addict today, and she’s been taking seroquel for sleep for a while now. I know that it is given to people who suffer from anxiety and as a sleep aid.  I’m sure we will be hearing more about seroquel as time goes on here.  Like trazadone, an anti depressant that’s been around for years, it has side effects of increased drowsiness. If I wouldn’t have used sleep aids in the beginning of my w/d’s from opiates, I can honestly say, I wouldn’t have made it.