Seroquel Withdrawal

Hello,
I was on Seroquel at 800 mg for almost 3 years. This past December 2008, I found out that I was not going to be able to get health insurance. So, I had to stop all my psychiatric drugs because of financial reasons and I also felt like I was misdiagnosed (which now after 6 months med free, I was misdiagnosed). I tried to slowly taper Seroquel, but didn't have enough time to properly do it. I went from 800 mg to 0 mg in about a month and a half. I was officially off the medication January 12, 2009. I had the usual withdrawal problems, vomiting, nausea, and insomnia during the first week. But, the only withdrawal symptom that has not gone away is the insomnia. I have been averaging about 4-5 hours a night. I can't fall asleep before 4 am and I wake up every hour (sometimes stay awake for a good hour) until I wake up at 11 am. I am extremely tired all the time. I have tried everything to help me sleep, ambien, lots of exercise, vitamins, warm milk, soothing music, dark room, staying up 40 hours straight, pretty much everything that does not require a doctor's visit. I still haven't been able to sleep well. It's been almost 6 months and I am starting to think that I will never sleep like I did before Seroquel again.
My question, can I get back to normal sleep again, or have I done permanent damage to my brain by using Seroquel?

Thank you.

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

You know you have not caused any permanent damage.  It is often difficult to get back into a normal sleep cycle.  You should get a doctor's visit and see if your doctor can prescribe something more to get you started.  Oftentimes you only need three to four a good night's sleep in order to restore the cycle.  Perhaps in your attempt to treat yourself you do not give yourself sufficient dose of Ambien or other longer acting sedatives.  Your doctor should be able to help you.

[Paxiled]

I might recommend trying melatonin.  These meds can disrupt our sleep cycles because they affect the quality of sleep and the quality of our dream sleep.  Seroquel is particularly sedating, so it's natural you might have a rebound effect.  You can also try Calm's Forte, a homeopathic remedy.  I wouldn't recommend the ambien, it's another strong drug, and eventually you'll just adjust to it, too, and it also disturbs natural sleep rhythms.  Melatonin, on the other hand, resets your natural body clock, so give it a try.  And remember, I'm not the doctor, just a member with expertise in natural remedies and a fellow unfortunate taker of psychiatric meds.

[runnergrrl]

Thank you for recommending melatonin. It was one of the many things I did not include on my list of things I have tried. I really just want to know if I will ever be normal again. I appreciate people's recommendations, but I have tried everything. Trust me.

[Jaquta]

I don't know much about psych meds but I would expect it not to have caused permanent damage.  The doctor suggested I banish the word 'damaged' from my vocabulary so I guess that means others can't be damaged either.

I have had a poor sleep history so I can relate to feelings of frustration, distress, despair and fatigue over an inability to sleep.  Eventually we become so exhausted we crash.

My GP said six hours (or less) of sleep a night was a concern.

I wouldn't suggest exercising prior to going to bed but earlier in the day would be good.
I would try and put into practice some good sleep hygiene habits.  Like going to bed at the same time each night, etc.  It sounds like you may have tried that though.

I have found that when I can't sleep my anxiety levels increase (dramatically).  If other interventions haven't worked perhaps it's time to see your doctor.

My advice, other than not to sleep in till late (hard when you feel exhausted) would be to discuss this with your doctor and to perhaps ask for a short course of either sleep or anti-anxiety medication.
Going for long periods with disturbed and inadequate sleep is crazy and can leave us feeling very vulnerable.

Take care.
J

[runnergrrl]

I tried 5mg generic ambien for more than 2 weeks. It made me very sick and didn't put me to sleep. Plus, I don't have insurance so I can't afford the really expensive stuff. Won't I become addicted to it as well? I really don't want to go through another withdrawal.

[Paxiled]

You know, the unfortunate true answer is that nobody knows if these things can cause permanent damage.  I had Paxil withdrawal that my psychiatrist never prepared me for, and three years later my life is still ruined.  Dr. Gould said, oh well, you can't trace a straight line from one thing to the other.  Well, of course you can!  But i guess it does us no good to think we're permanently affected, because nobody really knows, so it is better to be optimistic some day we'll both be better.  And if you want another reply from the doctor, you'll have to start another thread -- he doesn't reply twice to the same thread.

[runnergrrl]

Thank you for your response. I am taking this Dr.'s advice at what it cost me, which is zero. I am not going to take the ambien (or any addicting drug) again and just hope that I can eventually get back to normal. It *****, but I am hoping that with more time I can heal. I am just going to keep eating healthy, exercising, and taking the vitamin supplements.

[Jaquta]

I doubt you would become addicted to sleep medication if you were to take it for three to four nights.

I expect long-term, supplements would cost far more than a script for a short-course of sleeping tablets (which don't have to be very expensive ones).

I found that having taken sleep meds for a short period of time (after sleeping two or less hours a night for an extended period) I was able to get back into a normal sleep pattern.

I am usually very anti-meds but when things do get extreme and are impacting on our health it makes sense to intervene.

J