Which drug have more withdrawal problems for anxiety: Clonazepam or Quetiapine?

[Luisitosax]

I am tapering clonazepam after 3 month on it at 0.5mg daily. I am right now at just 0.085mg/day and planning to be free by the end of this year. I am now struggling with anxiety and mild insomnia mainly due to withdrawal. Dr. wants me to take 25mg of Seroquel (quetiapine) per day. Do you think this is a good decision? I do not want to be addicted or dependent on any psych drug, and I have heard that quetiapine also is a drug that causes addiction and withdrawal symptoms..

[Paxiled]

Clonazepam is classified as an addictive drug and controlled substance.  Seroquel isn't.  I"m not sure why your doctor wants you to take seroquel -- you don't say why here.  This is a drug intended for a limited purpose that was marketed illegally for all kinds of things, mostly for sleep because an unwanted side effect of it is a lot of sedation.  You'd probably find quantitatively more problems quitting clonazepam, as it's one of the hardest of brain drugs to stop taking.  I'm taking a guess that your doc wants you to take Seroquel because of the insomnia from quitting the clonazepam, and I'm wondering if you're doing this with a psychiatrist who specializes in this or a general doc who doesn't.  I ask because it seems if you're having withdrawal problems the thing to do would be to slow down the taper off -- the schedule should suit you, not some general schedule doctors use to make their lives easier.  People differ on how difficult it is to stop a drug -- some have no problems, some moderate problems, some intractable problems.  You seem to be having some mild problems so far.  Seroquel is a powerful drug and was never intended to be used for sleep, but docs do get to do this once a drug is approved -- they can then use it for anything they want.  Personally, if my goal was to stop taking meds, I wouldn't go on a powerful med such as Seroquel because that just prolongs the problem -- I'd try and slow down my taper off the clonazepam until I successfully stopped it or found out I couldn't successfully stop it, which raises other issues.  

[Paxiled]

I should add, there are milder ways to try to sleep -- increased exercise, meditation (but not right before sleep), progressive muscle relaxation when you go to bed, melatonin, homeopathic remedies, mild herbs such as chamomile tea or valerian -- a lot of possibilities that are a whole lot easier to stop using and that don't have side effects than taking another very strong drug affecting neurotransmitters such as Seroquel.  I just see that as a drug you take when you must, not just to make things a little easier.  But you get to decide, it's your life, your doctor does not get to decide for you.  

[Luisitosax]

Thanks a lot Paxiled. My Dr is not a psychiatrist, it a general Practitioner. I think you are absolutely right. I am hesitant to take Seroquel because its powerful properties. I prefer to slow down a bit my taper process. I am now at 0.085mg/day which is almost nothing. Maybe I have to updose a bit to , perhaps 0.2mg and restart again the process at a slower pace. Do you think is a good idea to updose? Should I stay at my current dosage? (almost nothing).

[Paxiled]

Given the problems you're having, there is no loss in going back up a bit to the last dose at which you felt fine and taper off from there more slowly and see what happens.

[Luisitosax]

Thanks a lot. I am going to do that.