Weaning off Quetiapine/Seroquel

I'm not looking for medical advice...I know I have to be monitored by a psychiatrist while weaning, but I am just looking for some stories of those who have weaned from Seroquel. It is the only drug I was put on and it basically zapped the PPD right out of me.

How long did you stay on your dose? What was your dose? How long did it take you to get off of it? What was withdrawal like?

Were you able to come off within a year or did you stay on for longer and at what dose?

Thanks!

[Kats88]

I was on quetiapine 600mg and I came off it no problems. No withdrawal, I came off it over a few weeks but was replaced with olanzapine because the quetiapine wasn’t controlling my psychosis adequately. I did it in the mbu so was supported by the staff and consultant when weaning off it.

[twinkleDust1 in reply to Kats88]

Sorry to bother. But between olanzapine and quetiapine which of the two was better. I’m on olanzapine and wanted to know other alternative antipsychotic drugs and how they’ve made other feel as a pose to olanzapine.

[Kats88 in reply to twinkleDust1]

Hey, no bother. I hated olanzapine, it was very effective at controlling my psychosis but it gave me a serious weight gain problem and I was tired all the time. What dose are you on? I started off at 20mg then went down to 15mg. I came off it and swapped onto aripiprazole, which has also been very effective at controlling my psychosis when I take them correctly. I started off on the tablets and now have a depot injection. It doesn’t have the weight gain side effect that the likes of respiridone, olanzapine and quetiapine do, and is also not sedating like those 3 so it doesn’t make you feel like a zombie. I’ve also been on flupenthixol and that again didn’t have any side effects and no zombie feeling of weight gain. I have no side effects from aripiprazole and I’m on the equivalent of 25mg a day which is nearly the max dose (30mg).

I’ve been on olanzapine 15-20mg, quetiapine 600mg (did not control psychosis properly), respiridone 8mg, flupenthixol 6mg, arirpiprazole 25-30mg. I by far prefer aripiprazole. I hope this helps xx

[twinkleDust1 in reply to Kats88]

I’m on 10ml and although it’s not very high I still feel empty inside like a zombie. I’m trying to figure if it’s olanzapine or the psychosis. I didn’t feel depressive whilst in the hospital nor shortly coming out but lately I’ve felt a bout of depression and anxiety.

[Kats88 in reply to twinkleDust1]

It probably is the olanzapine, I felt like a zombie on it even when the dose was reduced. Ask if you can try aripiprazole, it’s much better x

[Jenny_at_APP Partner]

Hi Ripley66

I took quetiapine modified release (XL). I was on 300mg and took it for 12 months before weaning off. I weaned off over 3 months - a month at 200mg, a month at 100mg and a month at 50mg then off. I noticed the first drop in dose and was headachey and a bit dizzy for the first few days I think (I think I had similar side effects to when I first went on it), then I was fine really, I didn’t have any issues of note.

Hope that helps.

Jenny x

[Hidden in reply to Jenny_at_APP]

omg that is a fast wean!!!! Im going down by less than 12 mg at a time! Sooo paranoid of withdrawal

[JillianRose]

I am one week away from being completely off Seroquel...started at 400mg in late November and went down each month after about 6 weeks (300 then 200 then 150 then 100 then 50) and am down to 25mg just over 6 months total. The only effects of withdrawal I noticed was some nausea as I went down in dosage and one day I forgot to take it and had what is called "rebound insomnia." It is very important to be monitored while doing it--I have seen psychiatrist monthly as weaning.

[DownUnder91]

Hi Ripley66,

I was on 600mg Quetiapine XR which effectively treated my PP. Initially I weaned 100mg at a time every 6-8 weeks, but I would struggle for weeks afterwards with withdrawal effects so once I got to 300mg I went down in 50mg stages. I relapsed with an episode of mania a few weeks after I went down to 150mg and was diagnosed with Bipolar 1. I went back up to 400mg and added a mood stabiliser. Now I am fairly stable on lithium and am weaning off of quetiapine again down 50mg every 4-6weeks. I'm down to 100mg and it's been much easier this time around. If my weaning hadn't been complicated by Bipolar I would have been completely off meds when my baby was 18 months old, which is what my psychiatrist recommended.

I believe that Bipolar occurs in around 30% of women with PP, so most likely you're journey will be less complicated than mine. All the best and I hope it all goes well when you're ready to start reducing.