Thoughts on low dose quetiapine for benzo tapering and exacerbated OCD?

There are lots of positive reviews on drugs.com about this drug for OCD, which is my main symptom (I deal with OCD much before the benzos). I can't max out my SSRI dose because the times I tried updosing it I got a tinnitus spike that only faded when I got back to my previous dose. Besides, SSRIs almost surely caused my two tones of tinnitus as it started when I was only on sertraline when my first tone started. The second one started when I raised it to 150mg.

 

Given that I am afraid of the serotoninergic route, I sometimes consider low doses of quetiapine for OCD and helping with the benzo tapering.

 

What are your experiences with it? Is it worth? Is the drug bad enough to not entertain this thought?

A top hospital put me on Quetiapine for sleep. It has a nasty side effect profile. Had I known, I would never have taken it. Some people on this forum swear by it but not me.

 

I am having a tough time slowly tapering Quetiapine after benzo withdrawal. And I mean SLOWLY. 1-2 percent of a small dose per two weeks. It feels almost impossible to get off of. Every time I have cut a dose I have had raging insomnia and horrific panic attacks not to mention it was already causing nightmares and weird jerks before bed. This week I got an inner tremor from the taper.

 

I feel like my life, again, revolves around medication after I went through tolerance withdrawal for months and then actual withdrawal from Ativan. I already have multiple side effects in PAWS that are healing, so getting more feels unsustainable for survival.

 

If you can avoid polypharmacy, it seems to make getting off of benzos harder, and life, for that matter, from everything I've read and personal experience.

 

Not sure what the origin of your OCD is, and I am not your medical doctor. That being said, NAC is a supplement with scientific data for OCD effectiveness, from what I understand. Also, OCD can be a side effect of benzo withdrawal and can go away on its own.

I believe antipsychotics are extremely-extremely-dangerous all around. I would sincerely encourage you to research the consequences and find a possible alternative.

A top hospital put me on Quetiapine for sleep. It has a nasty side effect profile. Had I known, I would never have taken it. Some people on this forum swear by it but not me.

 

I am having a tough time slowly tapering Quetiapine after benzo withdrawal. And I mean SLOWLY. 1-2 percent of a small dose per two weeks. It feels almost impossible to get off of. Every time I have cut a dose I have had raging insomnia and horrific panic attacks not to mention it was already causing nightmares and weird jerks before bed. This week I got an inner tremor from the taper.

 

I feel like my life, again, revolves around medication after I went through tolerance withdrawal for months and then actual withdrawal from Ativan. I already have multiple side effects in PAWS that are healing, so getting more feels unsustainable for survival.

 

If you can avoid polypharmacy, it seems to make getting off of benzos harder, and life, for that matter, from everything I've read and personal experience.

 

Not sure what the origin of your OCD is, and I am not your medical doctor. That being said, NAC is a supplement with scientific data for OCD effectiveness, from what I understand. Also, OCD can be a side effect of benzo withdrawal and can go away on its own.

 

Thanks for your kind answers, Rebecca. I used some pills of quetiapine on the past and found it to be quite sedating, but I could see why it could help with OCD.

 

You say you don't know the origin of my OCD and neither do I. It manifested when I was an adolescent and I think I always had tendencies, my personality is obsessive too. I would guess it's genetic with neurological implications. Paxil did the trick for OCD in the past but made me numb and fat. Now it seems I am sensitive to boosting serotonin as I get tinnitus spikes with updoses.

 

NAC is something I am trying now, despite some horror stories about anhedonia and histamine intolerance from reddit scaring me, not to say the association with cancer.

 

Well, maybe I am overthinking. But again, regarding the origin... who knows if I always were prone to glutamate excess? Thank you for your considerations.

I believe antipsychotics are extremely-extremely-dangerous all around. I would sincerely encourage you to research the consequences and find a possible alternative.

 

Yes, that is one of my last resorts. I don't like the idea of playing with dopamina and the extrapyramidal symptoms scares me. Besides, quetiapine causes weight gain and alcohol is even more harmful on it I guess.

 

Thank you for your concern.

Is the NAC helping. I developed OCD type symptoms as result being made to CT zopiclone but in 4 years hasn’t gone away on its own. Got a lot worse recently after really bad reaction to the flu jab. The psych treating me like I’m psychotic wants to put me on anti psychotics but don’t think they’ll help the symptoms as never had it before the CT.  Dud try low dose diazapam but now seems be making symptoms worse.

Is the NAC helping. I developed OCD type symptoms as result being made to CT zopiclone but in 4 years hasn’t gone away on its own. Got a lot worse recently after really bad reaction to the flu jab. The psych treating me like I’m psychotic wants to put me on anti psychotics but don’t think they’ll help the symptoms as never had it before the CT.  Dud try low dose diazapam but now seems be making symptoms worse.

 

In terms of OCD guess the NAC is helping a little (I am only taking 1200mg per day) but I now suspect that my homocysteine levels are low. I might need a functional doctor to help me with the interactions. It seems that NAC can deplete some minerals too.

Just got some think J’ll try it, doesn’t seem have many side effects, After 4 years desperate try anything, other than more meds with awful side effects and yet more withdrawals. Gets lot positive reviews.