I am including this massive study on tapering seroquel. The charts are very good.
https://academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin/article/47/4/1116/6178746As with all psychiatric meds, slow and low.
I take it 3 times during the night. A year ago I was taking 4 doses a night. I felt too drugged out. I removed one dose. I did it unconventionally. I took my 4Th dose, and skipped it two nights in a week, then 3 nights, then stopped the 4th dose.. Most unusually, I did not experience withdrawal. About a 3 week process. At my high dose , the receptors that experienced wd were those above 300 mg.
Some guidelines propose doing just what I did, although I did not know it at the time. Skip a dose then wait as you gradually skip more. Not on the same night/day.
I am now at 3 doses, and parking my butt there until my xanax stabilizes, I got thrown into a medication a and surgical set back in September, which involved surgery, opiates, and then antibiotics near the end, in February. I am only now getting hints of recovery from the setback.
A few notes for sero wd:
You may have an easy time, you may not, learn about the tapering guidelines, the wd effects and prepare yourself.
Most suggest tapering as one would a benzo, a gradual reduction over time.
At different doses, seroquel affects different parts of the brain. If you are at a "sleep" dose, that is usually under 100. That is the least difficult taper. Over 100, you hit other receptors, over 200 and 300 , each time you hit new receptors. Hence, as doses are lowered, the lack of seroquel hitting certain receptors will kick in (say over 300 mg) at 200, the receptors will undergo a different experience, and at 100, once again. You need to give it time. At each "100" going below that number (for example, 150 to 100) certain receptors will experience wd. Wait it out. No matter how long it takes. Once those receptors are healed, you can continue.
Also, most sites propose tapering down to a goal point, then holding for 3 weeks at least . The reason for this, is that seroquel often has a delayed reaction that hits at 3 weeks. There is an excellent chart of symptoms in this paper.
Symptoms:
https://academic.oup.com/view-large/figure/267393405/sbab017f0001.jpgI fall in the serotonin category for my wd from sero more than any other.
From experience, benzo's do nothing to remedy the withdrawal manifestations of seroquel.
i will attempt as i continue my xanax taper, to at certain times (at least 6 months apart) reduce seroquel dosage. If I get slammed with wd sxs, I will reinstate.
Seroquel wd is very ugly, and and can be a nighmare for some of us. Waiting out the receptor healing is the key. The higher your 24 hour dose, the more are affected. And you must give those receptors time to heal. If you don't and jump from say 250 to 75, you will actually go through what feels like 2 distinct yet simultaneous withdraw experiences as different ones are affected the higher your dosage.
This is not like benzo withdrawal, where you gradually and fairly consistently cut.
You have to pause, and wait.
I hope this helps.
Peace Out
-Dove
