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OP, if you went back on your usual dose of Seroquel and slept 10 hrs., that tells you that you were doing a good job gradually weaning off, and that you don't need the current dose. You only need slightly higher than your lowest recent dose. I'm just mentioning that.
Have you had a basic thyroid test? If not, start with that. If the doc gets the test results and tells you you're fine, ask for a copy of the results. You may, indeed, be fine, OR your results may show a pattern that's indicative of underlying thyroid disease. If Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is a high normal, and other thyroid (T4 and or T3, for example) is low-normal, you need further testing. You'll probably have to see a non-insurance doc and pay out of pocket to get that specific test, though. It's a test for thyroid antibodies.
P.S. Other potential symptoms of thyroid disease: headaches/migraines, very painful menstrual cramps, intolerance to hot or very cold weather. Tendency toward constipation. Tendency toward fatigue or the opposite: bursts of energy. There are many more symptoms.
OP, if you went back on your usual dose of Seroquel and slept 10 hrs., that tells you that you were doing a good job gradually weaning off, and that you don't need the current dose. You only need slightly higher than your lowest recent dose. I'm just mentioning that.
Have you had a basic thyroid test? If not, start with that. If the doc gets the test results and tells you you're fine, ask for a copy of the results. You may, indeed, be fine, OR your results may show a pattern that's indicative of underlying thyroid disease. If Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is a high normal, and other thyroid (T4 and or T3, for example) is low-normal, you need further testing. You'll probably have to see a non-insurance doc and pay out of pocket to get that specific test, though. It's a test for thyroid antibodies.
P.S. Other potential symptoms of thyroid disease: headaches/migraines, very painful menstrual cramps, intolerance to hot or very cold weather. Tendency toward constipation. Tendency toward fatigue or the opposite: bursts of energy. There are many more symptoms.
I agree, it may or may not be thyroid, but young people deal or don't deal with this. OP you don't say your age but on the thyroid group I was a member of, we had all ages. A tweaking may be all that is necessary but conventional MD's are not the best bet for real help, sad but true. And even a drop or iodine daily or some kelp could help you. We're all just guessing but offering what we are thinking and what some know. I take iodine daily for some yrs now and it helps with so many issues of our body tissues, including breast tissues.
For optimal thyroid health the Stop The Thyroid Madness people say TSH needs to be lower end of range and T3 and T4 upper end of range. I'm about there but not perfect, hard to get perfect.
Physically healthy person with a long history of clinical depression, general anxiety, and insomnia. Wanted to lose weight for my wedding coming up in one year, was having great success, then hit the plateau of all plateaus (diet is around 1,000 k/cals/day, low starch, with one fruit, good amount of veggies & protein & fiber, with daily strength and cardio training, cheating very infrequent, alcohol nil, so I really doubt it's a problem with my diet/exercise). The plateau lasted over a month, so I decided to look at my meds.
I was on 400 mg Seroquel, 4 mg Xanax, and 30 mg Temazepam, all of which I took right before bed. I had been on this combination for about two years (though the Xanax has been for 10). It was like a godsend, because it finally got me to sleep!
I had been hearing different vague things for awhile about Seroquel and weight gain, so I started to taper off, one week 300 mg, next week 200 mg, then a week of 100 mg, and I was fine. I also lost six lbs in one week!
In the interim, I started reading about Seroquel on the Internet, and how it's ruined people's lives, and they can't get off of it, etc., so I was like, "I've got to stop this stuff. It's poison." When it came time to stop completely, I just couldn't sleep. The Xanax and Temazepam had zero effect on me, and finally I broke down and took 50 mgs Seroquel for two nights, which worked in the sense that I got some, but little, restful sleep. Last night I finally took no Seroquel, and I got three hours of restless sleep. Three hours of sleep means 21 hours of being awake, and my diet is not sustainable over a 21 hour period. I would get too hungry, which would totally defeat the reason I stopped taking Seroquel in the first place.
Question: should I just hang at 100 mg for awhile, because that seemed to work for me, or is Seroquel really poison, and should I just ride through the tough time and get it out of my system?
(Full disclosure: I am thinking about trying to conceive a baby in a year or so, so I actually am inspired to get off all of my meds, very slowly, over this next year, but is Seroquel traditionally where I should start? It's the only one that's not a controlled substance, so maybe it should be the last thing to kick...?)
Question: Paradoxically, over-the-counter sleep aids tend to give me some relief. But I read on the Internet that these may cause weight gain! Is that true? I was thinking of using something OTC to get over the Seroquel withdrawal hump, but not if its gonna undermine my diet...
Last bit of relevant information: I do take 10 mgs Adderall, and a strong cup of coffee every day when I wake up, and never within 12 hours of bedtime. I know everyone is gonna say, "idiot, if you can't sleep, lay off the amphetamines and caffeine!" They're the only things that help with my depression, though. No medication has ever worked, and I'm not sure I would get out of bed without them, 'specially the coffee.
When I was in law school, I took 60 mg/Adderall per day, and I was able to sleep through a combo of Xanax and Ambien.
Question: Should I look into maybe replacing my Seroquel with Ambien, or is that trading one poison for another?
It's very tough for me, because I don't have medical insurance, and my doctor is three hours away. Any advice would be appreciated. I don't know what to believe/what not to believe on the Internet. Sorry for the novel.
Seroquel is an anti psychotic used for Schizophrenia, causes weight gain, disorientation and cataracts. I am not even Schiz. Been off of this garbage for years. No signs of cataracts and they developed suddenly. Xanex is a narcotic and highly addictive-used for anxiety and also causes weight gain.
Have you ever tried taking Melatonin, Calcium and Magnesium for help w/ sleep? Thankful you are no longer taking the Seroquel. Do you get daily exercise? Also helpful for sleeping well. Stay a way from computers, TV's or any technology 1 hour before bed. Also stay a way from caffeine later in the day.
What works for one does not always work for another.
Ambien has been know to do some freaky things to folks as well.
Wishing you the best. Going for a pregnancy-please do a way w/ prescription drugs such as you are being prescribed. I would also recommend finding another doctor
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