My number one search on my blog every day is "seroquel withdrawal" and the last 2 days one was from the Navy and one was from The House of Representatives in DC. My searches every day tell me something is up with Seroquel.

Seroquel is a drug of abuse? Oy! What in the world would make it abuse worthy. I had a doctor give it to me as a "sleep aid" and it didn't even help me sleep. I just felt like a groggy piece of dung for about 24 hours.

I think that calling it a "Herion substitute" is probably a typo. Suboxone yes, it keeps away the withdrawals and can be used to help a person get off herion, and maybe a very few select people can actually get a good high from the stuff. But Seroquel hasn't been shown to be too super effective for opiate WDs, at least not helpful enough to qualify for the label "herion substitute".
Though if people do take this stuff to get "high", and they can actually stay semi-concious on the stuff using it recreationaly, well they would probably look somewhat like opiate user who over does it and "goes on the nodd". - Course I simply can not understand why a person would take a drug, and claim they are taking it FOR FUN, but then take sooo much of it that they go on the "nodd" and aren't even concious 10% of the time to enjoy thier high. What a waste of good drugs :)... I guess.

I think if there is any ONE REASON why this drug is being abused more than others in it's class, it is because it simply makes one stop caring about thier life and thier problems. It helps you get to sleep no matter what sort of hell you've encountered durring the day and IT QUIETS YOUR MIND. - I don't think you have to be crazy, at least not in the world we live in, to end up in a life situation that leads to your being overwhelmed by life and negative thoughts and feelings about it. Seroquel will effectively numb any person, wether they are crazy or not, and give them the sense that everything is okay... if only because they are so sedated they can't remeber what a horrible day or week or month they have had.
The fact that it is widely used in prison and war settings has nothing to do with Seroquel being any better than, or any substitute for Herion, at quieting the dark and painful proccessed of the mind. It has everything to do with this drug being legal and more easily accessable than the Opiates for these populations.
And really, if you were locked in a cell all day, or in a prison sitation with all the BS that goes on in prison, wouldn't YOU want to be a little "numbed out". Same goes for our soldiers, they deal with being shot at, having to kill people, great amounts of stress... don't you think at the end of the day, if you were in the situation and it was effecting your psyche in a very bad way, that you would welcome the relief and the sedation that a dose of Seroquel can bring? It may not be the best drug for these people to take due to it's lasting sedation, which putts them at risk for all sorts of problems the next day, but if it's that or nothing I think it's not a far stretch to think that Seroquel would become a widely abused drug in these populations... it makes sense IMO.

As far as the addiction potential of this drug, I have an addictive personality and though I have not "abused" the drug (it's hard to qualify as abusing a drug that the doctor rx says you can take up to 600mg if you need it and take as little as 150mg if that's all you feel you need).

Though I do think Seroquel is very hard to quit for those of us who like "downers": alcohol, pot, benzo's, opiates... Because it is an adequate replacement for most of those.
Since starting Seroquel I no longer drink, no longer smoke pot, no longer abuse benzo's (though I do still use them, now as they are rx'd).
(If there is any one sedative type drug that Seroquel DOESN'T do a good job of replacing it is the Opiates. Opiates actually can make you feel better without completely making you out of your gord unaware of your life, IF you don't over do it and you only use smaller doses. )

The problem for myself, due to getting "hooked" on Seroquel is that I have a really really hard time bringing myself to lower the dose and to try and quit the drug. Even though I have gained over 70 pounds on the medication and have good reason to quit and find a different moodstabalizer, I have had a really hard time doing it. At night if I go past 10pm without my Seroquel I start "jonesing for it" just like any junky would. I get sketchy where ever I am, whatever I may be doing and want to get home ASAP so I can take my nightly dose.

I know it's going to be hard to quit Seroquel because I am a person who likes to live in a more peaceful state of mind. My natural state of mind is too hectic, too full of bad thoughts... it drives me to take whatever I can to feel better. So I don't know what my "replacement" will be. I don't know what my "seroquel substitute" will be... maybe herion if this article is to be believed. ???(joking...like I said, it's obviously a typo)

I tried Seroquel, once. Hated it. Like Laura I felt like "a groggy piece of dung." It is interesting that drinking one's self into a stupor is generally regarded as a bad idea, but medicating one's self into a stupor is considered psychiatric treatment. I sure hope that people taking Seroquel are not getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.

It's an interesting comment on the knowledge and awareness of mental health issues by the reporter, but other than that... so the drug is being abused, and?

There's a huge gulf between someone who decides to stop taking a drug because they've got all the bad side effects, and taking a drug and getting the side effects and having your doctor reduce the dose until an optimal level can be found. These drugs are not binary, they don't work for everyone and they take time and effort to get the benefits. Seroquel makes people feel groggy, tired and wrapped in cotton, and can be hard to stop taking... I'm not sure what the secret is.

Prescribing this drug to someone with depression as though they had schizophrenia would be insane, but at minimal doses it works as a sleep aid for people who can't sleep due to racing thoughts or manic moments...

Lisa said- "I sure hope that people taking Seroquel are not getting behind the wheel of a vehicle."

I made that mistake once, took my Seroquel befor I got home, and OMG I am soooooooooooooo lucky I didn't get a DUI. I was stopping at green lights, stoping and then going at red lights and I drove past the entrance to my apartments 5 times befor I finaly remembered to turn in. It's like I thought I had gotten used to the sedating side effects, but with this drug even if you can manage to get around your house or the grocery store (after someone else has driven you there), YOU CAN'T DRIVE ON IT! Don't even try.

I only have to take the drug at night, so I am lucky that I can still drive surring the day.

"It is interesting that drinking one's self into a stupor is generally regarded as a bad idea, but medicating one's self into a stupor is considered psychiatric treatment." This has just gotta be the Quote of the Day. Thank you, Lisa.

I've heard junkies say Paxil is a good substitute for Crystal Meth..
I guess if the general idea is to turn your life into a living nightmare than any psych drug would fit the bill..

I only started taking Seroquel a week ago and only had my diagnosis confirmed a week ago. They say I have been Bipolar for the last 10 yr.

this is all interesting stuff on Seroquel...
certainly opens ones mind.

seroquel is hell. unlike any poppy derivative..

I see the guy who pushed thorazine has diedd at age 87, in the new york times, wonder how many of those he helped poison and destroy lived to 87

I have been off seroquel 10 days now. I started weening myself slowly...400mg to 300mg for a week...300mg to 150mg for a week...150mg to 75mg for a week and getting scared, I went to 50mg for a week and then at last 25mg until it was all gone. After that I just did not refill it. Was it hard? Yes. I had trouble going to sleep and staying asleep along with some nausea and a few headaches along the way.

I had been on seroquel for one year. When my GP put me on seroquel back in february 2007 my fasting glucose was normal, thyroid within normal range and triglycerides (good and bad) normal. One year later i went to another doctor because mine was not hearing me anymore. I had gained 25 pounds and had a personal trainer as well as dieting. I was having night sweats, flushing of face and chest, higher anxiety, body temperature issues ( hot then cold) and whatever else. I These symptoms I had chalked up to anxiety and panic attacks because that is what I had been told so i just took Xanax. My complaints to the GP only gave him reason to up the dose of Seroquel suggesting my symptoms were part of the paranoia of bipolar!! Did he check my sugar levels during the course of the year?...no. Were thyroid and cholesterol checked?...no.

I was fortunate to find a different doctor with a different approach but it took some looking and belief in myself that i was not crazy.

After extensive testing, I had developed prediabetes, hypothyroidism, my triglycerides were at dangerous levels and at what was more odd to men was that I had literally been depleated of serotonin and dopamine, adrenals were almost non-existent. Oh yeah..sleep apnea.

I could go on and on about my journey and truthfully it is a journey and it isn't over yet. I have begun a supplement regimen and south beach diet to cleanse the sugar. I take a walk during the day or do some light yoga...get some sunlight!

I have lost 16 pounds and although I am still tired just driving to the store, I know that some of the anxiety has disappeared.

What is significant is that Seroquel has caused more serious health problems for me than a diagnosis of bipolar II ever did but the road to becoming well is not as hard as i thoought it would be. I still have days that I want to take seroquel..it is so easy to slip into a nice waking coma and forget about the world, forget about relationsips, forget about going to work and forget sex too.

I should get my sleep apnea machine (called CPAP) next week and there is extensive research about sleep apnea. I will save that blog or comment for another day.

For those with anxiety and panic attacks and trying to control your mind and thoughts, check out my blogs at myspace.com/35jake35

i will be writing about my sleep apnea experience soon.
Be well.

i've written about my seroquel hell; on it with xanax; so far lost 65 lbs. --and i can sleep at night and drive a car in the morning. opposed to train wreck fog that lasted 14 hours after taking the seroquel.

i will not, EVER use this drug again.

I have to admit that I read a these posts with both interest and concern. For me medication is an effective tool in treating my BP. I added Seroquel to my cocktail last August year, 50 mg which made me very anxious and very sleepy – bad, it was then increased to 75 mg thinking that maybe I needed a larger dose for it to work, however it made it worse. So it was discontinued. Six months ago it was added again this time the dosage is 25 mg. It has been terrific. I is still is mildly sedative and helps me to fall asleep. I have had a lifetime of sleep deprivation from apnea, insomnia and sinus problems – a cpap machine, sinus surgery and Seoquel are giving me the first full night’s sleep I have had in years.

But another note – same topic: With the information that you provide regarding the side effects of the various medications that are being prescribed to people with BP – what are we to do with it?

For me I found this site when I was having withdrawal problems with Effexor. I was glad to learn that I wasn’t crazy. I’m glad of the information provided, but are there better options out there?

Option for sleep that I replaced Seroquel with was 50mg.Benadryl.

Trazodone works well for sleep, too, if your doc is okay giving you an AD.

Trazodone didn't work personally for my insomnia, it actually created worse insomnia, even at increased doses, and the worst side effect was sweating. I tapered off of it and slept better, same as Seroquel. Also, just as a side note for new Seroquel users, there are "Seroquel nightmares" that many people write about[including myself] as being torture type dreams.These are my personal experiences, not advice or etc.

Trazodone must be trendy these days. Yesterday a friend in the dog park told me she had been prescribed trazodone for insomnia. She said she took it and woke up a little over an hour later so dehydrated she felt like her mouth was filled with warm cotton balls.

Oh, yes, that's one of the rotten side effects of trazodone -- waking up with your mouth feeling like the bottom of a birdcage!

Odd thought - in some ways this and a few other web sites are coming to be places where these drugs aren't discussed as the moral duty of mental defectives to take for the betterment and protection of society but instead as self help remedies. How different would the information be? When people discuss marijuana as a remedy for insomnia, and I might add, a very effective one, the point is always made to be careful that some people have bad reactions to it which include paranoia and of course loss of job and imprisonment. When people discuss the use of a mild opium poppy tea as an analgesic, again potential addiction and imprisonment are always brought up.

It's only with these mainstream legal money making drugs that the side effects are minimized. A person who is unhappy is told that if he or she choses not to follow his or her doctor's advice to take a drug that will at least for the first 30 days increase the likelihood of suicide , that he or she is morally irresponsible, dangerous and suffering from agnosia. Isn't this the same thing as a drug pusher telling someone they're uncool chickens if they don't try marijuana, and of course the astroturf groups are analogous to the peer pressure of druggie friends.

When these drugs are discussed openly, helpful information, real experiences can be discussed. Now that Jazz has mentioned that "cotton mouth" is a side effect of trazodone, I can relate this to my friend and others here will also know this is a common side effect.

Boyfriend on Seroquel for 4 years now. Not interested or excited about anything-including sex. Used to be loving, caring attentive. Now he shows no emotion whatsoever. This drug sucks.

I just don't know what to say. I was on Seroquil for the last 9 months. I have been out of work for about that time, my doctor gave me a bagful of free Seroquil to replace the Zyprexa I had been taking for 2 years--since I was out of health insurance. I ran out of my stash a few weeks ago and I have been in hell since. I have moved out of state and no longer have contact with my doctor. I am stuck with severe withdrawal symptoms that have lessoned a few days ago. I feel like a truck has hit me. I have chills, hot flashes, sweats, nausea, havne't slept for days, and am starting to have weird dreams. I also have bad muscle pain. During the first few days of withdrawal I had these symptoms big time and had the strange experience of feeling like my skin was not attached to my body. I researched drug withdrawal online and the symptoms I have are very much like heroin withdrawal. I was not told about the withdrawal symptoms and I am very angry. I start a new job in late May and am praying that I get better. Does anyone know about remedies that curtail the horrible symptoms? Thanks. I was on drugs due to a diagnosis of BP 1

Hey people, I have been on and off heroin for a while, and now I've been on it for 7 months nonstop, and lately I've been really under pressure to get back on track, anyhow ..I've been introduced to Seroquel by a friend of mine who told me " IT DOES MAGIC " ..I live in a country where heroin and coccaine is more easy to find than any other prescription drug, as far as trying to get my hands on seroquel, it was very hard, but since my brother works in a hospital, he managed to get me a box of samples, I Just need a peice of advice from anyone out there who can give me the slightest idea if i can use a couple of hundred mgs on a 7 day clean up, I am aware that Seroquel is addictive as any other Opiate, but am sure it won't be as bad as heroin after 7 day of using it ..so what do u think people ? Please tell me everything u can help me with ..Is it gonna help me the 1st week and then I Can manage to cut it and substitute it with anything, or who knows I know after 7 dayz of hell I can tolerate the pain after that, surely I'm gonna be mixing seroquel with some codeine, di-antalvic and Xanax if I had to ..but Seroquel alone how helpfull can it be during my withdrawls? Thanks alot to any advice :)

I was put on Klonipin (a narcotic) for eleven years by my family doctor as a "sleep-aid." Over the years I became so sick. It felt like my body was shutting down. Lost my job,my home,my lifestyle, etc. I was passed around the medical center like a sack of potatoes. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, restlessleg syndrome, arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, severe sleep deprivation and then they decided that I was depressed! I was weaned off Klonipin in the mostpainful way (taking lower doses with Ambian CR. It made me worse. I got lost in my car and would wake up and find myself rolled up in a ball on the side of my bed crying...I ended up in a detox hosipal in Tarpin Springs, Florida. They can wean you off any drug within 5 days...A friend of mine saw Dr. Phil send someone there. It has been 6 months. They put me on serequel and it was a miracle drug at first. I have gained a lot of weight and want off so I am going to start weaning myself with benedryl. floridadetox.com is where I went. The lead doctor convinced me that serequil was not addicitive but you can become immune.I have to get my life back! Tonight I start on bebedryl.

Serequil, Clonipine are not narcotics or opiates. They cannot prevent withdrawal in anyone who is dependant on opiates.