Really anxious following a failed med reduction. Think I now need more med than I started with

Medications
1

The doc wanted to reduce my quetiapine following a good response to an increase in my other med depixol.

was on 200 mg quetiapine historically. The doc decided to start reducing that.

It was an unmitigated disaster.

So got so anxious that after 4 weeks I went back to my original dose.

But I am still very anxious. I think I have that thing we’re sometimes a failed reduction messes up your response and you need more than you did when previously stabile

4 Likes
2

Sorry to hear that man

Hope you feel better soon

2 Likes
3

Thanks man

2 Likes
4

Hey jimbob; hope you find that previous stability again. Meds are weird.

Good luck with it :folded_hands:

1 Like
5

Thanks man

1 Like
6

Made some camomile tea. Hopefully that helps

3 Likes
7

And peppermint tea helps soothe the digestive tract :blush: yeh i heard good things about camomile. :heart_hands:

1 Like
8

Oh man. The camomile teabags smell so good. It is the twining ones with honey

2 Likes
9

Very nice.

1 Like
10

sorry bud…putting on “outside” and thinking happy thoughts for you…good luck.

1 Like
11

If it puts your mind at rest @Jimbob ….

I was on and off quetiapine for years. Originally at 800mg.

The lowest I got to was 25mg for sleep and it still worked.

1 Like
12

Thanks @jukebox x

1 Like
13

:folded_hands: Big thanks @Qwerty

1 Like
14

It could be because you increased depixol, not because you lowered seroquel.

1 Like
15

I increased toe depixol about 6 months ago. Was on 200mg of quetiapine during this time.

I did really well until the quetiapine got reduced a month ago

pretty sure it’s the reduced quetiapine

2 Likes
16

I don’t want to ever lower my meds. I need them desperately

I hope you feel better soon

1 Like
17

Thanks @Lillyofthevalley

1 Like
18

Hello @Jimbob ,

I’m very sorry to have to tell you this, but if your psychiatrist didn’t do a very slow, hyperbolic taper of the the quetiapine, then he or she is entirely at fault here, and needs to get themselves up to speed on how to safely reduce medication.

A slow ‘hyperbolic’ taper basically means never reducing the medication by more than 5-10% per month (yes, per month) of the PREVIOUS month’s dose. In other words, not only is the reduction very slow, but it is Non-Linear.

Eg the following is a Linear reduction:

100mg, 90mg, 80mg, 70mg, 60mg etc

The following is a 10% hyperbolic reduction (Non-Linear):

100mg, 90mg, 81mg, 72.9mg, 65.61mg etc

The reason this matters is because the body and brain just can’t handle linear reductions - it’s just a solid fact of biology.

(Feel free to google ‘hyperbolic tapering’ and the ‘dose-response relationship’ if you’re not sure if you believe me.)

Sadly, too many doctors, never mind psychiatrists, are too disinterested to actually read up on research, so we, as patients, have to educate them (in the kindest way possible, so as not to offend them).

2 Likes
19

Best wishes to you @Jimbob

I have been there and am currently there too.

I hope your anxiety and symptoms get better. I feel for you. :pink_heart:

1 Like
20

Hello again,

Last thing from me:

The longer you have been on a med, the harder it is to come off it. That’s actually an established (but underappreciated) fact.

So in such cases, making a monthly reduction may be far, far too frequent, and a reduction every 3-6 months may be more appropriate.

I saw an interesting piece of advice about this not so long ago, which said:

‘The quickest way to come off a medication is to do it very, very slowly.’

(That way you don’t end up having to restart it or increase the dose again etc)

I wish you all the very best

2 Likes