Getting Off Seroquel

Five years ago I was put on Seroquel during a very anxious, cyclic, bipolar episode due to tremendous stress in my world.
What should have been a short term medication (for me), turned into an endless health nightmare. Weight gain, high blood pressure, trouble with making simple sentences in speech, extensive pain from weight I just could not fight, immune system compromised. After a while my anxiety increased and my Dr. increased the Seroquel and just kept pumping it in without listening to me about how physically miserable I was.
I changed Dr.'s in November, and he is a Godsend. He put me on Lamactil and I have no side effects from it. However, even though I tapered off the Seroquel, I still suffered a horrible withdrawal that virtually lasted almost 7 weeks. I had a few good days in between but nothing to write home about. This morning, I woke up feeling better than I have in years after 4 pretty good days, I am blessed with a wonderful day. It has been a long time in coming.
My husband says I am no longer a zombie and a pleasure to be around again.
I am not saying this medicine isn't needed by some. Some short time, some long term, but I feel it is more addictive than many schedule C drugs.
I will always be bipolar and have to deal with it, however, never NOT question a Dr. about how long to be on an anti-psychotic if you are not schizophrenic. Also ask about best way to withdrawal from said meds.
This is my story, not everyone's, but there can be life after Seroquel.

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Wow, you really went through some tough times, very sorry about that.

The relevant fact here, however, isn't that Seroquel is necessarily addictive, per se, but rather that it causes dependence. Your body does get used to having anything that you take in on a regular basis for a long period of time, from your morning coffee to a medication and, a sudden cessation may result in withdrawal type effects.

Though you might think they would be minor, since you weren't abusing the medication, due to the way these types of medications affect brain chemicals, you get not only the withdrawal effects, but rebound effects, which may cause depression, anxiety and etc. that are worse than the reasons you started taking the medication.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Seroquel/­

Very glad, though, that you are doing better now.

Does anyone have any questions or comments?

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Dear Verwon,
Thank you for the reply.
I am happy to report 1 full week of feeling good! I have wondered for a long time if I would ever feel like this again.
Just so grateful, today!

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