Reducing quetiapine: how long will I feel the side effects of each dose reduction?

[dontrunwithscissors]

I've just started reducing my dose of (normal release) quetiapine down from 150mg. I went down to 125mg a week ago and the anxiety and sleep problems only seem to be getting worse. Does anyone have advice on how long I might suffer from this? Or perhaps this is actually the original symptoms returning? I'm lost as to what do do - my CPN said I could go back up to 150mg if I needed, but I want to give the reduction a fair try.

I don't remember if I had problems coming off quetiapine or not, probably not or I'd remember? I do know I had to keep increasing the dose to stupid levels just to get any sort of sleep at all and got fat and felt tired a lot. Could you take, temporarily, something else to help you sleep in the meantime - like temazepam or an antihistamine or zopiclone or something?

Are you replacing it with something else or just trying life without it?

Thanks for the reply. My CPN was thinking that, now I've also got lamotrigine on board, I'll be able to reduce the quetiapine. This has partly (mostly?) come from me as I thought quetiapine was doing nothing but making me fat and tired, but I'm starting to think again. I'm wondering if the addition of lamotrigine has somehow changed the way the quetiapine is working. Why does it have to be so complicated?! I ended up putting the quetiapine up again as I'd felt so well at 150mg - the best/most stable for years.

I was on a lamictal and quetiapine combination for quite a while, but in the opposite order - quetiapine added to the lamotrigine so noticed changes the other way around. I think lamotrigine/lamictal is quite activating and thought it helped keep my mood up but I also (probably unfairly) blamed it for anxiety.

I thought lamotrigine was good for anxiety? In my case, I think it may be the citalopram that's the problem. I think the plan is to get rid of it as soon as I feel able.

I'm sure it is, over a year on and my anxiety is about a hundred million times worse! Am only taking lithium which doesn't help that sort of thing. Hope things improve for you.