hi. gabapentin affects GABA, sorta like the poor man's valium. long term usage at higher doses sometimes requires a slow(ish) taper.

atarax is one brand name for hydroxyzine, which is an old school antihistamine that also acts as a tranquilizer, then a sedative at higher doses.

its your life, your body, but...seroquel is also a -very- sedating antihistamine, in addition to its neuroleptic effects, which generally require (I think...) a couple 100mgs to take effect.

i was just thinking that instead of loading up on sedating antihistamines, maybe the doctor could try gabapentin or another GABA drug. its basically...still a sedative, obviously, but it acts on a different part of the brain. also...personally...i despise hydroxyzine. gabapentin isn't loads of fun or whatever, but i do take some now and then to lull me to sleep.

remeron is an antidepressant. its also--wait for it, wait for it--a densely sedating antihistamine, at low to moderate doses. for whatever reason(s), remeron was/is more popular in Europe than in the US, and European shrinks tend to use higher doses than US doctors.

remeron has been used to soothe people w/ neuroleptic induced akathisia. as an antidepressant, its used more for agitated depressive states, and also to "boost" underperforming antidepressants (the combination of Effexor and Remeron, for instance, is nicknamed "California Rocket Fuel," and it seems effective in some people w/ "treatment-resistant depression").

i was just thinking out loud. ive personally found that gabapentin, benzodiazepines, and now "mood stabilizers" (read: anti-eplileptic drugs), taken w/ a tranquilizer help me "get more mileage" out of the tranquilizer. I've even be able to reduce my dosage of Abilify a bit.

my other concern ((I'm not writing this to scare you, btw)) would be developing chronic or tardive akathisia. i think its more common w/ the older drugs, especially at the old school, high doses that were so popular for a long time, but...its a risk w/ any tranquilizer, and long-term akathisia is not very well-studied, and there aren't a whole lot of good options.

again, im -not- trying to scare you. i take an 'atypical,' these are things i think about now and then.

hope this helps a bit.