[Gabyunbound]

I hadn't slept for several days (about 3 hours a night) and was hypo, though not the euphoric kind I was used to. I was jumping out of my skin, had way too much energy, and going to the gym every day and working out super hard, even though I don't normally go to the gym, nor am I in shape.

I was upping my Seroquel (under pdoc supervision -sort-of, by email) from 25mg to 50, to 150, and finally to 200 and I was still not sleeping. Then I decided f*** it and stopped taking the Seroquel altogether. I also stopped nighttime Abilify because it had been switched from the morning a few weeks before and I thought it might be activating all of a sudden. Please no judgement, I was not in my right mind, I was convinced that Seroquel was frying my brain and it wasn't working anyway. I know I'm supposed to titrate it down and did not, went cold turkey. To be perfectly honest, I wanted to induce euphoria, my thinking at the time was, if I'm going to go through all of this crap, I may as well experience euphoria, which used to be my modus operendi, and I missed it. And still do.

Miraculously, and I have no explanation for this, the night I stopped 200mg of Seroquel, I finally fell asleep on my own! Slept all night night before last, and last night as well. My mood and energy are significantly better. I'm thinking clearly now.

But yesterday afternoon, I started having horrible, terrible body pain, head to toe, which lasted until late this morning. It got better after taking Abilify, which I had also stopped for 2 days.

My question is this: Has anyone had terrible body pain from stopping seroquel or Abilify cold turkey? Is this a side effect of doing that?

Thanks.

[Wild Coyote]

One day, I had stopped Abilify cold turkey, under the direction of my pdoc. I did not have increased body pain, but I'd felt terrible and had to go back and titrate down.

I hope you feel better soon.

WC

[Blueberrybook]

Stopping meds abruptly is never a good idea; I am sure you know that.

I would call your pdoc and/or get an appointment ASAP.

However, I did have BAD body pain all over from stopping Cymbalta (even with tapering). I was on Cymbalta because I had been mis-diagnosed with major depression at the time. I think the pain was even worse because I have fibromyalgia as well, and I know sometimes smaller doses of Cymbalta is used to treat fibro.

So I wouldn't put it past any psych med to cause body pain from halting it abruptly. I'm on Seroquel as well, 300 mg though. 200 mg was not enough for me. Are you on the timed-release or the normal? The timed-release never worked out for me, made me too tired during the day, so I had to go to the instant release.

Also, when I'm manic, I have Trazodone & hydroxyzine to help me with sleep when the Seroquel does not. (I am also on Lamictal & Klonopin.)

[SorryShaped]

If I skip or forget Seroquel one time I hurt everywhere and feel like a hangover for two days, even though I've been back on Seroquel for another night.
I think I may have had an interaction between abilify and Seroquel, but any way it was all the nms symptoms. It got better within a few days without abilify. I remember being so confused and feeling so cold but my skin was roasting hot. I was shaking terribly and knew there was a problem. I certainly didn't have an antidepressant effect as advertised.
Stopping brain drugs abruptly can cause all kinds of horrors, just as side effects of brain drugs themselves can cause all kinds of horrors.

[Travelinglady]

Hope you feel better soon. I agree. Not a good idea to stop these drugs cold turkey! Bad enough with titration.

[SparkySmart]

I had dreadful physical pain when reducing my Geodon dosage (another atypical AP). I think all psychoactive drugs must have that potential.

[Gabyunbound]

Just an update.

After days and days of 3-4 hours of sleep a night, and feeling like I was crawling out of skin, going to the gym and working out really hard (never go to gym) to get rid of the agitation, I got fit in with my pdoc and she said I was hypo. She upped my Abilify, from 15mg to 20.

I had been upping Seroquel daily to be able to sleep, up to 50, then 100, then 150, then 200. Then -as I said above- I decided to stop it altogether. My thinking at the time was that I was fed up. And frankly, I had been used to euphoria when hypo and was not experiencing this and was very very frustrated. I had thought that maybe stopping the seroquel abruptly would make me euphoric (I know this is distorted thinking and not safe, but I wasn't thinking clearly at the time).

But then the most BIZARRE thing happened. After stopping the seroquel, I was finally able to sleep! It was utterly paradoxical! And I've been able to sleep since then on no sleep aide.

The only thing I can think of (aside from no explanation I can think of) is that the 400mg of Lamictal is helping. My previous pdoc, the one who specialized in BP, told me that this high dose (400mg only) of Lamictal make some people sleepy.

Anyone here on 400mg of Lamictal get sleepy on it?

Thanks.

[Under*Over]

You really shpuldnt stop your meds cold turkey. Your body has grown a dependence on them- and so its not surprising you felt really sick

Its best to titrate down slowly- and yeah, under the supervision of a medical professional.

[SorryShaped]

I was on 400mg lamictal every day for over a decade. I feel better without it mostly. I stopped it because the tegretol was causing rapid metabolism of the lamictal, and basically cancelling it out. It made some mornings a lot rougher after the tegretol was added, because I'd be way too sleepy. Before the tegretol I never noticed a better or worse if bipolar symptoms with or without lamictal. After I read all the things it can do to your body when you're on it for a long time, I was grateful to be off. I have no motivation most of the time since I stopped lamictal, but I feel better about it, if that makes sense. Probably not.

[Gabyunbound]

Originally Posted by Under*Over

You really shpuldnt stop your meds cold turkey. Your body has grown a dependence on them- and so its not surprising you felt really sick

Its best to titrate down slowly- and yeah, under the supervision of a medical professional.

I know, I wasn't thinking clearly at all, I was all over the place. I hope to not do that again.

[cool09]

Are you feeling euphoric like you want to feel? My PDOC pushed lamictal to 600 mg and my eyes became crossed. Lamictal never did anything for me in ten years. Glad it works for you!