Anyone not able to sleep unless they take Seroquel (Quetiapine)?

I've been taking Seroquel (Quetiapine) for almost 20 years. I have NO idea why the original doctor put me on it. I was new to psych meds and just did what they said. At the time it was depression and anxiety. The Seroquel helped me sleep, then after a while, I needed a higher dose, and on and on and on. I now take 500mgs at night. I've tried 3 times to come off Seroquel because I don't see the need for it. I'm now to a point that if I don't take the 500mgs at night, I never get sleepy and stay awake. One doctor took me off it and gave me Ambien. I took that every night for 3 nights and only managed to get a total of 3 hours over those 3 nights. It is like my body doesn't know know how to fall asleep without it. Unfortunately, I've been recently diagnosed with metastatic cancer (breast cancer that spread to my brain, no cure, just treat the symptoms if/when it returns) so they upped the Seroquel to try and help me fall asleep faster cause I've been a bit of a crying wreck over having Metastatic/Stage IV cancer. But I don't want to go up, I want to come off. Is it possible that I will be on this med for the rest of my life? My current med doc kind of sucks - so I'll try ANOTHER one. If I don't pass out from the Seroquel, I get these MAJOR cravings to binge eat. And it has always seemed to hinder my memory. So I really want off this stuff. But I drop 100mgs and I'm awake all night. Again, I have no idea why the original meds doctor put me on Seroquel, but I'm really over it after all these years. Sometimes I forget my meds at night and so I'm up all night until the penny drops and I go take them. Then it could be 2 hours before it kicks in or 6 hours. I just can't find the good in this med for me. I did go on to Effexor ER and once I missed one and it was like I was drunk! So I got off that quickly because many people said the withdrawal symptoms are hell for some people and didn't want to add something like that. Has anyone been on Seroquel, long term, high dose, and not been able to sleep unless they took it?

Depression
Anxiety
Agoraphobia

Seroquel
Buspar
Klonopin

Welcome to PC NickelBuster

Admittedly, I'm on a lower dose than yourself (150mg), but also relatively long term (3 years). Though I am aware that this medication can make you very drowsy (especially at a higher dose... a friend of mine said that it left him feeling like a zombie), it's primary use for me as prescribed was as a mood stabilizer rather than for my depression and anxiety. I could be very wrong, its just I've not heard for this to me used primarily for sleep... other meds as a prm such as zopliclone do that for me.

Would it be worth speaking to your dr about sleep specific medication, at the very least as a go to if sleep escapes you? I say this latter part, as I use sleeping tablets very sparingly (due to their addictiveness).

Even though Seroquel technically isnt a sleeping pill there are many people who are prescribed it to help with their mood and their sleep. It is a royal pain to get off and must be done very very slowly. I used to take 200mg at night and have managed to get it down to 100mg at night over a period of six months. Like yourself if I don't take it I don't sleep. I am also on 1mg of Klonolpin at night and 0.5 of klonolpin in the morning.

To stop taking it entirely is cruel and no wonder you aren't sleeping. Even dropping 100mg is too quick. Maybe try dropping 25 mg and see how that goes for a time. When you are stable on that then drop it another 25mg. Lack of sleep will do horrid things to our equilibrium.

Hope that you can find the right combination of medications and doctors to help sort things out.

I don't know at what dose you started out on so this may be useless, but Seroquel at low doses (25-100mg) acts only as an antihistamine which is why it makes you sleepy. At that dose it doesn't work as a mood stabilizer. Anyway I've read more than once that when Seroquel's other properties kick in (200mg?) they actually counteract the antihistamine effects--meaning they work less well for sleep at high doses. But of course if you started out very low and each dosage increase made the Seroquel more effective for sleep, then that explanation would seem not to apply.

I take 50mg of Seroquel and 3mg of Lunesta each night and sometimes 1mg Xanax. Could you cut down the Seroquel and maybe add something else? Or are you trying to get off sleeping medications altogether?

I've quit Seroquel abruptly more than once with no problems, but I was never as high as 500mg, and of course it's always safer to taper.

Welcome to PC.

Although this is my third post response about Seroquel in a row, your post caught my eye, because I feel I am dependent on Seroquel for sleep. Although I need it for other things too (Bipolar maintenance). I was on high dose Seroquel for a period of time and my body got so used to it. Eventually, I was hating some of the side effects and requested to come down to a lower dose than 800. Even 600 mg was giving me tremors, etc. I felt some withdrawal symptoms (insomnia) as I came down, but my body did eventually adjust to being on 400 mg and even 300 mg when I am "at my best." It is not fun to come down from being on a higher dose, but I felt so free once I adjusted. However, I am still completely dependent and cannot be off of it. Then again, I never tried to come off completely. All I know is if I don't have it, I am not getting any sleep that night.

Sorry, I didn't mean this to be discouraging! Basically just sharing that I can relate, and I was at least successful in tapering down with time, patience, and some discomfort, but you can manage. I think the idea above sounds like a good possibility: adding something as you cut down, if possible. I am on clonazepam, which only helps mildly, but it's better than nothing. I would imagine if I tried to get off Seroquel, it would help me to use clonazepam in the meantime.