DO NOT USE SEROQUEL for INSOMNIA

DO NOT USE SEROQUEL FOR INSOMNIA IT WILL RUIN YOU,

---------

SEROQUEL WITHDRAWAL
===================

This is what I learnt from Seroquel the hard way.
I tried to withdraw but failed, mostly because the
lack of knowledge (and support) and I have ruined my life.

SEROQUEL

- toxic medicine (antipsychotic)
- shady drug, have caused lots of deaths
- NEVER start using unless you have forced to use it
- NEVER use for sleeping problems, use neurologists specialized for sleep
- if you have used seroquel for prolonged periods of
time (> 200mg) DON'T STOP IT
- if you have used seroquel (quetiapine) only for a month (or less)
stop immediately if you think you don't need it
- low doses aren't necessarily safe ( 300mg)
- hell drug: after discontinuation it is much harder to restart
(brain cannot handle reuse of seroquel)

- continuous use damages brainstem and brain (brain shrinkage)
=> more and more difficult to sleep without
- restart (and changes) damages brainstem and brain even more

- try reduce high seroquel dose to seroquel 200mg XR (use XR!!)
- do not go below 200mg unless you are going to stop

- if you have taken seroquel for sleep
(non XR once daily before bedtime) then you might want switch
to lower dose XR or use seroquel MANY times are day
for example: 400mg/night => 200mg/night + 100mg/morning

* not sure if it is possible to discontinue prolonged
(high) dose use of seroquel safely

* find a private psychiatrist/neurologist and
ask him about usage of these kind of drugs and
does discontinuation make sense, use multiple doctors
and check that they recommendations are about same

* if you cannot withdraw, find out if it would make
sense to change to another medicine
at some point in time

* if you have used higher doses for longer periods it
may make sense to just keep using it and hope that
advances in medicine will rescue you later

WITHDRAWAL
==========

- try to find good neurologist (specialized in sleep)
(maybe psychiatrists but they are less likely to be helpful)
- learn about all the risks of (failed) withdrawal
- 400mg, 300mg, 200mg, 100mg, 0mg (one month for each level)
(if you have just started, just stop it)

- insomnia and bad blood circulation (low vasodilation) are problems

- discontinuation/restart reduces blood flow to brain
=> problems after restart [you cannot restart easily]
- if withdrawal fails you may have just ruined rest of your life
(private hospital and support might be able
to save failing withdrawal but it will require $$$)

* talk with different doctors in advance about risks of withdrawal

- seroquel use: you can attempt seroquel withdrawal just once

- withdrawal from long-term seroquel has major effects
to the rest of your life so use multiple doctors and
all possible help (read literature)

- don't trust internet, it contains lot of bad, wrong or
misleading information

WITHDRAWAL INSOMNIA
===================

- you can realistically only try withdrawal once because
next attempts are less and less likely to successful

- use: glycine 3-5g, taurine 2g, melatonin,
tryptotabs (trytophan + magnesium), fish oil (omega3)
+ sleeping pills (use valeriana if no sleeping pills)

- try not to use benzos but use them if you have stopped
short term seroquel treatment and cannot sleep
(instead restarting seroquel)

- don't eat and drink much during day,
eat and drink on evenings (18:00) (reduces orexin activity)
drink lots of water (reduces histamine levels)

- future: almorelaxant (orexin antagonist not avail until 2012)
ramelteon (better than melatonin) [n/a in europe now]

- other: substances to improve working of thyroid and hypothalamus,
acupunture, relaxation, breating exercises, binaural beats,
reserve 2 months of stress free period for withdrawal
(have a holiday)

- withdrawal can cause temporal nervousness, aggression and
psychotic like symptoms,
be somewhere where you can have those symptoms without
being hospitalized (with someone) but so that you can
still get to hospital quickly if needed

- if you are ok for 3 months then it is more likely
that withdrawal is going to success
(most withdrawal problems happen in 6 months)

- there can be 1-2 month period of bad sleeping
after which sleeping is normalized (or not)

* you can die when withdrawing
(find out all withdrawal risks)

VASODILATION (CAN ALSO HELP SLEEPING)
============

- impaired blood circulation (vasodilation)
- hot shower/bath (+sauna), summer (high temperature) increase blood flow
- modest aerobic exercise (just walking is ok) increase blood flow

- ringing of ears is maybe because of
reduced blood flow to brain (this is bad sign)

- find a doctor who writes medicine that can help with blood flow
(no direct adrenergic blocking/beta blockers)

- use: l-arginine supplements can help, fish oil (EPA/DHA) can help

- do not smoke or use nicotine

- blood vessel constriction (dilation) is
controlled by adrenergic system damage/changes
in there can cause problems

- erection problems are examples of blood circulation problems

- find a doctor and have a medicine (viagra?) than can improve
blood circulation (and increases vasodilation)

OTHER
=====

- test various hormone levels during withdrawal (endocronologist)
- test for thyroid problems (can cause insomnia)

- use: colostrum (also helps stomach (produces lots of serotonin) to work)

- use: BCAA supplements for psychotic/nervousness
BCAA can also help with sleep
if there is too much dopaminergic activity

- histaminergic problems and insomnia can cause problems
with immune defence (use colostrum)

- lecithin and other supplements that helps brain to function are ok

NEUROTRANSMITTER LEVELS
=======================

- after seroquel withdrawal there is misbalance of neurotransmitters
- use: berberine to increase noradrenaline
- use: huperzine A to increase acetycholine levels
- use: aerobic exercise/gym to activate dopaminergic system

MY HISTORY
==========

Used seroquel 400mg/night for 2 years after having *mild* sleeping problems
and strange dreaming+voices when trying to get sleep after accidental
oxamin+alcohol use (I was not hospitalized!). The doctor said seroquel
was not addictive. I Was working (switching jobs) and
nobody thought I was crazy. I now understand that I got some damage to
GABA-system but because I could sleep about OK the right decision would
have been just to wait for GABA receptors to slowly heal.

Discontinued to 100mg/night slowly, went to 0mg, slept only 5 hours or so
and went back to 100mg/nigth (you *NEVER* restart seroquel if you can
somehow handle the withdrawal problems after discontinuation).
Couldn't sleep with 100mg/night, forced increase to 400mg/night.
Used 400mg/night for 2 months. Reduced to 200mg/night and then in 1 month
to 100mg/night and then stopped it (without doctor's approval).
Slept only 3-4 hours a night for one month, then got 8 hours a night but
got erection problems and confusion/nervousness attacks
(about 18:00 or mornings). Went to (non-local) hospital to ask about
possible use of doxepin (bad recommendation) for insomnia.
A nurse let me go but then I went back to go to talk with a doctor who
took me in and gave zyprexa 15mg (I was not psychotic!). It certanly
gave me sleep (dopaminergic blockade) and acetycholine blockade may have
caused vasodilation or something (maybe). I was first confused because of
zyprexa but then I was fine and I got my erection back too.

After forced use of zyprexa 15mg I realized that there I could never
stop antipsychotics and became emotionally unstable. Finally swithced
(not a smart move) back to seroquel about 200mg but now I cannot
function at all. It seems also that my blood circulation and vessels
are damaged and my brain doesn't get enough blood(??).
(maybe because of damaged brainstem/prefrontal cortex)

I feel a little better when I walk or take a hot shower
which seem to improve blood flow (and thinking and ringing or ears
a little)

After 2 years of stable seroquel use in one year there have been
2 discontinuation attempts and switch from zyprexa back to seroquel.
Nobody wants to say it but:
- I have ruined (with help of doctors) my central nervous system
- each change (or change of drug) caused damage to brainstem that
controls vital systems and when there is too much damage you die

RULES OF THE GAME
=================
(ANTIPSYCHOTICS/ANTIDEPRESSANTS ETC USE)

All changes damage central nervous system.
Psychiatric drugs are just toxic.

0) Never start any psychiatric drug unless you are about
to do suicide or something. Even then you might want
to try therapy or just wait and see if things get better,
find social support and exercise.

1) Once you have started do not change anything.

2) There are two rational options for use:
- very short use (few weeks) to handle temporal problems
- risk of unsuccesful withdrawal is small and damage to CNS is small
- long use: 10 years (lifetime) (schizophrenia/bipolar)
- the discontinuation is likely to fail and
can kill you (unless antipsychotics do it)

3) Once you have stopped DO NOT RESTART
- starting (or changing) medicine can mean you die

Seroquel (changes/low doses) seems to damage blood circulation
(adrenergic) system that also controls blood flow to the brain.

RATIONALE BEHIND SUPPLEMENTS
============================

glycine: inhibitory neurotransmitter in brainstem, activates actual brain,
improves sleep quality (research)

taurine: improves GABA function and should improve sleep (hypothalamus)

melatonin: can help if melatonin levels are low, can improve
immune system (related to bad/no sleep)

tryptophan: increases serotonin can be help sleeping

magnesium: muscle relaxant (helps sleeping)

fish oil (omega3): improves brain functions, better blood flow,
reduces colesterol (helps sleeping),
can improve liver function,
has mild antipsychotic effect

sleeping pills: causes sleep and improves sleep (short term)

valeriana: same as sleeping pills but weaker (GABA) and
is more damaging than sleeping pills

benzos: stronger than sleeping pills but not recommended
because of GABAnergic damage and worsed sleep

dehydration: increases histaminergic activity

eating: full stomach reduces orexin activity which induces sleep

almorelaxant: reduces orexin activity which increases sleep
there is no information about long term side-effects
caused by orexin antagonist but
1) it affects only to a small, very specific set of receptors
so damage is localized to a small area
2) that brain area is important for many critical functions
so even small long term damage may become significant

ramelteon: melatonin antagonist but touches more
melatonin receptors than mere melatonin

acupuncture: activates nervous system (stimulates)

thyroid: thyroid problems can cause insomnia

hypothalamus: one of the key areas in brain which controls sleep

binaural beats: proper binaural beats (there is lots of bad products)
can induce low brain waves which are prominent in sleep
higher beats can also increase brain EEG activity

breathing and relaxation exercises: helps to get sleep

cool sleeping place: lowish temperature helps sleeping

hot shower/bath/sauna: increases blood flow (to brain)

aerobic exercise: increases serotonin levels,
reduces time-to-sleep, helps brain
restructure/reorganize after antipsychotic damage,
increases brain growth factors

antioxidants: reduces damage caused by neuroleptics to brain

l-arginine: increases NO-signaling (better sleep),
increases blood flow, improves sleep in some cases,
may reduce diabetes and other blood sugar problems

nicotine: damages blood circulation system, increases dopamine (short term) but
lowers it long term, do not use (maybe temporarily to boost dopamine)

viagra: improves blood flow/circulation, maybe helpful during withdrawal but there
are other medicines for improving blood circulation

colostrum: improves immune system defence (worsen if there is no sleep),
increases/modulates minor hormones

growth factors: supplements that increase brain growth factors are
useful during and after use of neuroleptics

BCAA: reduces dopamine and serotonin levels in brain
(blocks entry of tryptophan to brain),
useful as a mild antipsychotic substance during withdrawal

berberine: increases neurotransmitter levels (noradrenaline) somewhat but
seems to reduce dopaminergic activity (somewhat) so maybe a little
antipsychotic substance

huperzine A: nootropic, used for alzheimers, increases acetycholine and
may increase brain growth factors, do no use together with
adrenergic antagonists (seroquel)