What is Seroquel?

What is Seroquel?

What is Seroquel Used for?

Seroquel is a medication that works in the brain to treat schizophrenia. It is also known as a second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) or atypical antipsychotic. Seroquel (quetiapine) rebalances dopamine and serotonin to improve thinking, mood, and behavior.

Symptoms of schizophrenia include:

• Hallucinations — imagined voices or images that seem real
• Delusions — beliefs that are not true (e.g., other people are reading your thoughts)
• Disorganized thinking or trouble organizing your thoughts and making sense
• Little desire to be around other people
• Trouble speaking clearly
• Lack of motivation

Quetiapine may help some or all of these symptoms.

Quetiapine is also FDA approved for the following indications:

• Acute treatment of manic episodes of bipolar disorder
• Acute treatment of depressive episodes of bipolar disorder
• Maintenance (long-term) treatment of bipolar disorder (when used alone or with lithium or valproate)
• Adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder. This means quetiapine is used in addition to an antidepressant to help treat depression.

Seroquel may also be helpful when prescribed “off-label” for delusional parasitosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder, delirium in the intensive care unit, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). “Off-label” means that it has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this condition. 

Seroquel Dosage

Seroquel is usually taken 1, 2, or 3 times per day with or without food. The extended release should be taken without food or with a light meal (≤300 calories). Typically patients begin at a low dose of medicine and the dose is increased slowly over several weeks. The dose usually ranges from 100 mg to 800 mg. Only your healthcare provider can determine the correct dose for you. The extended-release tablets should be swallowed whole. They should not be chewed, crushed, or broken.

Seroquel Side Effects

Despite the many benefits of Seroquel (quetiapine), the drug carries a risk of side effects and some danger of lasting health consequences. Like many other psychoactive drugs, there is emerging evidence to suggest Quetiapine is sometimes misused. Although the drug’s use is generally safe, it is valuable to know and understand the possible repercussions of use in order to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

Psychological

The use of Seroquel in people with depression has sometimes been linked with worsening of their clinical depression. As a result, individuals may experience suicidal behavior or suicidal thoughts. This has been of major concern in people taking this prescription drug and close monitoring is needed when taking quetiapine in major depressive disorder.

Neurological

Gastrointestinal

Some individuals taking Seroquel have difficulty opening their bowels and can experience constipation. This usually requires the addition of laxative agents to help restore normal bowel movement.

Metabolic

In individuals taking Seroquel, an increase in their blood sugar level has been noticed. In individuals with underlying diabetes mellitus, there could be a significant rise in the blood sugar levels leading to complications of diabetes such as diabetic ketoacidosis (a condition where the blood sugar levels are extremely high and there are breakdown products such as ketones present in the blood). Therefore, it is important for all patients with diabetes who take Seroquel to constantly monitor their blood sugar levels.

Weight Gain

Individuals taking Seroquel have also noticed an increase in their body weight, demonstrated in clinical trials.

Cardiovascular

Seroquel can cause postural hypotension, a condition where the blood pressure decreases when the individual changes posture. In addition, an increase in blood pressure has also been noticed, especially in children and adolescents. These must be closely monitored as elderly patients tend to fall and injure themselves if they have postural hypotension.

Warnings & Precautions

The FDA [2] requires all potential medication risks for Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate tablet, film-coated) to be disclosed to consumers, no matter how rare. Here are the warnings and precautions for Seroquel.

Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis

Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors

Cerebrovascular Adverse Reactions

Metabolic Changes

Treatment for Seroquel Addiction

In some individuals, drug addiction results from an underlying mental health issue. In others, addiction develops first, and mental health symptoms arise later. Sometimes, mental health symptoms may be worsened by drug abuse.

Although there is no single cause for addiction, a mental health issue may increase the likelihood of developing an addiction and vice versa.

People who are suffering from an addiction and a mental health problem should seek treatment for a co-occurring disorder. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this type of treatment can: