Quetiapine - Shazia Hassam

The Wonderful World of Anti-Psychotics

(Edwards, How Seroquel, a Risky Antipsychotic, Became a “General Purpose” Mental Health Drug)

Quetiapine, or Seroquel, as you may know it, is a common atypical antipsychotic medication used to treat the psychotic episodes that so often accompany disorders such as schizophrenia and psychotic episodes that go along with bipolar I. Like many other benzothiazepine  it is also used to treat other non-psychosis related symptoms such as bipolar I depressive episodes and insomnia associated with anxiety or depression. It commonly prescribed for reasons other than what it has been approved for.

Have you ever thought about how this drug works?  Like other drugs of its kind it works by blocking serotonin and dopamine receptors, but Seroquel also blocks histamine receptors, this is believed to cause that calming, sedating effect, and why it’s an effective treatment for sleep related disorders as well as the psychosis symptoms it is approved to treat.

        Seroquel is a very effective drug. It does its job well, but the positive effects it has are accompanied by a long list of side effects. The most common being dry mouth, weight gain, and hyperglycemia (an increase in blood glucose levels because your body isn’t processing sugar well). It also causes involuntary muscle movements and somnolence. Somnolence is when a person has impaired judgement, memory, and motor function. These side effects don’t go away when you stop taking the drug. You’re stuck with them, Hurray!!! Isn’t that fun? Though if you’re on the drug because you have bipolar or schizophrenia you’re unlikely to be off an anti-psychotic ever anyway, so why worry about the fun permanent effects of it?

                One of the most interesting things about Seroquel is you can experience withdrawal symptoms from it though there are no studies that show it causes dependency or addiction. Just like withdrawals from other drugs you’ll experience dizziness, nausea, insomnia, vomiting, and you won’t be all that pleasant to be around. So remember to gradually stop taking it if you do.
 

References

Edwards, J. (Photographer). (2011, May ). How Seroquel, a Risky Antipsychotic, Became a “General Purpose” Mental Health Drug [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.cchrint.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/seroquel-bnet-may-2011.jpg 

National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d) Quetiapine - Compound Summary, Retrieved         02/24/09 from http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=5002#x321

Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. (2012). Quetiapine fumarate tablet, film coated In Daily Med.             Retrieved from http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=03325ca1-4f51-41a1-92f3-ff7f96e01cc8

Drug Bank. (2013, February). Quetiapine. Retrieved from http://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB01224 

Pfizer. (2012, January 9). Material safety data sheet. Retrieved from http://www.pfizer.com/files/products/material_safety_data/PZ01682.pdf

Santa Cruz Biotechnology. (2010, November 12).Quetiapine fumaratematerial safety data sheet. Retrieved from http://datasheets.scbt.com/sc-219681.pdf 

Santa Cruz Biotechnology. (2010, November 12).Quetiapine fumaratematerial safety data sheet. Retrieved from http://datasheets.scbt.com/sc-219681.pdf