If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant or breastfeed, talk with your doctor before taking Seroquel. Combining Seroquel with alcohol can worsen certain effects of the drug and of alcohol, such as sleepiness and problems with thinking and movement. They’ll determine whether Seroquel is safe for you to take. If you have hypothyroidism, Seroquel may worsen your condition. Your doctor may monitor your thyroid level more closely while you’re taking Seroquel. Taking notes and sharing them with your doctor will help them learn more about how Seroquel affects you.
Report side effects to a medicine or vaccine
- Patients with an established diagnosis of diabetes mellitus who are started on atypical antipsychotics should be monitored regularly for worsening of glucose control.
- Approximately 10,000106 lawsuits107 have been filed against AstraZeneca, alleging that quetiapine caused problems ranging from slurred speech and chronic insomnia to deaths.
- It is thought to work by balancing brain chemicals called serotonin and dopamine.
- The risk of orthostatic hypotension is about 1 in 100 (one of every hundred patients who take quetiapine).
This is especially helpful when you first start taking a new drug or using a combination of treatments. If your doctor confirms you’ve had a serious allergic reaction to Seroquel, they may have you switch to a different treatment. Tell your doctor right away if you notice any of the changes listed above. If so, they’ll suggest a different treatment for your condition. Non-medication approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), good sleep hygiene, and relaxation techniques, can be effective. Medications like Trazodone or Zolpidem (Ambien) may also be considered if needed.
Effect Of Quetiapine On Other Drugs
Explorations for interactions on the basis of gender, age, and race did not reveal any clinically meaningful differences in the adverse reaction occurrence on the basis of these demographic factors. Seroquel and can cause low blood pressure (hypotension) and may increase the blood pressure lowering effects of antihypertensive drugs, resulting in lower blood pressure. This medicine can cause changes in your heart rhythm, such as a condition called QT prolongation. It may change the way your heart beats and cause fainting or serious side effects. Contact your doctor right away if you have symptoms of heart rhythm problems, such as a fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat.
Quetiapine for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Adults)
Possible serious and important side effects include seizures, stroke, priapism (prolonged erection), irregular pulse or blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and excessive sweating. Consult your doctor prior to taking this medication if pregnant or breastfeeding. Quetiapine 50 mg is a versatile medication used to treat several mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, depression, and insomnia. While it can be highly effective, it’s also important to be aware of its potential quetiapine side effects, such as weight gain and drowsiness.
Adverse effects
It can help alleviate symptoms such as sadness, loss of interest in activities, and feelings of worthlessness. You may need to have blood tests from time to time to check your blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The cost of these tests will depend on your insurance coverage. Using quetiapine with anticholinergic drugs may increase the risk of gastrointestinal problems. If these effects are mild, they may go away within a few quetiapine seroquel: uses side effects days or a couple of weeks.
Pregnancy and Lactation
Other important considerations in the differential diagnosis include central anticholinergic toxicity, heat stroke, drug fever, and primary central nervous system (CNS) pathology. It is unknown whether the suicidality risk extends to longer-term use, i.e., beyond several months. However, there is substantial evidence from placebo-controlled maintenance trials in adults with depression that the use of antidepressants can delay the recurrence of depression. The following adverse reactions were identified during post approval of SEROQUEL. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Consequently, patients should be evaluated carefully for a history of drug abuse, and such patients should be observed closely for signs of misuse or abuse of Seroquel, e.g., development of tolerance, increases in dose, drug-seeking behavior.
Taking Seroquel in the third trimester of pregnancy can also cause side effects in a newborn. Examples of these symptoms include excessive sleepiness, tremor, and trouble breathing or feeding. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Seroquel or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe it for you. Ask them about other medications that might be better options. If you have symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling or trouble breathing, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. These symptoms could be life threatening and require immediate medical care.
Is quetiapine safe for kidneys?
The evidence for Seroquel qualifies it as a bimodal mood stabilizer based on its proven efficacy in the treatment of bipolar mania and depression, according to a liberal concept. Common side effects of Seroquel include drowsiness, dry mouth, and weight gain. More serious but rare effects may involve heart rhythm problems, suicidal thoughts, or movement disorders. Seroquel is available as immediate and extended-release tablets, taken once to three times daily.
The potential effects of several concomitant medications on quetiapine pharmacokinetics were studied see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY. Adverse reactions that were potentially dose-related with higher frequency in the 800 mg group compared to the 400 mg group included dizziness (8% vs. 15%), dry mouth (4% vs. 10%), and tachycardia (6% vs. 11%). The stated frequencies of adverse reactions represent the proportion of individuals who experienced, at least once, an adverse reaction of the type listed. Although there are no data to specifically address re-initiation of treatment, it is recommended that when restarting therapy of patients who have been off SEROQUEL for more than one-week, the initial dosing schedule should be followed. When restarting patients who have been off SEROQUEL for less than one-week, gradual dose escalation may not be required and the maintenance dose may be re-initiated.
- The decision to prescribe atypical antipsychotic medication will depend upon the physician’s assessment of the chronicity and severity of the patient’s symptoms see INDICATIONS.
- The incidence of discontinuation due to adverse reactions for quetiapine-treated and placebo-treated patients was 11.4% and 4.4%, respectively.
- Increased appetite and changes in metabolism can lead to weight gain over time.
At this time, it is not recommended that doctors prescribe Seroquel to treat insomnia. Some people may experience mild to serious side effects during their Seroquel treatment. But not everyone who takes this drug will have adverse effects. Other antipsychotic medications, such as Olanzapine (Zyprexa) or Risperidone (Risperdal), may be considered as alternatives. Psychosocial interventions and therapy are also important components of treatment.