Quetiapine: Drug Information

Brand Name: Seroquel

Other names: Pincalm, Placidin, Q Pin, Qutace, Quticool

Drug Class: Antipsychotic

Uses of Quetiapine:

Quetiapine belongs to the family of antipsychotic drugs and is used to treat psychotic disorders such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, mania and depression. It helps treat various symptoms associated with these disorders such as delusions, hallucinations, negative thoughts and psychosis. Quetiapine works as an antagonist at dopamine type 2 and serotonin 5H2 receptors thus, precipitating its antipsychotic effect.

Dosage:

It is essential for you to take the medication as prescribed by your physician in order to avoid any side effects. You must also not stop taking the medication abruptly without the consent of your doctor as it may worsen some of the symptoms of the disorder you are being treated for. The drug can be ingested with or without food.

Warning and Precautions:

Quetiapine should not be given to patients showing hypersensitivity to the drug.

It should not be given to patients with severecentral nervous system (CNS) depression, bone marrow suppression, blood dyscrasias, severe liver impairment and coma.

Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis are at an increased risk of death. Therefore, the medicine should not be given to them.

Caution is advised when administering the drug to patients with cardiovascular disease,cerebrovascular disease, hypotension, history of seizures and tardive dyskinesia.

Quetiapine may precipitate a condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). This is a fatal condition that is characterized by hyperpyrexia, muscular stiffness, changes in mental status, blood pressure, tachycardia and dysrhythmias.

Tell your doctor if your are pregnant or lactating prior to taking this medicine.

Quetiapine may increase suicidal tendencies in individuals. Thus, close monitoring and supervision is required when administering the drug to patients with depression.

Side Effects:

Some of the most common side effects of Quetiapine are asthenia, headache, diarrhea, dryness of the mouth, hypertension, dyspepsia, fever, back pain, abdominal pain, chest pain, leucopenia, weight gain, myalgia, somnolence, skin rash, rhinitis, dry skin, urinary tract infection, variations in white blood corpuscles (WBC), ear pain, decrease in thyroid hormone and changes in cholesterol level.

Overdose:

When taken in excess, Quetiapine can result in various life threatening diseases such as heart block, tachycardia, hypotension and hypokalemia. In case of a drug overdose, you must notify your doctor and contact your poison control center at the earliest.