Quetiapin Hexal
Quetiapine Hexal is an antipsychotic medicine used to treat conditions like depression, mania, and schizophrenia.
Form
depottabletti
Strength
200 mg
Active Ingredient
Quetiapine fumarate
Manufacturer
Hexal A/S
How to Use
Dosage
Your doctor will decide your starting dose; the usual daily dose is between 150 mg and 800 mg.
Method
Take the prolonged-release tablets once a day, whole with water. Do not break, chew, or crush them. Take them without food, at least 1 hour before a meal or at bedtime, as advised by your doctor. Do not drink grapefruit juice.
Important
The maximum daily dose is usually 800 mg.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Dizziness (which can lead to falls), headache, and dry mouth.
- •Drowsiness (may go away with continued use, can lead to falls).
- •Withdrawal symptoms when stopping: trouble sleeping, nausea, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, and irritability.
- •Weight gain.
- •Abnormal muscle movements, such as difficulty starting movements, shaking, restlessness, or muscle stiffness without pain.
- •Changes in certain fat levels (triglycerides and total cholesterol).
- •Fast pulse, heart palpitations or pounding heart.
- •Constipation, indigestion.
- •Weakness, swelling in hands or feet.
- •Low blood pressure when standing up, which can cause dizziness or faintness (may lead to falls).
- •High blood sugar.
- •Vision problems.
- •Abnormal dreams and nightmares.
- •Increased appetite.
- •Irritability.
- •Speech and language problems.
- •Suicidal thoughts and worsening depression.
- •Shortness of breath.
- •Vomiting (mainly in elderly).
- •Fever.
- •Changes in blood thyroid hormone levels.
- •Decrease in the number of certain types of blood cells.
- •Increase in liver enzyme levels measured in blood.
- •Increase in prolactin hormone levels in the blood, which can rarely cause breast swelling in men and women and unexpected milk production, or irregular periods in women.
RARE
- •Seizures or epileptic fits.
- •Allergic reactions, such as skin rash, hives, and swelling of the skin or around the mouth.
- •Unpleasant feeling in the legs (restless legs syndrome).
- •Difficulty swallowing.
- •Uncontrolled movements, especially of the face or tongue.
- •Sexual dysfunction.
- •Diabetes or worsening of diabetes.
- •Changes in the heart's electrical activity (QT prolongation seen on ECG).
- •Slower than normal heartbeat, possibly with low blood pressure and fainting.
- •Difficulty urinating.
- •Fainting (can lead to falls).
- •Stuffy nose.
- •Decrease in red blood cell count in blood.
- •Decrease in sodium levels in blood.
- •Confusion.
- •High fever, sweating, severe muscle stiffness, significant drowsiness or weakness (neuroleptic malignant syndrome).
- •Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice).
- •Liver inflammation (hepatitis).
- •Prolonged and painful erection.
- •Breast swelling and unexpected milk production (galactorrhea).
- •Menstrual disorders.
- •Blood clots, especially in leg veins (swelling, pain, redness in legs), which can travel to the lungs causing chest pain and breathing difficulties.
- •Sleepwalking, talking, eating, or other activities while asleep.
- •Decrease in body temperature (hypothermia).
- •Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).
- •Metabolic syndrome (belly fat, low "good" HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, high blood sugar).
- •Combination of fever, flu-like symptoms, sore throat and very low white blood cell count (agranulocytosis).
- •Bowel obstruction.
- •Increase in creatine phosphokinase (substance from muscles) levels in blood.
- •Severe rash, blisters, or red patches on the skin.
- •Severe allergic reaction (anafylactic shock) that can cause breathing difficulties or shock.
- •Rapid swelling of the skin, usually around the eyes, lips, or throat (angioedema).
- •Severe blistering on the skin, in the mouth, eyes, or genitals (Stevens-Johnson syndrome).
- •Abnormal secretion of a hormone that regulates urine volume (ADH).
- •Muscle fiber breakdown and muscle pain (rhabdomyolysis).
- •Rash with irregular red patches (erythema multiforme).
- •Rapidly appearing red skin areas with small pus-filled blisters (Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis, AGEP).
- •Severe, sudden allergic reaction with blisters and peeling skin (toxic epidermal necrolysis).
- •DRESS syndrome, with flu-like symptoms, rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and abnormal blood tests.
- •Stroke.
- •Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy).
- •Heart muscle inflammation (myocarditis).
- •Blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis), often with a red or purple spotted rash.
Important Warnings
- Do not take if you are allergic to quetiapine or any other ingredient in this medicine.
- Do not use with certain HIV medicines, antifungal medicines (like azoles), erythromycin or clarithromycin (infection medicines), or nefazodone (antidepressant).
- Tell your doctor immediately if you have fever, severe muscle stiffness, sweating, or reduced consciousness (signs of a serious condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome).
- Uncontrolled movements, especially of your face or tongue.
- Dizziness or severe drowsiness, which can increase the risk of falls in elderly patients.
Show 7 more warnings
- Seizures (epileptic fits).
- A prolonged, painful erection.
- Fast or irregular heartbeat, palpitations, chest pain, breathing difficulties, or unexplained tiredness. Your doctor needs to check your heart.
- Fever, flu-like symptoms, or a sore throat, which could be due to a very low white blood cell count.
- Constipation and persistent abdominal pain that doesn't improve with treatment, as this could lead to a serious bowel blockage.
- Suicidal thoughts or worsening depression, especially at the start of treatment or when changing doses.
- Severe skin reactions such as widespread rashes, blisters, skin peeling, or fever (e.g., Stevens-Johnson syndrome, TEN, DRESS, AGEP, Erythema multiforme). Stop use and seek immediate medical help.
Use in Elderly Patients
Category D
Avoid use in older adults. Anticholinergic. Sedative. For treatment of psychosis only. Inappropriate as a hypnotic. Increases the risk of cardiovascular events, QT prolongation and orthostatic hypotension. Increases risk of falls, extrapyramidal symptoms and cognitive impairment. Reduces the effectiveness of drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. Avoid grapefruit. (updated 15.1.2024)