Quetiapine Accord
Quetiapine Accord is an antipsychotic medicine used to treat several mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, mania, and depression.
Form
depottabletti
Strength
50 mg
Active Ingredient
Quetiapine hemifumarate
Manufacturer
Accord Healthcare B.V.
How to Use
Dosage
Your doctor will determine your dose, but it typically ranges from 150 mg to 800 mg daily.
Method
Take the tablets whole with water once a day, at least one hour before a meal or at bedtime, as advised by your doctor. Do not split, chew, or crush them. Avoid grapefruit juice.
Important
The maximum daily dose is typically 800 mg, but always follow your doctor's instructions.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Dizziness (can lead to falls)
- •Headache
- •Dry mouth
- •Feeling sleepy (may go away with continued use, can lead to falls)
- •Withdrawal symptoms (difficulty sleeping, nausea, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, irritability) if you stop the medicine suddenly.
- •Weight gain
- •Abnormal muscle movements (difficulty starting movements, shaking, restlessness, muscle stiffness without pain)
- •Changes in fat levels (triglycerides and total cholesterol)
- •Fast heartbeat
- •Feeling your heart pound, race, or skip a beat
- •Constipation, upset stomach (indigestion)
- •Weakness
- •Swelling of arms or legs
- •Low blood pressure when standing up (can cause dizziness or fainting, leading to falls)
- •High blood sugar
- •Blurred vision
- •Strange dreams and nightmares
- •Increased hunger
- •Feeling irritable
- •Speech problems
- •Thoughts of harming yourself and worsening depression
- •Shortness of breath
- •Vomiting (mainly in elderly)
- •Fever
- •Changes in thyroid hormone levels in blood
- •Decrease in certain types of white blood cells
- •Increase in liver enzymes measured in blood
- •Increase in prolactin hormone in blood (can cause breast swelling, unexpected milk production, missed or irregular periods)
RARE
- •Seizures
- •Allergic reactions (e.g., hives, swelling of skin and around mouth)
- •Unpleasant feeling in legs (restless legs syndrome)
- •Difficulty swallowing
- •Uncontrolled movements, especially in face or tongue
- •Sexual dysfunction
- •Changes in heart's electrical activity seen on ECG (QT prolongation)
- •Diabetes or worsening of existing diabetes
- •Slower than normal heart rate (can occur at beginning of treatment or with low blood pressure and fainting)
- •Difficulty urinating
- •Fainting (can lead to falls)
- •Stuffy nose
- •Decrease in red blood cells
- •Decrease in sodium in blood
- •Confusion
- •A combination of fever, sweating, muscle stiffness, severe drowsiness or weakness (Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome)
- •Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice)
- •Liver inflammation (hepatitis)
- •Prolonged and painful erection (priapism)
- •Breast swelling and unexpected milk production (galactorrhea)
- •Menstrual irregularities
- •Blood clots, especially in leg veins (swelling, pain, redness), which can travel to lungs (chest pain, breathing difficulties)
- •Walking, talking, eating while asleep
- •Low body temperature (hypothermia)
- •Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
- •Metabolic syndrome (increased belly fat, low 'good' cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, high blood sugar)
- •Combination of fever, flu-like symptoms, sore throat, or other infection with very low white blood cell count (agranulocytosis)
- •Bowel blockage
- •Increased levels of creatine phosphokinase (a substance from muscles) in blood
- •Severe rash, blisters, or red spots on the skin
- •Severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock) that can cause breathing difficulties or shock
- •Rapid swelling of the skin, usually around the eyes, lips, or throat (angioedema)
- •Severe blistering of the skin, mouth, eyes, or genitals (Stevens-Johnson syndrome)
- •Abnormal secretion of hormone regulating urine volume
- •Muscle fiber breakdown and muscle pain (rhabdomyolysis)
- •Rash with irregular red spots (erythema multiforme)
- •Rapidly appearing red skin areas full of small pus-filled blisters (acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, AGEP)
- •Severe sudden allergic reaction with symptoms like fever and skin blisters and peeling skin (toxic epidermal necrolysis)
- •Drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) with flu-like symptoms, rash, high body temperature, swollen lymph nodes, and abnormal blood values
- •Withdrawal symptoms in newborns if the mother used Quetiapine Accord during pregnancy
- •Stroke
- •Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy)
- •Heart muscle inflammation (myocarditis)
- •Blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis), often with red or purple spots on the skin
Important Warnings
- Do not take if you are allergic to quetiapine or any other ingredients in this medicine.
- Do not use with certain HIV medicines, antifungal medicines (azoles), erythromycin or clarithromycin (for infections), or nefazodone (for depression).
- Tell your doctor if you take other antidepressants, as combining them with Quetiapine Accord can cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome.
- Inform your doctor about any heart problems you or your family have had, or if you take medicines that affect your heart rate.
- Tell your doctor if you have low blood pressure.
Show 20 more warnings
- Inform your doctor if you have had a stroke, especially if you are elderly.
- Tell your doctor if you have liver problems.
- Inform your doctor if you have had seizures (epilepsy).
- If you have diabetes or are at risk of getting it, your doctor will check your blood sugar during treatment.
- Tell your doctor if you have a history of low white blood cell count.
- If you are an elderly person with dementia, Quetiapine Accord should not be taken, as it can increase the risk of stroke or death.
- Tell your doctor if you are elderly and have Parkinson's disease or parkinsonism.
- Inform your doctor if you or a family member has a history of blood clots.
- Tell your doctor if you have sleep apnea or take medicines that slow down brain activity.
- Inform your doctor if you have urinary retention, an enlarged prostate, bowel blockage, or high eye pressure.
- Tell your doctor if you have a history of alcohol or drug abuse.
- Seek immediate medical help if you develop a combination of fever, severe muscle stiffness, sweating, or reduced consciousness (Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome).
- Report uncontrolled movements, especially of the face or tongue.
- Be aware of dizziness or severe drowsiness, which can increase the risk of falls, especially in older adults.
- Report seizures.
- Report prolonged and painful erection (priapism).
- Contact your doctor or nearest hospital immediately if you have thoughts of harming yourself or suicide.
- Weight gain has been observed; your weight should be checked regularly by your doctor.
- Quetiapine Accord should not be used by children and adolescents under 18 years old.
- Stop taking the medicine and seek immediate medical attention if you notice severe skin reactions like widespread rash, blisters, or peeling skin (e.g., Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, DRESS, AGEP, erythema multiforme).
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)