Quetiapine Teva
Quetiapine Teva is an antipsychotic medicine used to treat mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder, which involves mood swings, and schizophrenia, which can cause hallucinations or unusual thoughts.
Form
tabletti, kalvopäällysteinen
Strength
200 mg
Active Ingredient
Quetiapine fumarate
Manufacturer
TEVA Sweden AB
How to Use
Dosage
Your doctor will tell you how much medicine to take; the usual daily dose for ongoing treatment is between 150 mg and 800 mg.
Method
Take your tablets once a day at bedtime or twice a day, as your doctor tells you. Swallow them whole with water, with or without food.
Important
Do not take more than 800 mg in one day, unless your doctor specifically instructs you to.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Lower level of hemoglobin (protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen).
- •Dizziness (can lead to falls), headache, dry mouth.
- •Drowsiness (sleepiness that may lessen over time, can lead to falls).
- •Withdrawal symptoms (like trouble sleeping, nausea, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, or irritability) if you stop the medicine suddenly.
- •Weight gain.
- •Abnormal muscle movements (difficulty starting movements, shaking, feeling restless, or muscle stiffness without pain).
- •Changes in certain blood fat levels (triglycerides and total cholesterol).
- •Fast heartbeat, palpitations, or skipped heartbeats.
- •Constipation, upset stomach (indigestion).
- •Weakness.
- •Swelling in arms or legs.
- •Low blood pressure, especially when standing up, which can cause dizziness or fainting (leading to falls).
- •High blood sugar.
- •Blurred vision.
- •Abnormal dreams or nightmares.
- •Increased appetite.
- •Irritability.
- •Speech problems.
- •Thoughts of self-harm or worsening depression.
- •Shortness of breath.
- •Vomiting (mainly in elderly patients).
- •Fever.
- •Changes in thyroid hormone levels in the blood.
- •Changes in certain blood cell types.
- •Increased liver enzymes in the blood.
- •Increased prolactin hormone in the blood (can rarely cause breast swelling and unexpected milk production in men and women, or missed/irregular periods in women).
RARE
- •Seizures or epileptic fits.
- •Allergic reactions (like hives, swelling of skin and around the mouth).
- •Unpleasant sensations in the legs (restless legs syndrome).
- •Difficulty swallowing.
- •Uncontrolled movements (especially of the face or tongue).
- •Sexual dysfunction.
- •Diabetes.
- •Changes in heart's electrical activity (prolonged QT interval on ECG).
- •Slower heartbeat (can occur at the start of treatment, with low blood pressure and fainting).
- •Difficulty urinating.
- •Fainting (can lead to falls).
- •Stuffy nose.
- •Decreased red blood cells.
- •Decreased sodium in the blood.
- •Worsening of pre-existing diabetes.
- •Confusion.
- •Combination of high fever, sweating, muscle stiffness, notable drowsiness or weakness (neuroleptic malignant syndrome).
- •Yellowing of skin and eyes (jaundice).
- •Liver inflammation (hepatitis).
- •Prolonged and painful erection (priapism).
- •Breast swelling and unexpected milk production (galactorrhea).
- •Menstrual disorders.
- •Blood clots, especially in the legs (swelling, pain, redness), which can travel to the lungs, causing chest pain and breathing difficulties. Seek medical attention immediately.
- •Sleepwalking, sleep-talking, sleep-eating, or other activities while asleep.
- •Decreased body temperature (hypothermia).
- •Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).
- •Metabolic syndrome (a combination of at least three conditions like central obesity, low "good" cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar).
- •Very low white blood cell count (agranulocytosis) with fever, flu-like symptoms, or sore throat/infection.
- •Bowel obstruction.
- •Increased creatine phosphokinase (a muscle enzyme) in the 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 of the skin, mouth, eyes, or genital area (Stevens-Johnson syndrome).
- •Abnormal secretion of hormone regulating urine volume.
- •Muscle damage 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 symptoms like fever, skin blisters, and peeling skin (toxic epidermal necrolysis).
- •Systemic eosinophilic syndrome (DRESS) with flu-like symptoms, rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and abnormal blood tests (including increased eosinophils and liver enzymes).
- •Withdrawal symptoms in newborns if the mother used Quetiapine Teva during pregnancy.
- •Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy).
- •Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis).
- •Blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis), often with red or purple spots on the skin.
- •Stroke.
Important Warnings
- Do not take this medicine if you are allergic to quetiapine or any of its ingredients, or if you are taking certain medicines for HIV, fungal infections, specific antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin), or certain antidepressants (nefazodone).
- Tell your doctor if you or your family have heart problems (like irregular heartbeat), low blood pressure, liver problems, or a history of seizures (fits).
- Inform your doctor if you have diabetes or are at risk of getting it, or if you have a history of blood clots.
- If you are elderly and have dementia, Quetiapine Teva should not be used, as it can increase the risk of stroke or, in some cases, death.
- Talk to your doctor if you have sleep apnea, take medicines that make you sleepy, or have issues like trouble emptying your bladder, enlarged prostate, blocked bowels, or high pressure in your eyes.
Show 10 more warnings
- Get medical help right away if you experience a high fever, stiff muscles, sweating, and confusion (neuroleptic malignant syndrome), or fast/irregular heartbeat, breathing issues, or chest pain.
- Contact your doctor immediately if you have uncontrolled movements (especially of your face or tongue), feel very dizzy or drowsy (increasing fall risk), or have seizures or a prolonged, painful erection.
- Report any fever, flu-like symptoms, or sore throat to your doctor as soon as possible, as this could mean a very low white blood cell count. Also, report constipation with lasting stomach pain, which could indicate a serious bowel blockage.
- If you are depressed, you might have thoughts of harming yourself or suicide. These thoughts can increase when starting treatment or if you stop suddenly. Young adults (under 25) with depression have a higher risk. Contact a doctor or hospital immediately if you have such thoughts.
- Stop taking Quetiapine Teva and get immediate medical help if you notice severe skin reactions, such as widespread rash with blisters and peeling skin, flu-like symptoms with rash, fever, swollen glands and unusual blood tests (DRESS), small pus-filled blisters, or red itchy patches.
- Weight gain can occur with this medicine, so you and your doctor should regularly check your weight.
- This medicine is not for children and adolescents under 18 years old.
- Do not drink grapefruit juice or alcohol while taking this medicine, as they can affect how it works or make you more drowsy.
- This medicine can make you feel sleepy. Do not drive or use machines until you know how it affects you and if you feel alert enough.
- Do not stop taking this medicine suddenly, even if you feel better, unless your doctor tells you to. Stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms like trouble sleeping, nausea, headache, or irritability. Your doctor might suggest lowering the dose slowly.
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)