Seroquel
Seroquel is a medicine containing quetiapine used to treat mental health conditions like bipolar disorder (mood swings), schizophrenia (hearing or seeing things that aren't real), and depression.
Form
tabletti, kalvopäällysteinen
Strength
25 mg
Active Ingredient
Quetiapine fumarate
Manufacturer
Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH
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 tablets whole with water once a day at bedtime or twice a day, with or without food, but avoid grapefruit juice.
Important
Do not take more than 800 mg per day, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Dizziness, lightheadedness, headache, or dry mouth.
- •Feeling sleepy or drowsy.
- •Withdrawal symptoms if you stop the medicine suddenly (e.g., trouble sleeping, feeling sick, headache, diarrhea, throwing up, feeling easily annoyed).
- •Weight gain.
- •Abnormal muscle movements (shaking, stiffness, restlessness, trouble starting movements).
- •Changes in fat levels in your blood (like triglycerides or cholesterol).
- •Increased levels of a hormone called prolactin (can cause breast swelling or unexpected milk, or missed periods in women).
- •Increased appetite, vomiting.
- •Fast heart rate, palpitations, upset stomach, constipation.
- •Feeling weak or tired, swelling in arms or legs.
- •Low blood pressure, especially when standing up (can make you dizzy or faint).
- •High blood sugar, blurred vision.
- •Strange dreams, nightmares, feeling irritated or annoyed.
- •Trouble speaking, shortness of breath, fever.
- •Changes in thyroid hormone levels, low white blood cells, high liver enzymes in blood.
RARE
- •Seizures or fits.
- •Serious allergic reactions (hives, swelling of face/throat, trouble breathing, shock).
- •Restless legs, trouble swallowing.
- •Diabetes or your diabetes getting worse.
- •Heart problems (changes in electrical activity, slow heartbeat, heart muscle disease/inflammation).
- •Trouble urinating, low red blood cells, low sodium, confusion.
- •A very serious combination of symptoms (high fever, stiff muscles, sweating, very sleepy or faint - Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome).
- •Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice), liver inflammation, pancreatitis.
- •Long-lasting, painful erection.
- •Blood clots (in legs, possibly moving to lungs causing chest pain/trouble breathing), inflammation of blood vessels.
- •Sleepwalking, sleeptalking, or eating during sleep, low body temperature.
- •Metabolic syndrome (a mix of issues like belly fat, low 'good' cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar).
- •Serious infections due to very low white blood cells, blocked bowels.
- •High levels of a muscle substance (creatine phosphokinase) in your blood.
- •Severe skin reactions (blisters, peeling skin, widespread rashes).
- •Stroke.
- •Withdrawal symptoms in newborn babies from mothers who took Seroquel during late pregnancy.
- •Thoughts of harming yourself or suicide, or worsening depression.
Important Warnings
- Do not use Seroquel if you are allergic to quetiapine or any other ingredients in this medicine.
- Do not use Seroquel if you are taking certain medicines for HIV, fungal infections (azoles), bacterial infections (erythromycin, clarithromycin), or depression (nefazodone).
- Seroquel should not be used by children or teenagers under 18 years old.
- Be careful with alcohol as it can make you very sleepy when taken with Seroquel.
- Do not drink grapefruit juice while taking Seroquel, as it can affect how the medicine works.
Show 15 more warnings
- Do not stop taking Seroquel suddenly, even if you feel better, without talking to your doctor first.
- If you take too much Seroquel, you might feel sleepy, dizzy, or have an abnormal heartbeat. Contact a doctor or hospital right away.
- If you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before taking this medicine.
- This medicine can make you sleepy. Do not drive or use machines until you know how it affects you.
- Seek urgent medical help if you experience a high fever, severe muscle stiffness, sweating, and reduced awareness all at once.
- Report uncontrolled movements, especially of the face or tongue, to your doctor immediately.
- Dizziness or extreme drowsiness can increase the risk of falls, especially in older adults.
- Inform your doctor immediately if you experience seizures or fits.
- Seek medical help for a prolonged and painful erection.
- If you have a fast, irregular heartbeat, palpitations, breathing problems, chest pain, or unexplained tiredness, see a doctor right away, as your heart needs to be checked.
- If you have fever, flu-like symptoms, sore throat, or other infection, tell your doctor as soon as possible, as this could mean very low white blood cells, requiring treatment.
- Report persistent constipation with stomach pain that does not get better with treatment to your doctor immediately, as it could lead to a serious bowel blockage.
- If you have thoughts of harming yourself or suicide, or if your depression gets worse, contact a doctor or nearest hospital immediately.
- Stop taking Seroquel and seek immediate medical attention if you develop severe skin reactions like widespread rash with blisters and peeling skin.
- Weight gain has been seen in patients taking Seroquel; your weight should be checked regularly by you and your doctor.
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)