Seroquel
Seroquel is an antipsychotic medicine used to treat mental illnesses like bipolar disorder (depression and mania) and schizophrenia.
Form
tabletti, kalvopäällysteinen
Strength
200 mg
Active Ingredient
Quetiapine fumarate
Manufacturer
Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH
How to Use
Dosage
Your doctor will prescribe the correct dose for you. Typically, the dose ranges between 150 mg and 800 mg per day.
Method
Take the tablets whole with water once or twice a day, with or without food.
Important
The usual maximum daily dose is 800 mg.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Dizziness or headache
- •Dry mouth
- •Feeling sleepy
- •Symptoms if you stop the medicine suddenly, like trouble sleeping, feeling sick, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, or irritability
- •Weight gain
- •Abnormal muscle movements (shaking, feeling restless, stiff muscles without pain)
- •Changes in blood fat levels (triglycerides or cholesterol)
- •Fast heartbeat or pounding heart
- •Constipation or upset stomach
- •Weakness or swelling in arms or legs
- •Low blood pressure (feeling dizzy or fainting when standing up)
- •High blood sugar
- •Blurred vision
- •Strange dreams or nightmares
- •Increased appetite
- •Irritability or problems with speech
- •Thoughts of harming yourself or worsening depression
- •Shortness of breath
- •Vomiting (more common in older adults)
- •Fever
- •Changes in thyroid hormone levels
- •Decrease in certain white blood cells
- •Increase in liver enzymes
- •Increase in prolactin hormone, which can cause breast swelling or unexpected milk production in men and women, or missed/irregular periods in women
RARE
- •Allergic reactions (like hives, swelling around the mouth)
- •Restless legs syndrome (unpleasant feeling in legs)
- •Difficulty swallowing
- •Uncontrolled movements, especially of the face or tongue
- •Sexual problems
- •Diabetes or worsening diabetes
- •Changes in heart's electrical activity (seen on an ECG test)
- •Slower heartbeat (especially at the start of treatment), which can be linked to low blood pressure and fainting
- •Difficulty urinating
- •Fainting (can cause falls)
- •Stuffy nose
- •Low red blood cells or low sodium in the blood
- •Confusion
- •A severe reaction with high fever, sweating, stiff muscles, extreme sleepiness, or weakness (neuroleptic malignant syndrome)
- •Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice), or liver inflammation (hepatitis)
- •Long-lasting and painful erection (priapism)
- •Breast swelling or unexpected milk production in men and women, or period problems in women
- •Blood clots, especially in leg veins (swelling, pain, redness), which can travel to the lungs, causing chest pain and breathing problems
- •Sleepwalking, sleep-talking, or sleep-eating
- •Low body temperature (hypothermia)
- •Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
- •Metabolic syndrome (a combination of belly fat, low "good" cholesterol, high blood fats, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar)
- •Very low white blood cells (agranulocytosis) with fever, flu-like symptoms, sore throat, or other infection
- •Blocked bowel
- •Increased muscle enzyme (creatine phosphokinase) in blood
- •Severe skin reactions including blisters, peeling skin, widespread rashes (e.g., Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal nekrolysis, erythema multiforme, AGEP, DRESS)
- •Severe allergic reaction (anakylaktinen sokki), causing breathing difficulties or shock
- •Sudden swelling of skin, usually around eyes, lips, and throat (angioedema)
- •Problems with a hormone that regulates how much urine you make
- •Muscle breakdown and muscle pain (rhabdomyolysis)
- •Stroke
- •Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) or inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis)
- •Inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis), often with red or purple spots on the skin
Important Warnings
- Do not take Seroquel if you are allergic to quetiapine or any other ingredient in this medicine.
- Do not drink grapefruit juice while taking Seroquel, as it can affect how the medicine works.
- Do not stop taking Seroquel suddenly, even if you feel better, without talking to your doctor first.
- This medicine can make you sleepy, so do not drive or use machines until you know how it affects you.
- Contact your doctor or nearest hospital immediately if you have thoughts of harming yourself or suicide.
Show 4 more warnings
- Seek immediate medical attention if you have a fast, irregular heartbeat, trouble breathing, chest pain, or unusual tiredness.
- Tell your doctor if you experience seizures.
- Seroquel should not be used in children and adolescents under 18 years of age.
- Weight gain has been observed; your weight should be monitored 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)