People taking antipsychotics regard weight gain as one of the most distressing side effects caused by their medication. The fastest weight gain occurs in the first 6 months after starting an antipsychotic. Weight gain can continue after this but more slowly.
One of the most commonly reported side effects is weight gain. Over time, excess weight can harm the heart, lungs, stomach, liver, pancreas, and other organs. While many people gain weight while taking Seroquel as prescribed, the result isn't inevitable.
There seems to be a positive relationship between the duration of taking Seroquel and weight gain. The amount of weight a person gains in the first 12 months is the highest, after which the rate of body mass increase significantly slows down. This is because the body gets used to the treatment.
Even at very low doses, quetiapine was associated with significant metabolic alterations, they found. Ascending: In this last group, weight gain continued to climb with each increasing dose, with an average gain from two to nearly 9.5 pounds.
Will I gain or lose weight? Quetiapine can make you feel more hungry than usual, so you may put on weight. Try to eat a healthy, balanced diet without increasing your portion sizes.
Weight gain usually results from increased appetite - a common side-effect of many atypical antipsychotic drugs - and sub- sequent excessive food consumption. Though weight gain is seen in virtually every antipsychotic, weight loss has been recorded in only few of them, especially quetiapine [16].
Quetiapine is a second-gen- eration antipsychotic that blocks both dopamine and serotonin (5HT) re- ceptors (3). Weight gain is a signifi- cant side effect associated with queti- apine use (4,5). Weight loss is an in- frequent adverse effect (3). Anorexia was frequently reported in premar- keting evaluations (3).
Amount of weight gain varies with the type of antipsychotic and the individual patient characteristics. Most research has focused on clozapine and olanzapine, the two medications identified to cause the highest weight gain.
Antipsychotic-induced weight gain and metabolic effects show diurnal dependence and are reversible with time restricted feeding.
Counseling can help, too. Your doctor might also prescribe a medication like metformin to help with weight loss. You can also ask your doctor if you can switch to a drug with lower risk of weight gain. Any weight you gain usually goes away when you stop taking antipsychotics.
Swelling of the legs and ankles due to excess fluid retention (peripheral oedema). Shortness of breath. Blurred vision. Uncontrollable movements of the hands, legs, face, eyes, neck or tongue, for example tremor, twitching or stiffness (these are called extrapyramidal effects).
You'll usually start on a low dose of 50mg a day when taking standard tablets. This will be increased over a few days to start with. Your doctor may advise you to slowly increase your dose even more, depending on how well quetiapine works for you. Most people feel better with a daily dose of 300mg to 600mg.
Patients who are on these antipsychotic medications and gaining weight were also found to have elevated leptin levels [16]. Because quetiapine blocks 5HT-2C, it may cause leptin resistance at the level of the hypothalamus, contributing to increased food intake and obesity (Figure
People without mental illnesses may find that the drug helps them experience feelings of pleasure and relaxation. The more they abuse the drug, the more prone they are to developing tolerance. To experience the same high, they'll need progressively higher doses.
Similar to other neurotransmitter influencing drugs such as SSRI and SNRI antidepressants, Seroquel is intended to build up to therapeutic levels over time, typically as you increase your dose. This means that your body and brain will have some major adjustments to make if you should ever need to quit taking Seroquel.
However, weight change can differ greatly from person to person. With any antipsychotic, some people may gain a lot of weight, some a moderate amount and some may not gain any weight or actually lose some weight.
People taking certain antipsychotic medications for mood disorders may experience weight gain as a side effect. 1 This gain is believed to be caused by an increased appetite for foods high in carbohydrates and fat, as well as these medications reducing one's metabolism.
The so-called “antipsychotic drugs” that patients take to control their symptoms tend to stimulate hunger and thirst and cause metabolic changes.
Your doctor should monitor for progression of potential long-term side effect of Seroquel, which can include cataracts, weight gain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and tardive dyskinesia, a rare condition characterized by involuntary and abnormal movements of the jaw, lips, and tongue.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that people who are taking Seroquel not use alcohol. Alcohol can suppress the body's ability to use Seroquel effectively, causing smaller amounts of Seroquel to become more potent. Drinking alcohol while taking Seroquel could worsen the typical side effects of Seroquel.
Seroquel will typically stay in your system for about 12 hours after dosage with a half-life of about seven hours. It takes between 24 to 48 hours for Seroquel to be fully metabolized out of your body.
Key Points. Weight gain is more common in patients treated with valproate, olanzapine, and quetiapine than with lithium. Causes of weight gain include water retention and hypothyroidism, which can be treated with diuretics and levothyroxine. Gastrointestinal side effects can lead to ending lithium trials.
Results: On average, body weight and BMI increased over 6 months with lithium and quetiapine. However, those treated with quetiapine experienced greater increases from baseline in body weight (peak change, + 3.6 lbs. vs. + 1.4 lbs.)
Mood stabilizers used to treat bipolar disorder include lithium (Lithobid), valproic acid (Depakene), divalproex sodium (Depakote), carbamazepine (Tegretol, Equetro, others) and lamotrigine (Lamictal). All of these medications are known to increase the risk of weight gain except lamotrigine.