The Seroquel Scandal: A Minnesota Psychiatrist's Ethical Lapses Are Suspected. In 2003, Dan Markingson, 26, was enrolled in a clinical trial at the University of Minnesota aimed at comparing several drugs to treat schizophrenia.
AstraZeneca Faces Seroquel Lawsuits
AstraZeneca paid $355 million in 2003 after pleading guilty to charges that it encouraged physicians to illegally request Medicare reimbursements for its cancer drug Zoladex, and bribed doctors to buy it.
In addition, recent studies have shown a strong potential for misuse and abuse (MUA) of quetiapine beyond Food and Drug Administration-approved indications. This includes drug-seeking behaviors, such as feigning symptoms, motivated by quetiapine and use of quetiapine in conjunction with alcohol.
The phenomenon known as withdrawal psychosis refers to the appearance of psychosis when Seroquel or other antipsychotic medication is reduced, especially where the reduction is too fast, or without the necessary preparations.
Quetiapine is an antipsychotic medication that treats several kinds of mental health conditions including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It balances the levels of dopamine and serotonin in your brain. These hormones help regulate your mood, behaviors and thoughts. The brand name of this medication is Seroquel®.
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.
Medications like Seroquel can increase risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts, especially at the start of treatment. Report any sudden changes in mood to your healthcare provider, including depression, anxiety, restlessness, panic, irritability, impulsivity, or aggression.
Downsides. If you are between the ages of 18 and 60, take no other medication or have no other medical conditions, side effects you are more likely to experience include: Confusion, headache, drowsiness, agitation, constipation, weight gain, dry mouth, and blurred vision.
Side Effects of Paxil, Seroquel, Benedryl May Cause Cognitive Decline in Elderly: Study. The findings of new research suggests that anticholinergic drugs, which include such widely used brand name medications as Paxil, Seroquel, Benadryl, Unisome and Dimetapp, may increase the risk of dementia among elderly patients.
Thyroid Problems: Taking Seroquel may decrease the thyroid hormone levels. This may worsen as the dose increases.
Quetiapine abuse is relatively common, and is abused far more often than any other second-generation antipsychotic. Emergency physicians should be aware of the clinical effects that may occur after second-generation antipsychotic abuse.
Seroquel is an antipsychotic medicine. It works by changing the actions of chemicals in the brain. Seroquel is used to treat schizophrenia in adults and children who are at least 13 years old. Seroquel is used to treat bipolar disorder (manic depression) in adults and children who are at least 10 years old.
In the pancreatitis lawsuits, plaintiffs' lawyers allege that AstraZeneca failed to perform reasonable tests, inspections, drug trials, and evaluations concerning the safety of Seroquel and that proper testing would have made clear that it poses a significant risk of pancreatitis.
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include shortness of breath, wheezing or difficulty breathing; swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body; rash, itching or hives on the skin or you may feel faint. Do not give SEROQUEL to children or adolescents unless recommended by your doctor.
Several studies even indicate that Seroquel is the most commonly abused atypical antipsychotic. Abuse can lead to addiction that requires treatment and therapy in a rehab facility.
In addition to its antihistamine effects, Seroquel also blocks the neurotransmitter dopamine, which may contribute to its sedative effects. But may also dampen the reward system which can make life feel a little dull. Some people even describe feeling like a zombie, especially at higher doses.
Quetiapine may cause a condition that affects the heart rhythm (QT prolongation). QT prolongation can rarely cause serious (rarely fatal) fast/irregular heartbeat and other symptoms (such as severe dizziness, fainting) that need medical attention right away.
It's possible to experience changes in your mood while taking quetiapine. In rare cases, it may increase feelings of depression, or raise the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior.
Seroquel use may also be directly implicated in memory issues for some patients. This likely has to do with the mechanism by which it works to affect dopamine regulation. The rewarding, accomplished feeling dopamine produces is believed to be central to learning and memorization.
Seroquel may slow your thinking, decrease your reaction time, and cause drowsiness; using alcohol may worsen these side effects. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
Seroquel and weight gain connection is sometimes thought to be the result of the body changing the way it stores fat. The user may notice packing on fat in areas of the body that were previously slim. This may be caused by Quetiapine as well.
You should not use quetiapine if you are allergic to it. Quetiapine may increase the risk of death in older adults with dementia-related psychosis and is not approved for this use. Quetiapine is not approved for use by anyone younger than 10 years old.
Seroquel is typically used short term, for a few weeks or months, to treat bipolar mania or bipolar depression. In some cases, your doctor may have you continue taking the drug long term to help prevent manic episodes from recurring.
Are you discontinuing Seroquel, or wondering how long it takes for a single 100mg dose to clear your system? The half-life of Seroquel is about six hours. This means that in six hours, half of the dose is gone. In another six hours, half the remaining dose is gone, so your serum level is about down to 25.