You should avoid drinking alcohol while taking any forms of quetiapine, including Seroquel and Seroquel XR. This is because quetiapine can worsen both cognitive and motor side effects of alcohol like drowsiness and delayed reflexes.
Combining alcohol with antipsychotics can cause: dizziness. drowsiness. difficulty concentrating.
Do not drive or operate machinery or perform hazardous tasks if Seroquel makes you sleepy. Talk to your doctor if you feel that your mood is worsening or you feel agitated or are having suicide-related thoughts. Avoid alcohol while taking Seroquel and keep hydrated. Avoid over-exercising.
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.
Quetiapine and Weight Gain
It is very common for people taking quetiapine to gain weight. Many studies show that people taking quetiapine at any dose, even the low doses used for sleep problems, gain weight. 8 The weight gain usually takes place in the first 12 weeks.
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.
Weight Gain
While many people gain weight while taking Seroquel as prescribed, the result isn't inevitable. Some are able to remain within a healthy weight by following their doctors' orders regarding a healthy balance of diet and exercise.
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 exact way in which Seroquel functions in the brain is unclear, but it is believed to help calm your mood and control symptoms of schizophrenia and depression by working on dopamine and serotonin receptors in your brain.
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.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that people who are using Seroquel should not consume alcohol. Alcohol can suppress the body's ability to utilize Seroquel effectively. And, drinking alcohol while using Seroquel could exacerbate the typical side effects of the medication.
Notes for Consumers: Do not drink alcohol while taking this medication. Drinking alcohol while taking this medication can cause serious side effects, such as central nervous system (CNS) depression, and can increase the risk of falling.
Warnings: There may be a slightly increased risk of serious, possibly fatal side effects (such as stroke, heart failure, fast/irregular heartbeat, This medication is not approved for the treatment of dementia-related behavior problems.
Mixing quetiapine and alcohol is not advised because alcohol can impair the medication's ability to treat the individual's symptoms. Otherwise, mental health symptoms like extreme sadness, mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and hallucinations may re-occur and resurface more intensely.
It's best not to drink alcohol at all if you're on antipsychotic medications. If you find that you can't stop, it's important to seek treatment, Muvvala says.
When combined with psychotropic medications, alcohol may potentiate the drugs' inhibitory effects on the central nervous system, which can impair an individual's ability to function. It has been estimated that alcohol–medication interactions may be a factor in at least 25% of all emergency room visits.
Quetiapine, sold under the brand name Seroquel, is a powerful antipsychotic medication that works upon the brain's chemistry and is typically prescribed in the treatment of schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, some anxiety disorders, and other serious conditions.
You'll usually start on a low dose of 50mg a day. This will be increased over a few days. Most people feel better with a daily dose of 300mg. Take it once a day at bedtime.
The usual effective dose is in the range of 400 to 800 mg/day. Seroquel should be administered once daily at bedtime. The total daily dose for the first four days of therapy is 50 mg (Day 1), 100 mg (Day 2), 200 mg (Day 3) and 300 mg (Day 4). The recommended daily dose is 300 mg.
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.
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®.
It is important that you continue taking quetiapine regularly even if you are feeling well, as it can prevent symptoms from returning. Talk with your doctor if you feel quetiapine treatment has not been helpful or if side effects are too bothersome. Your doctor may recommend switching you to a different medication.
Seroquel (generic name quetiapine) can really make people feel sleepy; that's one of its most common side effects. In fact, many doctors use it as a sleeping pill for just that reason, and often at exactly the dose you are taking -- 50 mg.
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 1).