How Seroquel Causes Weight Gain. Generally, antipsychotics tend to increase sugar and fat (lipid) levels in the blood. The imbalance of calorie intake and calorie consumption can cause it. While on antipsychotics, the brain stimulates appetite, especially for calorie-intensive foods such as donuts and fast food.
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.
Quetiapine can make you feel more hungry than usual, so you may put on weight.
The main way that antipsychotics cause weight gain is by stimulating appetite so that people feel hungry, eat more food and take in more calories. Some people taking antipsychotics report craving sweet or fatty food.
Metformin has the most evidence of efficacy, while topiramate, sibutramine, aripiprazole and reboxetine are also effective. These drugs prevent or treat weight gain through different mechanisms.
To manage Seroquel and weight gain, the user should maintain regular exercise, preferably more than their normal routine, as antipsychotics slow the body's metabolism. Also, patients should find cheap and healthy alternatives for fast food. Fast food is the quickest and most affordable way to satisfy calorie cravings.
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.
Any weight you gain usually goes away when you stop taking antipsychotics. If stopping is right for you, your doctor will slowly lower your dose so you don't relapse.
People who stop taking antipsychotics usually see gradual weight loss. Stopping a medication, however, is not always possible, and it can sometimes have serious repercussions. A person should never stop taking a prescribed medication without speaking to a doctor about it first.
Conclusions: Long-term treatment with quetiapine monotherapy is associated with moderate weight gain. Most weight gain occurs within the first 12 weeks of treatment and has no clear dose relationship.
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.)
Weight gain and high levels of blood sugar and cholesterol
Quetiapine (Seroquel) can raise your blood sugar and cholesterol levels as well as raise your appetite, all of which can lead to weight gain.
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.
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).
Antipsychotic drugs, scientists showed, not only block dopamine signaling in the brain but also in the pancreas, leading to uncontrolled production of blood glucose-regulating hormones and, eventually, obesity and diabetes.
The average weight gain from these medications–including asenapine, iloperidone, paliperidone LAI, quetiapine IR, and risperidone–ranged from three to nearly six pounds.
Reducing or discontinuing second generation antipsychotic medication may cause weight loss due to negative energy balance or directly through affecting various neurotransmitters and neuroendocrine signaling.
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.
Some antipsychotics, such as aripiprazole (Abilify) and ziprasidone (Geodon), have a lower risk for weight gain.
The Bottom Line
Antipsychotic switching, notably to aripiprazole or ziprasidone, may lead to weight loss, while switching to olanzapine or clozapine can worsen cardiometabolic status.
Abruptly discontinuing Seroquel can result in withdrawal symptoms including dizziness, increased heart rate, insomnia, nausea, and vomiting. Never stop taking your medication without talking to your doctor first; your doctor may advise gradually tapering your dose over a period of a few months.
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].
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.