Seroquel Uses
Seroquel is the brand name of a generic drug called Quetiapine, which is an antipsychotic, or antipsychotic, drug. It belongs to the atypical antipsychotic drugs, showing higher affinity for serotonin receptors than for dopamine receptors in the brain. This active substance doesn’t show noticeable similarity to muscarinic and benzodiazepine receptors. This medicine is used to treat chronic and acute schizophrenia with both productive and negative symptoms. It is also used in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder, clinical depression and some other mental illnesses. Seroquel (Quetiapine) demonstrates antipsychotic activity comparable to haloperidol, while causing much fewer side effects.
In addition, taking Seroquel may be accompanied by the development of moderate asthenia, rhinitis, and weight gain, especially in the first weeks of treatment. From the nervous system, headache, anxiety, hostility, agitation, tremors, convulsions, depression, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome may occur. From the digestive system, patients report cases of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and jaundice. Allergic reactions are manifested by skin rash, eosinophilia, rarely angioedema, and anaphylactic reactions. In addition, laboratory indicators can demonstrate leukopenia, neutropenia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia.
Seroquel for Sleep
One of the most significant side effects that many patients experience when taking quetiapine is drowsiness. It is explained by the high affinity of this decal for histamine receptors in the brain. Due to the severity of this side effect, Seroquel is sometimes used in low doses to improve sleep, mainly if the patient’s insomnia has not responded to treatment with classical sleeping pills. However, taking such a medicine to improve sleep quality may cause unpleasant side effects and may not be worthwhile. Quite a few doctors do not recommend that sleep patients use Seroquel unless they have an underlying psychiatric or psychotic disorder that would benefit from this medication [1]. It is strongly not recommended to take this medicine on your own for any purpose, in particular to improve falling asleep and sleep depth, because it can even cause life-threatening side effects, although their percentage is not high. In addition, this medicine interacts with quite a large number of other drugs, and therefore it is better to use other medications to normalize sleep.
Seroquel Dosage
Seroquel is available as film-coated tablets for oral administration in dosages of 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 300 and 400 mg. (Table 1)
The dosage regimen for Seroquel should be selected by the doctor depending on the characteristics of each individual patient. However, there are also general recommendations. For acute and chronic psychoses, including schizophrenia, 1st day – 50 mg, 2nd day – 100 mg, 3rd day – 200 mg, 4th day – 300 mg. Starting from the fourth day of treatment, the dose should be adjusted to a clinically effective dose, which is usually in the range from 300 to 450 mg/day. Depending on the clinical effect and individual tolerance, the dose can vary from 150 to 750 mg/day.
In the treatment of manic episodes in bipolar disorder, quetiapine is used as monotherapy or as adjuvant therapy to stabilize mood. The dosage increase scheme for initial therapy is similar to that described above. By the sixth day of treatment, the daily dose of the drug can be increased to 800 mg.
In elderly patients, you should be more careful with high dosages. The initial dosage for them is 25 mg per day, and the daily increment is from 25 to 50 mg. The effective dose for elderly patients is usually less than for younger patients.
Seroquel 50 Mg
50 mg is one of the forms of Seroquel in the form of tablets for oral administration. Such a small dosage is convenient primarily at the stage of starting treatment so that there is no need to divide a tablet with a large dosage into two or more parts. In addition, Seroquel 50 mg is used as a daily dosage in the treatment of patients with insomnia that is not treatable with other drugs.
Starting Dose of Seroquel for Sleep
Seroquel and its Quetiapine-based analogues are often used to treat insomnia, even though this condition is not an indication for taking this drug. When using Seroquel to improve sleep, dosages are usually less than the FDA recommended dose of 150 to 800 mg per day. Typically, patients seeking relief from insomnia take 25, 50, or 100 mg per day. The use of higher dosages is undesirable due to the fact that atypical antipsychotics, which include Quetiapine, which are relevant for the treatment of mental illnesses, are associated with metabolic adverse events. Among them are obesity, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. If you take a low starting dosage to improve sleep quality (25 mg per day), side effects are usually minor. These include drowsiness and dry mouth. However, to date there is a lack of data on the use of this drug for the treatment of insomnia.
Seroquel Overdose
Symptoms of Seroquel overdose may result from an increase in the known pharmacological effects of the drug, such as drowsiness and excessive sedation, tachycardia and decreased blood pressure.[2] There are no specific antidotes to Quetiapine. In cases of overdose, gastric lavage is possible (after intubation, if the patient is unconscious), taking activated charcoal and laxatives to remove the unabsorbed active substance, however, the effectiveness of these measures has not been sufficiently studied. Symptomatic therapy and measures aimed at maintaining respiratory function, the cardiovascular system, ensuring adequate oxygenation and ventilation are indicated. Medical monitoring and observation should continue until the patient recovers completely. In extremely rare cases, an overdose of Seroquel can lead to death or coma.[3]
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Product Name | Seroquel |
| Formulation | Film-coated tablets |
| Available Dosages | 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400 mg |
| Dosage Recommendations | |
| Conditions | Acute and chronic psychoses, including schizophrenia, Manic episodes in bipolar disorder |
| Dosage Increase Schedule |
Day 1: 50 mg Day 2: 100 mg Day 3: 200 mg Day 4: 300 mg Starting from day 4: adjust to a clinically effective dose, usually 300-450 mg/day Maximum dose: up to 750 mg/day Dosage for manic episodes: up to 800 mg by day 6 |
| Special Considerations for Elderly Patients | |
| Initial Dosage | 25 mg/day |
| Dosage Increment | 25 to 50 mg/day |
| Effective Dose | Usually less than for younger patients |
Seroquel Side Effects
The side effects caused by Quetiapine are usually much less pronounced than the side effects caused by taking typical antipsychotics. Among those side effects that very rarely occur after taking it are extrapyramidal disorders and an increase in the level of the hormone prolactin in the blood. In general, this medicine is much easier to tolerate by patients than such a popular drug as Haloperidol. The most common adverse reactions associated with use are drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, dispersion, orthostatic hypotension, tachycardia, as well as dry mouth, increased activity of liver enzymes in the blood serum and increased concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood plasma.
Low Dose Seroquel Side Effects
While most other antipsychotics show a direct relationship between side effects and dosage, the situation with Quetiapine is somewhat different. Long-term use of low doses of this medication may result in an increased risk of serious cardiovascular effects, including sudden cardiac death. This risk increases with long-term or continuous treatment, especially among vulnerable patients such as women and the elderly.
Does Seroquel Cause Weight Gain
Seroquel may cause weight gain. In general, this is one of the most common side effects of therapy with this drug, which was noticed during clinical trials. In most cases, patients taking Seroquel gain about four pounds over six months. However, this value is quite approximate, and different patients demonstrate different sensitivity to the active substance of this medicine. Some may experience more weight gain than others, while some patients may not gain any weight at all. In any case, there have been no reported cases of gaining more than eight or nine pounds. The mechanism for weight gain when taking Seroquel is due to the fact that this medicine increases blood sugar and fat levels. In addition, this medicine can stimulate appetite.
Seroquel Price
The branded medicine under the trade name Seroquel is quite expensive. Thus, 50 mg oral tablets will cost approximately $530 for a package of 60 tablets. This price may be reduced by a non-cash payment plan or a health insurance plan that includes atypical antipsychotics. If we are talking about a dosage of 100 mg, a package of 60 tablets usually costs about $900. A similar package of tablets with a dosage of 200 mg will cost the consumer about $1,000, 300 mg – about $1,350; 400 mg – about $1,600.
Seroquel 100mg Price
Seroquel in a dosage of 100 mg is produced mainly by companies whose specialization is generics of various drugs, including antipsychotics. 100 mg is a fairly convenient dosage for many patients, especially those who do not tolerate Quetiapine well enough to take 300 mg per day. The price from manufacturers of different generics varies, but in general we can conclude that a package of 60 tablets of this medicine in this dosage can cost the patient about $400. Of course, this is not the final offer; many manufacturers offer lower prices, especially if you purchase a large number of tablets in one order. So, if you buy 100 tablets, they will only cost about $700. The situation with an inverse relationship between the cost and the number of tablets in an order is typical primarily for online pharmacies selling medicines from Indian manufacturers.
Seroquel Generic Price
Generic Seroquel is generally significantly cheaper than brand-name medications. Much more often they are sold under the trade name Quetiapine with various variations. This can be either a distortion of the company name or a fundamentally new name. A few examples: Q-Pin, Seroquin, Quetic, Placidin, etc. However, the essence remains the same, as does the active ingredient of the drug.
As of 2024, prices for Indian generics of Quetiapine are the lowest in the global pharmaceutical market. Thus, a package of 60 tablets with a dosage of 50 mg can cost the patient only 5-7 dollars. Quetiapine from European generic manufacturers is significantly more expensive, but is still more affordable than the brand-name drug manufactured by AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish pharmaceutical company headquartered in the UK.
Seroquel Price without Insurance
Typically, the cost of Seroquel without insurance coverage is about $260 for 30 100 mg tablets. Sometimes this price may be higher. It all depends on which pharmacy the patient goes to and in which state he lives.
Among the ways to reduce the cost of brand-name Seroquel if the drug is not covered by your health insurance plan are free coupons offered by various aggregator websites, as well as the websites of many online pharmacies based in the United States. These coupons can be exchanged for a discount at pharmacies that are partners of the organization issuing the coupon. As a rule, these are large pharmacy chains and stores like Walmart and Kroger.
References
1. Holly V Coe, Irene S Hong. Safety of low doses of quetiapine when used for insomnia. [PubMed]
2. Corrine R Balit, Geoffrey K Isbister, L Peter Hackett, Ian M Whyte. Quetiapine poisoning: a case series [PubMed]
3. C. Müller, H. Reuter, and C. Dohmen. Intoxication after Extreme Oral Overdose of Quetiapine to Attempt Suicide: Pharmacological Concerns of Side Effects. [ncbi]