SEROQUEL® (quetiapine fumarate)
AstraZeneca

What to Expect From SEROQUEL

Page Highlights

  • Ask your doctor about treatment expectations
  • Give the medicine time to work
  • Take your medicine as prescribed

Everyone Responds Differently to Treatment

Ask your doctor what kinds of symptom improvements and potential side effects you may expect when you take SEROQUEL. Your doctor will be able to tell you what side effects to watch for and may also be able to tell you how soon you may notice improvements.

How Long Does It Take for SEROQUEL to Work?

Everyone responds differently to therapy so try to be patient and follow the directions of your health care provider. It may take several weeks before you start to feel better.

Improvement in some symptoms of bipolar depression can be seen as early as one week. While the effectiveness of SEROQUEL alone in bipolar depression has not been evaluated in clinical studies for more than 8 weeks, SEROQUEL when added to lithium or divalproex has been shown to reduce the risk of relapse in longer-term studies.1

What kinds of bipolar disorder symptom results have been reported with SEROQUEL?

Depressive symptoms
In clinical studies, people treated for the lows of bipolar depression showed these types of improvements2,3:

  • Less sadness
  • More normal sleep
  • Less pessimism
  • Less edgy and tense

Manic symptoms
In clinical studies, people treated for the highs of bipolar mania showed these types of improvements4:

  • Fewer racing thoughts
  • More normal sleep
  • Better judgment
  • Less irritability

Everyone responds differently to therapy. If SEROQUEL works for you, it still may be several weeks before you start to feel better.

Try to be patient and follow your doctor’s directions for taking SEROQUEL. Remember, it is important to take SEROQUEL exactly as your doctor has prescribed.

Next Tips for Treatment on SEROQUEL

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Register for the Thinking Forward program, a patient-support program that includes free helpful tips and tools designed to provide you with useful information in managing bipolar disorder.

Meet patients who have taken SEROQUEL. Read the stories of 3 people who have bipolar disorder and have taken SEROQUEL.


The information on this Web site should not take the place of talking with your doctor or health care professional about how to manage and treat bipolar disorder. If you have any questions about your condition, or if you would like more information about SEROQUEL, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Only you and your doctor can decide if SEROQUEL is right for you.

Important Safety Information About SEROQUEL

This is not a complete summary of safety information. Please discuss the full Prescribing Information with your health care provider.

SEROQUEL is approved for depressive episodes and acute manic episodes in bipolar disorder; long-term maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder in combination with lithium or divalproex; and schizophrenia.

Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis (having lost touch with reality due to confusion and memory loss) treated with this type of medicine are at an increased risk of death, compared to placebo (sugar pill). SEROQUEL is not approved for treating these patients.

Antidepressants have increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults. Patients of all ages starting treatment should be watched closely for worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or actions, unusual changes in behavior, agitation, and irritability. Families and caregivers should watch patients daily and report these symptoms immediately to the physician. SEROQUEL is not approved for patients under the age of 18 years.

  • High blood sugar and diabetes have been reported with SEROQUEL and medicines like it. If you have diabetes or risk factors such as obesity or a family history of diabetes, ask your doctor about checking your blood sugar before starting SEROQUEL and regularly throughout treatment. If you develop symptoms of high blood sugar or diabetes, such as excessive thirst or hunger, increased urination, or weakness, contact your doctor. Complications from diabetes can be serious and even life threatening
  • A rare, but potentially fatal, side effect reported with SEROQUEL and medicines like it is neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Tell your doctor if you have very high fever; rigid muscles; shaking; confusion; sweating; changes in pulse, heart rate, or blood pressure; or muscle pain and weakness because treatment should be stopped if you have NMS
  • Another serious side effect reported with SEROQUEL and medicines like it is tardive dyskinesia (TD)—uncontrollable movements of the face, tongue, or other parts of the body. TD may become permanent, and the risk of TD is believed to increase as the length of time on and the amount of these medications increase. While TD can develop in patients taking low doses for short periods, this is much less common. There is no known treatment for TD, but it may go away partially or completely if treatment is stopped
  • Before starting treatment, tell your doctor if you have high cholesterol or have a history of, or are at risk for, seizures or a low white blood cell (WBC) count. An eye exam for cataracts is recommended at the beginning of treatment and every 6 months thereafter. Suicidal thoughts or actions may occur in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; tell your doctor if you have thoughts about death or suicide. During treatment, tell your doctor if you feel dizzy or lightheaded upon standing. Since drowsiness has been reported with SEROQUEL, you should not participate in activities such as driving or operating machinery until you know that you can do so safely. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking SEROQUEL because SEROQUEL increases the effects of alcohol. Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated while taking SEROQUEL
  • Common side effects: The most common side effects are dry mouth, sedation, drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, weakness, abdominal pain, sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing, sore throat, weight gain, sluggishness, high blood sugar, nasal congestion, abnormal liver tests, and upset stomach

Talk to your doctor about prescription SEROQUEL.
Click here for full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warnings.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

 

REFERENCES:

  1. SEROQUEL Prescribing Information. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP.
  2. Thase, ME, Macfadden W, Weisler RH, Chang W, Paulsson B, Khan A, et al. Efficacy of Quetiapine monotherapy in bipolar I and II depression: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Clin Psychopharmacol.
    2006;26:600-609.
  3. Calabrese JR, Keck PE, Macfadden W, Minkwitz M, Ketter TA, Weisler RH, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Quetiapine in the treatment of bipolar I or II depression. Am J Psychiatry. 2005;162:1351-1360.
  4. Vieta E, Mullen J, Brecher M, Paulsson B, Jones M. Quetiapine monotherapy for bipolar mania associated with bipolar disorder: combined analysis of two international, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies. Curr Med Res Opin. 2005;21(6):923-934.

This product information is intended for US audiences only.
SEROQUEL is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.
©2008 AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP.  All rights reserved.  263203 8/08