You and Your Doctor
Page Highlights
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Your doctor wants to help improve your symptoms
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Try not to keep your symptoms a secret
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Talk to your doctor if you feel like quitting treatment
Help Is Available
It may be a temptation to try to keep your symptoms a secret. But your best
chance of feeling better is to discuss all of your symptoms with your doctor.
Your doctor has heard it all before, so try not to be embarrassed or fearful.
You are not alone in your struggle with mental illness.
A doctor can help you create a treatment plan for schizophrenia that may help
you get started feeling better.
Stopping or Quitting Treatment
It is normal to have occasional doubts about continuing schizophrenia treatment.
And if that is the case, you would not be alone. There are a variety of reasons
why people with schizophrenia may want to discontinue their treatment1:
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If they don’t believe they are ill, they may not think they need medication
at
all
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If their thinking is too disorganized, they may not remember to take their
medication every day
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If they don’t like the side effects of one medication, they may stop taking it
without trying a different medication
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Substance abuse can also interfere with treatment effectiveness
Remember that relapses occur most often when people with schizophrenia stop
taking their antipsychotic medication or only take it occasionally because they
forget or don’t think taking it regularly is important.1 It is very
important for people with schizophrenia to take medication on a regular basis.
Take SEROQUEL XR as prescribed by your doctor. You should contact your doctor
immediately if you feel the need to stop treatment.
Types of Health Care Providers
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 schizophrenia.
If you have any questions about your condition, or if you would like
more information about SEROQUEL XR, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Only you
and your doctor can decide if SEROQUEL XR is right for you.
This is not a complete summary of safety information. Please discuss the full
Prescribing Information with your health care provider.
SEROQUEL XR is a once daily tablet approved to treat 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
XR 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 XR is not approved to treat depression.
SEROQUEL XR is not approved for patients under the age of 18 years.
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High blood sugar and diabetes have been reported with SEROQUEL XR 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 XR 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
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A rare, but potentially fatal, side effect reported with SEROQUEL XR 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
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Another serious side effect reported with SEROQUEL XR 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
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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. During treatment, tell your doctor if you feel
dizzy or lightheaded upon standing. Suicidal thoughts or actions may occur in
schizophrenia; tell your doctor if you have thoughts about death or suicide.
Since drowsiness has been reported with SEROQUEL XR, 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 XR because
SEROQUEL XR increases the effects of alcohol. Avoid becoming overheated or
dehydrated while taking SEROQUEL XR
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Common side effects: The most common side effects are dry mouth, constipation,
upset stomach, sedation, drowsiness, dizziness, and a sudden drop in blood
pressure upon standing
Talk to your doctor about prescription SEROQUEL XR.
Click here to see
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.