Quetiapine or quetiapine fumarate is a second generation antipsychotic drug. It works by effectively blocking the dopamine receptor D2, the serotonin receptor 5-HT2A, and allowing moderate amounts of 5-HT1A. It also blocks H1 and alpha 1 receptors, which attributes to the side effects of the drug. It is not a controlled substance and does not have much recreational appeal. It has not been shown to be addictive, but it is recommended to taper usage if changing or discontinuing medication.
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Quetiapine is the fifth leading drug in America,and is also common in the UK and Australia. This is despite the fact that it is an antipsychotic and is only approved by the FDA for schizophrenia and as an additional or stand-alone medication for bipolar disorder. This is due to common off-label prescriptions. The
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Pharmacy Today, a newsletter of the American Pharmacists Association, notes that there has been a significant decrease in Seroquel and Seroquel XR prescriptions since Medicare reviewed letters from patients. The patients had noted that their dosages had been much higher than their peers. The article also notes that this, combined with off-label prescriptions has been a big issue in the elderly community, and has had adverse side effects.
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This article, was published in 2015 by Australian Prescriber, an independent review for doctors and psychiatrists, and has been sited in the US National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, and PubMed Central. The article discusses the issues with quetiapine's subsidised, approved, and off-label uses.
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