Pharmaceutical Injuries - Seroquel

Have You Sustained Personal Injuries from Seroquel?

Seroquel is an antipsychotic medication marketed by AstraZeneca for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety and sleep disorders. It works by changing the actions of chemicals in the brain and is primarily used to treat the symptoms of psychotic conditions, including hallucinations, delusions, and confusion, although it may be used to treat other conditions as well.

On April 11, 2005 the FDA issued an alert to healthcare professionals stating that the FDA has determined that patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with atypical (second generation) antipsychotic medications are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. Based on the currently available data, FDA has requested that the package insert for Seoquel be revised to include a black box warning describing this risk and noting that this drug is not approved for this indication.

Analyses of seventeen placebo controlled trials that enrolled 5106 elderly patients with dementia related behavioral disorders revealed a risk of death in the drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times that seen in placebo-treated patients. Clinical trials were performed with Zyprexa (olanzapine), Abilify (aripiprazole), Risperdal (risperidone), and Seroquel (quetiapine). Over the course of these trials averaging about 10 weeks in duration, the rate of death in drug-treated patients was about 4.5%, compared to a rate of about 2.6% in the placebo group. Although the causes of death were varied, most of the deaths appeared to be either cardiovascular (e.g., heart failure, sudden death) or infectious (e.g., pneumonia) in nature.

Seroquel is in a class of medications called atypical antipsychotics. Antipsychotic medicines are used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia that may include hearing voices, seeing things, or sensing things that are not there, mistaken beliefs or unusual suspiciousness. Seroquel may be used alone or with lithium or divalproex to treat acute manic episodes in adults who have a condition called Bipolar I disorder. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes extreme mood swings.

The FDA noted that the risks associated with Seroquel include:

• A life-threatening nervous system problem called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). NMS can cause a high fever, stiff muscles, sweating, a fast or irregular heart beat, change in blood pressure, and confusion. NMS can affect your kidneys. NMS is a medical emergency. Call your healthcare professional right away if you experience these symptoms.
• A movement problem called tardive dyskinesia (TD). Call your healthcare professional right away if you get muscle movements that cannot be stopped.
• High blood sugar and diabetes. Patients with diabetes or who have a higher chance for diabetes should have their blood sugar checked
• Other serious side effects may include low blood pressure seen as dizziness, increased heart beat and possibly fainting, cataracts, seizures, low thyroid, elevated cholesterol or triglycerides, liver problems, persistent erection, increase or decrease in body temperature, and difficulty swallowing.
• The most common side effects include headache, agitation, dry mouth, constipation, pain, vomiting, upset stomach and weight gain.

Seroquel FDA Alert
FDA Seroquel Patient Information
NAMI Seroquel Info
Seroquel Home Page

If youýve taken Seroquel to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety or sleep disorders and you have developed diabetes, hypoglycemia, or pancreatic cancer, a personal injury attorney specializing in Seroquel may be able to file a Seroquel lawsuit on your behalf to get you compensation for your damages.

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If you, or someone you know has been injured through the use of Seroquel, you can get a FREE consultation with a leading Seroquel Personal Injury Attorney in your area who can offer sound legal help and assistance with your claim.

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