Seroquel and Weight Gain

Seroquel is the brand name for quetiapine, an antipsychotic medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It belongs to a family of drugs called atypical antipsychotics. Seroquel's maker, AstraZeneca, markets it for alleviating schizophrenia symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, and for controlling mood swings of bipolar disorder. The company has faced controversy because of claims that the drug causes weight gain.

Background

AstraZeneca launched Seroquel in 1997 and an extended-release version of the drug, called Seroquel XR, in 2007. Seroquel was the fifth-bestselling drug in the world in 2009, with sales exceeding $6 billion, according to IMS Health. Seroquel's competitors on the antipsychotic medication market include Zyprexa, made by Eli Lilly & Co., and Risperdal, made by Johnson & Johnson.

Lawsuits

AstraZeneca has faced extensive litigation on allegations that Seroquel caused side effects such as weight gain, diabetes and hyperglycemia, which means high blood sugar. Plaintiffs also claimed that Seroquel marketed the drug for unapproved uses. In August 2010, AstraZeneca agreed to pay $198 million to settle 17,500 cases claiming that Seroquel use led to diabetes in certain patients, according to Bloomberg. The settlements averaged $10,000 to $11,000 each. In all, AstraZeneca faced 26,000 suits. In 2003 and 2004, the FDA required the makers of Seroquel and competing products to include on the drugs' labels warnings about weight gain and diabetes, according to Bloomberg.

Recommendations

If, while taking Seroquel or Seroquel XR, you gain more than 5 percent of your starting weight, talk to your doctor about switching to a different medication, AstraZeneca advises in its official fact sheet for the drugs. The company recommends that doctors monitor for hyperglycemia all patients taking Seroquel and similar atypical antipsychotic drugs. If a patient already has diabetes, the health-care provider should check the patient regularly for worsening glucose control, according to the FDA.

Other Concerns

Patients with psychotic conditions related to dementia should not take Seroquel, according to Drugs.com, because it may lead to heart failure, pneumonia or sudden death. And patients with certain conditions may need special testing before they take the medication. They include liver or kidney disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, thyroid disorder and seizures or epilepsy.