Quetiapine (Seroquel)

What the word means

Quetiapine is the drug. Seroquel is the brand.

It’s an atypical antipsychotic used across bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and as an add-on in depression. It’s also heavily sedating, which has given it a large second life: low doses prescribed off-label for sleep.

That off-label use is worth thinking about honestly. It works, in the sense that it will put you to sleep. But it’s an antipsychotic, with an antipsychotic’s metabolic risks, being used for a problem that has safer answers. Reasonable clinicians disagree about it, and it’s fair to ask your prescriber why this one, for sleep, rather than something else.

The metabolic effects are the main thing to watch: weight gain, blood sugar, and cholesterol, which is why those get monitored.

Where to read the full guide

Shrinktionary defines the word.

Read the full quetiapine guide at PsychiatryRx, which covers uses, side effects, and monitoring.

Related terms you’ll see next

• Antipsychotic
• Off-label
• Augmentation
• Tardive dyskinesia

When to seek professional care

Ask about monitoring for weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol, because those checks are part of using this medication properly and they’re sometimes skipped. Report new involuntary movements of the face, tongue, or limbs promptly. If it was prescribed only for sleep, it’s entirely fair to ask why this drug rather than a safer one. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, get help right away by calling 911, or call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>Quetiapine (Seroquel):</strong> Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic, sold as Seroquel, used for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and as an add-on for depression. At low doses it's often prescribed off-label for sleep.</p>
  <p>&mdash; <a href="https://shrinktionary.com/terms/quetiapine/">Shrinktionary</a>, a plain-English mental health dictionary, medically reviewed by a board certified psychiatrist.</p>
</blockquote>