Quetiapine, sold under the brand name Seroquel among others, is an atypical antipsychotic medication used for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Despite being widely used as a sleep aid due its sedating effect, the benefits of such use do not appear to generally outweigh the side effects.
In contrast to most other antipsychotic drugs, which tend to be somewhat aversive and often show problems with patient compliance with prescribed medication regimes, quetiapine is sometimes associated with drug misuse and abuse potential, for its hypnotic and sedative effects. It has a limited potential for misuse, usually only in individuals with a history of polysubstance abuse and/or mental illness, and especially in those incarcerated in prisons or secure psychiatric facilities where access to alternative intoxicants is more limited. To a significantly greater extent than other atypical antipsychotic drugs, quetiapine was found to be associated with drug-seeking behaviors, and to have standardised street prices and slang terms associated with it, either by itself or in combination with other drugs (such as “Q-ball” for the intravenous injection of quetiapine mixed with cocaine).
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved quetiapine for the treatment of schizophrenia and of acute manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder (bipolar mania) and for treatment of bipolar depression.
August 11, 2023 – The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) at the Fredric Rieders Family Foundation (FRFF), in conjunction with the Colombo Plan, recently published an alert on quetiapine, a toxic adulterant identified in illicit street drug products. The alert details health implications as well as recommendations. Read the full announcement here.