Quetiapine Fumarate

Q-Fit is indicated for the treatment of Acute and chronic psychoses, including schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder including: treatment of manic episodes satisfying DSM-IV criteria for mania associated with bipolar  disorder, treatment of depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder, maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder, in combination with a mood stabilizer, for the prevention of recurrence of manic, depressive or mixed episodes.

Dosage & Administration

Acute and chronic psychoses, including schizophrenia
: Quetiapine should be administered twice daily, with or without food. The total daily dose for the first four days of therapy is 50 mg (Day 1), 100 mg (Day 2), 200 mg (Day 3) and 300 mg (Day 4). From Day 4 onwards, the dose should be titrated to the usual effective dose range of 300-450 mg/day. However, this may be adjusted, depending on the clinical response and tolerability of the individual patient, within the range 150 to 750 mg/day.
Manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder
: Quetiapine should be administered twice daily, with or without food. The total daily dose for the first four days of therapy is 100 mg (Day 1), 200 mg (Day 2), 300 mg (Day 3) and 400 mg (Day 4). Further dosage adjustments up to 800mg/day by Day 6 should be in increments of no greater than 200 mg/day. The dose may be adjusted depending on clinical response & tolerability of the individual patient, within the range of 200 to 800 mg/day. The usual effective dose is in the range of 400 to 800mg/day.
Depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder
: Quetiapine should be administered once daily at bedtime, with or without food. The usual dose is 300 mg/day. The daily dose for the first four days of therapy is 50 mg (Day 1), 100 mg (Day 2), 200 mg (Day 3) and 300 mg (Day 4). Quetiapine can be titrated to 400 mg on Day 5 and up to 600mg by Day 8. Antidepressant efficacy was demonstrated with Quetiapine at 300mg and 600 mg, however no additional benefit was seen in the 600mg group during short term treatment.
Maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder in combination with mood stabilizers
: Patients who have responded to Quetiapine in combination therapy with a mood stabiliser for acute treatment of bipolar disorder should continue on Quetiapine therapy at the same dose. Quetiapine dose can be re-adjusted depending on clinical response and tolerability of the individual patient. Efficacy was demonstrated with Quetiapine (administered twice daily totalling 400mg to 800mg a day) as combination therapy with a mood stabilizer.

The most commonly reported Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) with Q-Fit are somnolence, dizziness, dry mouth, withdrawal (discontinuation) symptoms, elevations in serum triglyceride levels, elevations in total cholesterol (predominantly LDL cholesterol), decreases in HDL cholesterol, weight gain, decreased haemoglobin and extrapyramidal symptoms.

Quetiapine Fumarate is an atypical psychotropic agent belonging to a chemical class, the dibenzothiazepine derivatives. Quetiapine is an antagonist at multiple neurotransmitter receptors in the brain: serotonin 5HT
1A
and 5HT
2
, dopamine D
1
and D
2
, histamine H
1
, and adrenergic α1 and α2 receptors. Quetiapine has no appreciable affinity at cholinergic muscarinic and benzodiazepine receptors. The mechanism of action of Quetiapine is unknown. However, it has been proposed that this drug's efficacy in schizophrenia is mediated through a combination of dopamine D
2
and serotonin 5HT
2
antagonism. Quetiapine's antagonism of histamine H
1
receptors may explain the somnolence and that of adrenergic a receptors may explain the orthostatic hypotension observed with this drug.