So - Seroquel™ (quetiapine) is a very "clean" drug. This means that the molecule doesn't bind to many other receptors than it is supposed to bind to. This drug mainly binds to the dopamine-D2 receptor and the serotonin-5-HT2A receptors and blocks these receptors.

Excess dopamine in the brain can cause a number of different psychiatric conditions (eg. ruminating thoughts, delusions of various kinds, psychosis, etc.) depending upon which part of the brain is producing the excess dopamine.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is the medication doesn't know what category it belongs in. The clinical trials that the makers of Seroquel, <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.seroquel.com/cons_asp/index.asp>AstraZeneca™</A>, conducted to get FDA/Health Canada approval to market the drug used people who had schizophrenia.

AstraZeneca™ cannot, by law, say that their drug works for conditions other then schizophrenia. This is because AstraZeneca™ has not run clinical trials to show that Seroquel works in cases of severe depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, other anxiety disorders, OCD, and many other disorders that don't come to mind at present. The reason for AstraZeneca™ not doing clinical trial is two fold: a) the price. To jump through all the hoops, dot all the T's and cross all the I's to the satisfaction of the FDA/Health Canada (esp. Health Canada) is not cheap. Quite probably, every new drug that is released for use in the country has spent well over $100,000,000 (100 million dollars, 0.1 billion dollars) getting that drug to market.

And b): All doctors, at one time or another (I guess I shouldn't say all; there's wackos in every profession .... not that being wacko is necessarily a "bad thing") have prescribed a drug for some disorder/disease other than the disorder/disease that the drug is authorized to treat. <that last line is clear as mud, and I can't fix it> This is called "off-label" prescribing.

For example, the beta-blocker propranolol (Inderal™) officially indicated for use in hypertension, but doctors prescibe it for migraine heaches and stage fright. If some drug decreases the severity of the symptoms of some condition the docs are gonna prescribe it for that condition. Drugs used for off-label purposes haven't done the clinical trials to prove that the drug does work in this other condition.

Another for instance, Wellbutrin™ and Zyban™ are both bupropion. There is absolutely no difference between these two drugs. In Canada, the only difference is in the amount of ink that is in the name stamped onto that hard purple tablet. These two drugs are made in the same vat.

Ah, you ask why do they have different side effects profiles, aren't you? I believe that this is due to what a person expects that drug to do. It's all perception; for example Wellbutrin is an antidepressant and if one were taking for depression they would the expect the drug to bring about a remission depression depressive symptoms (a lifting of spirits, more energy, etc.). The person taking Zyban to quit smoking would focus on other cues. Side effects become more prominent if you are focusing your attention upon them. For example, I expect that when I start to take an antidepressant my depression will go away, but in reality, for the first 2 to 4 weeks I am more anxious than I was before. I was focusing on calming down but I got more anxious. A person taking Zyban may notice that their mouth is dry, but a person taking Wellbutrin might not; it's all perception.

•••Soscared•••Down•Here•••
Sorry, got carried away. As for the "antipsychotic" label on the Seroquel bottle is there because we, as humans, have to organize everything into neat little boxes, or categories because this system makes it easier for us to remember things. Categorization has it's ugly side: "discrimination". Discrimination against those who are different, those who don't conform, don't have the same religion, don't have the same skin color, don't have the same thought patterns......

Geez, I did it again! The Seroquel is a "mood modifier" (if one really needs to categorize it. Originally, it was used to treat schizophrenia, but docs serendipitously found that Seroquel (and drugs like it) help to stop ruminating thoughts, ease mania, resolve severe major depression.

Soscard, try the Seroquel, it should give you a good night's sleep. Also, talk to your doc about your concerns about the labelling of the drug; he'll probably say something similar to what I just said (without the rambling; but hey, I'm my best when I ramble.

I really do hope that this helps. - Cam