Use of Seroquel in the military

POSTED BY: Niki2
UPDATED: Thursday, April 26, 2012 00:26
VIEWED: 2874
PAGE 1 of 1

NIKI2

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 4:19 PM (P)

I was blown away in the thread about military suicides when I read that they are using Seroquel, a LOT, for our soldiers. I explained that Seroquel is well known by us in the mental-health community, and is one of the stronget anti-psychotics prescribed. That it is used to the extent the articles I posted reports, in some cases just as a SLEEP medication, infuriates me. Yes, it makes you sleepy, but it has many, many side effects which are totally inappropriate for soldiers! Among its potential side effects:

•Drowsiness -- in up to 53 percent of people
•Dry mouth -- up to 44 percent of people
•High triglycerides -- up to 23 percent
•Weight gain -- up to 23 percent
•Headaches -- up to 21 percent
•Agitation -- up to 20 percent
•Dizziness -- up to 18 percent
•High cholesterol -- up to 17 percent
•Fatigue -- up to 11 percent
•Weakness -- up to 10 percent
•Constipation -- up to 10 percent.

In 2-10% of people, these side effects have been found:

•Indigestion or heartburn
•Nausea
•Vomiting
•Increased appetite
•Lethargy
•Nasal congestion
•Abdominal pain (stomach pain)
•Back pain
•Shakiness (tremor)
•Irritability
•Joint pain
•Sore throat
•Fever
•Rapid heart rate (tachycardia)
•Irritated or runny nose
•Vision problems.

SERIOUS side effects include:

•Signs of diabetes, such as high blood sugar, increased thirst, frequent urination, or extreme hunger (see Seroquel and Diabetes)
•Large or rapid weight gain
•Suicidal thoughts
•Dizziness or fainting when going from a sitting or lying-down position to standing
•Feelings of internal restless or jitteriness
•Any abnormal muscle movements (these abnormal movements can become permanent if Seroquel is not stopped quickly)
•Signs or symptoms of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, which can include:

?A high fever
?Stiff muscles
?Confusion
?Irregular pulse or blood pressure
?An increased heart rate (tachycardia)
?Sweating
?Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias)

Most psychotropics, especially anti-psychotics, cause cry mouth (I carry around a little bottle of ice tea, and almost panic when I forgot to take it with me. I go through about a gallon a day). Can you imagine having dry mouth in a DESERT, where you only have a canteen of water available??

I see I was not alone in my concern (tho' in my case I'd call it FAR more than concern!):

Quote:
Families of several soldiers who died while taking the very potent anti-pyschotic drug known as Seroquel say the government is not being up front about the drug's risks and they are now asking asking Congress to investigate this drug.

Many questions remain unanswered with Seroquel treatment.

It is currently unclear how many soldiers have died while taking Seroquel, or if the drug definitely contributed to the deaths. However, the drug's potential side effects, including diabetes, weight gain and uncontrollable muscle spasms, have resulted in thousands of lawsuits.

Physicians interviewed about the success of AstraZeneca's second-best-selling product said they began prescribing Seroquel because it was the only drug that offered relief from the nightmares and anxiety of PTSD.

"By accident, some people were giving them Seroquel for anxiety or depression, and the veterans said, 'This is the first time I have slept six or seven hours straight all night. Please give me more of that.' And the word spread," said Dr. Henry Nasrallah of the University of Cincinnati, who has treated PTSD patients for more than 25 years.

Seroquel is approved to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, but it has not been endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for insomnia. However, psychiatrists are permitted to prescribe approved drugs for other uses in a common practice known as "off-label" prescribing.

Most of the soldiers and veterans seeking treatment for PTSD do so at hospitals run by the VA or the Defens

BYTEMITE

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 5:21 PM (P)

Interesting. I had my suspicions, but now I think they're just about confirmed. This how they've been able to gut the money going into those veteran's aid programs.

RIONAEIRE

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 12:45 AM (P)

Its a hefty one, but sometimes our warriors coming back have hefty troubles and symptomotology. If someone isn't having hollucinations, delusions or the like though then seraquel really shouldn't be given to them.

The hard thing about PTSD is that it can be its own entity, but sometimes if someone has a predisposition to get other mental illnesses trauma can bring it out in them, so someone could end up with, say, PTSD and schizophrenia after fighting, if the predisposition is there to begin with, it can be beyond "ordinary" PTSD.

I assume you're my pal until you let me know otherwise.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya.

ANTHONYT

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 1:10 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
Interesting. I had my suspicions, but now I think they're just about confirmed. This how they've been able to gut the money going into those veteran's aid programs.

Hello,

I am more inclined to believe that there is some deal with the medicine provider, and that the decision makers don't care overmuch about soldiers' well-being. Rather than a conspiracy to bump off soldiers to save money on aid programs, I suspect plots to funnel money to a pharmeceutical company in the more traditional flavor of unsavory business deals.

I am also concerned about a drug I read about last year being used to combat sleepiness. Something that just shuts off the brain's desire for sleep.

--Anthony

Note to Self:
Raptor - women who want to control their reproductive processes are sluts.
Wulf - Niki is a stupid fucking bitch who should hurry up and die.
Never forget what these men are.
“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.” -Thomas Szasz

NIKI2

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 1:30 PM (P)

Anthony, I agree...and that has been questioned by the families in their lawsuits. I think Astro-Zenica did settle one lawsuit, the point of which was that their reps were PUSHING the drug and not giving sufficient information about its potential side effects. That about says it for me.

Yes, certainly there are some uses for Seroquel in the military and for treataing PTSD. But the enormous ris in its use, and the enormous USE itself, points to something other than proper usage of a trong anti-psychotic.

I'm kinda surprised there's so little interest. I went off the deep end when I read about it, and the more I read, the angrier I get. Sure, the military has been guilty of doing a lot of bad things to our soldiers and not giving a shit about it, from Agent Orange to their psychedelic research to who knows what. But this is happening right NOW. Interesting.

BYTEMITE

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 1:59 PM (P)

I'd say I suspect both, but it doesn't make sense to gut a program that your business partner is getting lots of kickbacks from.

And they've actually cut money and we know it. if they were just funneling money, the budget funding would stay the same or increase.

NIKI2

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 4:14 PM (P)

Byte, there is a flaw in your logic. They've cut money, but from WHERE? If they cut money to one thing, but continued to fund another, or fund it MORE, the budget doesn't reflect that. We'd have to have details on WHAT they cut to see if it affected the use of psychotropics.

BYTEMITE

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 4:45 PM (P)

A flaw in my ARGUMENT. To have a flaw in my logic I'd have to have committed a logical fallacy or to have been not me.

Sorry. ._. That came across as pretty insufferable, but, logic is kinda my THING, you know?

Quote:
They've cut money, but from WHERE? If they cut money to one thing, but continued to fund another, or fund it MORE, the budget doesn't reflect that. We'd have to have details on WHAT they cut to see if it affected the use of psychotropics.

Well, okay, point, because they've mostly cut therapy programs, which would lead to them just prescribing drugs more. But at the same time, if this is just kickbacks, then why prescribe one particular drug preferentially over others that are more tailored to the specific problem/diagnosis? Particularly a drug that has such a nasty history associated with it, and which can result in serious side effects for people whose problem isn't dopamine levels?

The drug company and suppliers would get money for all the drugs given to the vets, so why that drug?

I'm seeing some troubling implications all over the place here.

RIONAEIRE

Thursday, April 26, 2012 12:26 AM (P)

The whole thing doesn't look good.

The thing about mental illnesses, PTSD included, is that for some lucky people they have a single episode and then with treatment it cures and they're fine and don't need treatment anymore. Now granted this isn't all that common, most people if they get it its sticking around and can be mannaged, put into remission sometimes, get to doing well etc. but its still lurking. But those lucky ones who have a single episode of something are what everyone who first has trouble hopes to be. Most of us though aren't that lucky.

That being said I think that therapy is usually really helpful for trauma and early start often leads to better outcomes.

I assume you're my pal until you let me know otherwise.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya.