If you have bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, you may be interested in learning more about quetiapine.

Quetiapine, also called quetiapine fumarate, is a generic prescription drug that comes as an oral tablet (a tablet that you swallow). The tablet is available in an immediate-release (IR) form and an extended-release (ER) form.* Both kinds of tablet are used to treat the following conditions:

  • depressive episodes related to bipolar disorder in adults
  • manic or mixed episodes related to bipolar I disorder in adults and some children
  • schizophrenia in adults and some children

Quetiapine ER tablets may also be used to treat the following in adults:

Quetiapine is usually used long term.

This article describes quetiapine’s side effects. For more information about quetiapine ER tablets, including details about their uses, see this in-depth article. To learn more about quetiapine IR tablets, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

* IR tablets release all of the drug into your body right away. ER tablets release the drug into your body slowly over a period of time.
† For this use, you take quetiapine ER tablets together with other drugs to treat depression.

Some people may experience mild to serious side effects during their quetiapine treatment. Examples of quetiapine’s commonly reported side effects include:

Keep reading to learn other side effects quetiapine may cause.

Some people have mild side effects from taking quetiapine. Examples of mild side effects that have been reported with quetiapine include:

* To learn more about this side effect, see the “Quetiapine’s side effects explained” section below.

In most cases, these side effects should be temporary. And some may be easily managed. But if you have any symptoms that are ongoing or bother you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. And don’t stop taking quetiapine unless your doctor recommends it.

Quetiapine may cause mild side effects other than the ones listed above. For details, see the prescribing information for quetiapine immediate-release (IR) tablets and extended-release (ER) tablets.

In rare cases, people who take quetiapine can experience serious side effects. Serious side effects that have been reported with quetiapine include:

* In this article, we use the terms “male” and “female” to refer to someone’s sex assigned at birth. For information about the difference between sex and gender, see this article.
† Quetiapine has a boxed warning for this side effect. This is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To learn more, see the “Quetiapine’s side effects explained” section below.
‡ To learn more about this side effect, see the “Quetiapine’s side effects explained” section below.

If you develop serious side effects while taking quetiapine, call your doctor right away. If the side effects seem life threatening or you think you’re having a medical emergency, immediately call 911 or your local emergency number.

Note: After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a drug, it tracks and reviews side effects of the medication. If you’d like to notify the FDA about a side effect you’ve had with quetiapine, visit MedWatch.

Quetiapine is used to treat schizophrenia in children ages 13 years and older. It’s also used to treat manic or mixed episodes related to bipolar I disorder in children ages 10 years and older. Most of the drug’s side effects in children were similar to those in adults.

Some side effects were reported as more common in children than in adults who took the drug. These include:

Studies of quetiapine also reported increased blood pressure as a side effect in children but not adults.

For more information about the side effects your child may have from quetiapine, talk with their doctor or pharmacist.

Get answers to some frequently asked questions about quetiapine’s side effects.

Will I have a lower risk of side effects from the 25-mg quetiapine tablets compared with higher strengths?

It depends. Some studies reported that higher quetiapine doses were more likely to cause side effects.

Quetiapine tablets come in an immediate-release (IR) form and an extended-release (ER) form.* Quetiapine IR tablets are available in strengths of 25 milligrams (mg), 50 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg, 300 mg, and 400 mg. Quetiapine ER tablets are available in strengths of 50 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg, 300 mg, and 400 mg.

Your quetiapine dosage is specific to the condition you’re using the drug to treat. Your doctor will prescribe a dose that’s effective and safe for your condition. They’ll typically start you on a low dosage and slowly increase it.

Your risk of side effects can depend on many factors, not just dosage. For more information about some of these factors, see the “Quetiapine warnings” section below. Your doctor can also discuss your risk of side effects while taking quetiapine for your condition.

* IR tablets release all of the drug into your body right away. ER tablets release the drug into your body slowly over a period of time.

Can quetiapine cause long-term side effects?

Yes, studies of quetiapine reported some cases of long-term side effects, though they were not common.

Long-term side effects can start while you’re taking quetiapine or after you’ve stopped treatment.

Examples of long-term side effects quetiapine may cause include:

Your risk of long-term side effects depends on several factors, such as:

  • your dosage
  • how long you take the drug
  • other health conditions you may have

Before you start taking quetiapine, talk with your doctor about your risk of side effects from the drug. And be sure to let your doctor know if you notice any side effects after you start treatment.

Do older adults have a higher risk of side effects from quetiapine?

Yes, some older adults have a higher risk of side effects from this drug.

Quetiapine has a boxed warning for increased risk of death in older adults with dementia-related psychosis. Boxed warnings are the most serious warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They alert doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous. For more information, see the “Quetiapine’s side effects explained” section below.

Older adults who don’t have dementia-related psychosis might also have a higher risk of side effects from this medication. This increased risk is usually due to conditions that are more likely to occur in older adults, such as:

If you’re age 65 years or older, your doctor may suggest that you get certain tests before you take quetiapine. They may also monitor your reaction to the drug more carefully during treatment.

If I stop taking quetiapine suddenly, will I have withdrawal symptoms?

Yes, it’s possible. Studies of quetiapine ER tablets reported withdrawal symptoms occurring in some people who stopped taking the drug suddenly. Withdrawal symptoms can happen when a person suddenly stops taking a drug that their body is used to taking. Some drugmakers call this discontinuation syndrome.

Withdrawal symptoms were not reported in studies of quetiapine IR tablets. But it’s believed that this form of the drug may also cause withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop taking it.

Symptoms of stopping quetiapine tablets may include:

If you’re thinking about stopping quetiapine treatment, talk with your doctor. Reasons you may be considering stopping treatment include having bothersome side effects or being unable to afford refills. In such cases, your doctor can discuss treatments to ease your side effects or resources to help with the cost of the drug.

If you do stop taking quetiapine, your doctor will slowly decrease your dosage to help prevent withdrawal symptoms.

Learn more about some of the side effects quetiapine may cause.

Increased risk of death in older adults with dementia-related psychosis

Quetiapine has a boxed warning for increased risk of death in older adults with dementia-related psychosis. Boxed warnings are the most serious warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They alert doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous.

Antipsychotic drugs such as quetiapine can increase the risk of death in adults ages 65 years and older who have dementia-related psychosis. This is a rare side effect. Fatalities that occurred resulted from various causes, but most were due to cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease or infection.

What might help

The exact connection between quetiapine and increased risk of death in older adults who have dementia-related psychosis is unknown. But due to this risk, doctors will likely not prescribe quetiapine to older adults with this condition.

To find out more about your risk of this side effect, talk with your doctor about your health history.

If you’re a caregiver for an older adult who’s taking quetiapine, talk with their doctor. The doctor can discuss ways to reduce the risk of side effects from quetiapine treatment.

Increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in people ages 24 years and younger

Quetiapine has a boxed warning for suicidal thoughts or actions in people ages 24 years and younger. Boxed warnings are the most serious warnings from the FDA. They alert doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous.

Certain drugs used to treat depression, such as quetiapine, can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions. While this side effect is rare, the risk is higher in children and young adults up to age 24 years. (Quetiapine is generally not prescribed to children younger than 10 years of age.)

Symptoms of suicidal thoughts or actions include:

  • isolating yourself from other people
  • feeling hopeless
  • drug or alcohol misuse
  • feeling anxious or agitated
  • feeling anger or rage
  • giving away personal possessions

What might help

While you take quetiapine, your doctor will monitor you for any new thoughts of suicide. During treatment, you may want to ask loved ones to keep watch for symptoms such as those listed above.

If you or your loved ones notice any changes in your thoughts or behaviors, let your doctor know right away. They can discuss ways to keep yourself safe, and they may also adjust your quetiapine dosage.

Help is out there

If you or someone you know is in crisis and considering suicide or self-harm, please seek support:

If you’re calling on behalf of someone else, stay with them until help arrives. You may remove weapons or substances that can cause harm if you can do so safely.

If you are not in the same household, stay on the phone with them until help arrives.

Weight gain

In studies of antipsychotics such as quetiapine, weight gain was a common side effect. If you develop this side effect, you’re likely to do so soon after you start taking quetiapine. You may also continue to have weight gain after taking quetiapine for a long time.

What might help

While taking quetiapine, let your doctor know if you experience weight gain. They may suggest changes to your diet and exercise routine to help manage your weight. If you have weight gain that’s severe, your doctor may also adjust your quetiapine dose or choose a different drug for your condition.

To learn about some healthy ways to manage weight, check out this article.

If you have concerns about weight gain and quetiapine, talk with your doctor about how to best manage this side effect.

Tardive dyskinesia

In studies, tardive dyskinesia was a rare side effect of quetiapine. Tardive dyskinesia causes abnormal body movements that you can’t control, such as twitching, jerking, or swaying. Other examples include lip puckering, eye blinking, and sticking out your tongue. These movements can involve different parts of the body, such as your face, fingers, toes, arms, or legs.

Tardive dyskinesia can be long term or even permanent.

What might help

If you notice any unusual body movements while you’re taking quetiapine, let your doctor know right away. Also tell them if you have movements that you can’t control. They may start to decrease your dose slowly over time. They may also recommend a different medication for your condition.

For tardive dyskinesia that’s severe, your doctor may prescribe a medication to treat it. Examples include Ingrezza (valbenazine) or Austedo (deutetrabenazine).

If you have concerns about developing tardive dyskinesia from taking quetiapine, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Allergic reaction

Like most drugs, quetiapine can cause an allergic reaction in some people.

Symptoms can be mild to serious and can include:

  • skin rash
  • itchiness
  • flushing (temporary warmth, redness, or deepening of skin color)
  • swelling under your skin, usually in your eyelids, lips, hands, or feet
  • swelling of your mouth, tongue, or throat, which can make it hard to breathe

What might help

If you have mild symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a mild rash, call your doctor right away. They may suggest a treatment to manage your symptoms. Examples include:

  • an antihistamine you take by mouth, such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine)
  • a product you apply to your skin, such as hydrocortisone cream

If your doctor confirms you’ve had a mild allergic reaction to quetiapine, they’ll decide if you should continue using it.

If you have symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling or trouble breathing, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. These symptoms could be life threatening and require immediate medical care.

If your doctor confirms you’ve had a serious allergic reaction to quetiapine, they may have you switch to a different treatment.

Keeping track of side effects

During your quetiapine treatment, consider taking notes on any side effects you’re having. You can then share this information with your doctor. This is especially helpful when you first start taking new drugs or using a combination of treatments.

Your side effect notes can include things such as:

  • what dose of the drug you were taking when you had the side effect
  • how soon you had the side effect after starting that dose
  • what your symptoms were
  • how it affected your daily activities
  • what other medications you were taking
  • any other information you feel is important

Keeping notes and sharing them with your doctor will help them learn more about how quetiapine affects you. They can then use this information to adjust your treatment plan if needed.

Quetiapine comes with several warnings that may affect whether it’s the right medication for your condition.

Boxed warnings

Quetiapine has boxed warnings, which are described below. Boxed warnings are the most serious warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They alert doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous.

Increased risk of death in older adults with dementia-related psychosis. Antipsychotic drugs such as quetiapine can increase the risk of death in adults ages 65 years and older with dementia-related psychosis. Due to this risk, doctors will likely not prescribe quetiapine to older adults who have this condition.

Increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in people ages 24 years and younger. Certain drugs used to treat depression can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions. This risk is higher in children and young adults up to age 24 years. (Quetiapine is generally not prescribed to children younger than 10 years of age.) Due to this risk, doctors usually monitor people taking such drugs closely for suicidal thoughts or actions.

For details, see the “Quetiapine’s side effects explained” section above.

Other warnings

Quetiapine may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions. These are known as drug-condition interactions. Other factors may also affect whether quetiapine is a good treatment option for you.

Talk with your doctor about your health history before you start taking quetiapine. Factors to consider include those described below.

Risk of falls. Quetiapine can cause drowsiness and low blood pressure, which may make it more likely to lose balance and fall. If you have a risk of falls, quetiapine could increase this risk. Talk with your doctor about how to decrease your risk of falls.

Constipation. If you have constipation, quetiapine could make it worse. While you take quetiapine, talk with your doctor about ways to treat your constipation. They may ask whether you take any other medications to see if those medications may also worsen your constipation.

Liver problems. The liver breaks down quetiapine. In people who have decreased liver function, quetiapine levels may build up, increasing the risk of side effects. If you have liver problems, tell your doctor before you start taking quetiapine. Depending on the severity of your liver problems, they may have you take a lower dose of the drug.

Heart problems. Quetiapine may cause abnormal heart rhythms. If you already have heart problems, quetiapine could make them worse. Tell your doctor about any heart problems you have before taking quetiapine. Depending on the severity of your condition, they may recommend a treatment other than quetiapine.

Low levels of thyroid hormones. If you have low levels of thyroid hormones, quetiapine could worsen this condition. Before you start quetiapine treatment, tell your doctor if you have low thyroid hormone levels. They’ll monitor your thyroid function more often during treatment.

Seizures. If you have a seizure disorder such as epilepsy, quetiapine could worsen your seizures or make them occur more often. Your doctor may monitor you carefully for seizures while you’re taking quetiapine.

Cataracts. Quetiapine can cause cataracts, and it can worsen this condition in people who already have it. If your doctor prescribes quetiapine, they’ll test your eyes before you start treatment and every 6 months during treatment.

Low white blood cell levels. If you have low white blood cell levels, quetiapine could lower them further. This can increase your risk of infection. Your doctor will monitor your white blood cell count during quetiapine treatment.

Abnormal blood pressure. Quetiapine can increase or decrease blood pressure. If you already have blood pressure that’s too low or too high, quetiapine could worsen your condition. Talk with your doctor about how often to check your blood pressure while you take quetiapine.

High cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol, quetiapine could make it worse. This could increase your risk of worsening cardiovascular (heart or blood vessel) disease, heart attack, or stroke. Your doctor will likely monitor your cholesterol levels before you start quetiapine and periodically throughout treatment.

Diabetes. Quetiapine can increase blood sugar levels, which can worsen diabetes. If you have diabetes, let your doctor know before you take quetiapine. They may have you monitor your blood sugar more closely during your treatment.

Allergic reaction. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to quetiapine or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe quetiapine. Ask them what other medications are better options for you.

Alcohol and quetiapine

The most common side effect of quetiapine is drowsiness. Alcohol also causes drowsiness. So drinking alcohol while taking this drug can increase this side effect. This may in turn increase the risk of injury.

If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about how much, if any, is safe to consume during quetiapine treatment.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding while taking quetiapine

It’s unknown what the risks are of taking quetiapine during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, let your doctor know. They can discuss the risks and benefits of taking this drug during pregnancy.

Quetiapine can pass into breast milk and may cause side effects in children breastfed by someone taking the drug. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, your doctor can discuss whether it’s safe for you to do so during quetiapine treatment.

Mild side effects are common with quetiapine. If you have any questions about the side effects that quetiapine can cause, talk with your doctor.

You can also ask your doctor about Seroquel and Seroquel XR. These are the brand-name versions of quetiapine immediate-release (IR) tablet and quetiapine extended-release (ER) tablet, respectively. A generic drug and its brand-name version are expected to have similar side effects because they contain the same active ingredient. (An active ingredient is what makes a drug work.)

Here are some questions about quetiapine you may want to ask your doctor:

  • Does my risk of drowsiness increase if I take a higher dose of quetiapine?
  • How do the side effects of quetiapine compare with those of other antipsychotic drugs?
  • Am I at higher risk of a serious side effect like tardive dyskinesia?
  • Does quetiapine cause sexual side effects?
  • Will my risk of high cholesterol depend on the quetiapine dosage I take?

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Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.