“Doctors prescribe heavy antipsychotic drugs for sleep problems” | Inland

Originally, the drug is intended for people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression. It has a sleep-inducing effect and so it is prescribed in low doses to people with sleeping problems, several patients and specialists report to Pointer. Sleeping problems are very persistent and in the attempt to find a solution, the drug has entered general practice from psychiatry, says clinical pharmacologist Arne Risselada against the research program.

The Dutch College of General Practitioners (NHG) calls on the drug that AstraZeneca sells under the name Seroquel not to use, because there is no scientific evidence that it improves sleep quality. At the Lareb side effects center, users reported side effects such as suicidal thoughts and thrombosis. People can also gain 15 to 20 kilos within a year.

In four years, the number of quetiapine users, including people with sleeping problems, has increased by more than 30 percent; from 100,000 in 2015 to more than 130,000 in 2019. “This increase is due to the criticism of benzodiazepines. They were also prescribed for sleeping problems, but are addictive in the long term, ”says Ruud Coolen van Brakel of the Institute for Responsible Medication Use to Pointer. Quetiapine became an alternative. “But it is difficult for people to get rid of it and the withdrawal symptoms are just as bad as with benzodiazepines. Quetiapine is not a sleeping aid and it should not be used for that. ”

–