Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026
07:35
Behavioral Characterization of Pentylenetetrazole-induced Seizures: Moving Beyond the Racine Scale
Published on: July 8, 2025
Quetiapine extended release: in schizophrenia
Claudine M Baldwin1, Lesley J Scott
1Wolters Kluwer Health, Adis, Auckland, New Zealand. demail@adis.co.nz
CNS Drugs
|March 27, 2009
Summary
Extended-release quetiapine (quetiapine XR) effectively treats schizophrenia symptoms and prevents relapse in adults. This formulation offers convenient once-daily dosing and is generally well-tolerated, with manageable side effects like dry mouth and somnolence.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Schizophrenia treatment requires effective and tolerable antipsychotic agents.
- Patient compliance is a significant challenge in schizophrenia management.
- Extended-release quetiapine (quetiapine XR) offers once-daily dosing for improved convenience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine XR in acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia.
- To assess the impact of quetiapine XR on symptom management and relapse prevention.
- To compare quetiapine XR with placebo and immediate-release quetiapine regarding efficacy and side effects.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of short-term clinical trials for acute treatment.
- Analysis of long-term maintenance trials assessing relapse prevention.
- Pooled analysis of adverse events from multiple trials, focusing on incidence and type.
Main Results:
- Quetiapine XR demonstrated efficacy in treating a range of schizophrenia symptoms during acute phases.
- Long-term treatment with quetiapine XR significantly delayed relapse compared to placebo in stable patients.
- Common adverse events included dry mouth, somnolence, and dizziness; extrapyramidal symptoms were generally infrequent.
Conclusions:
- Quetiapine XR is an effective option for both acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in adults.
- The extended-release formulation improves patient compliance through once-daily administration.
- Quetiapine XR exhibits a favorable tolerability profile, with a low incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation. For...
01:20Antiepileptic Drugs: Potassium Channel Activators
Ezocgabine or retigabine, an antiepileptic drug of remarkable efficacy, has revolutionized the management of seizures. It is a potassium channel activator, explicitly targeting the family of Q subtype potassium channels. It enhances the transmembrane potassium currents, regulating neuronal excitability. This action stabilizes the resting membrane potential, a pivotal factor in mitigating the hyperexcitability that characterizes epilepsy.
Ezogabine has gained approval as an adjunctive treatment...
Ezogabine has gained approval as an adjunctive treatment...
01:28Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
The term "psychosis" refers to a spectrum of mental disorders characterized by abnormal thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. It can manifest as mood disorders, dementia, delirium with psychotic features, substance-induced psychosis with psychotic features, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. Among all these disorders, schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder, affecting 1% of the worldwide population. Psychotic symptoms in all...
01:21Antipsychotic Drugs: Typical and Atypical Agents
Antipsychotic drugs are classified into first-generation (typical) drugs including phenothiazines; and second-generation (atypical) drugs. Chlorpromazine hydrochloride (Thorazine), a phenothiazine derivative, broadly impacts the central, autonomic, and endocrine systems. This drug, along with typical agents like haloperidol (Haldol), primarily works by antagonizing D2 receptors, thus reducing dopaminergic neurotransmission. However, typical antipsychotics can cause side effects such as sedation...
01:23Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents
Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...
01:21Antipsychotic Drugs: Therapeutic Uses and Side Effects
Antipsychotic drugs primarily block dopamine and serotonin receptors and cholinergic, adrenergic, and histaminergic receptors, thereby reducing hallucinations and delusions in conditions like schizophrenia. However, they can trigger unwanted extrapyramidal effects such as dystonias, Parkinson-like symptoms, and tardive dyskinesia.
Despite these side effects, antipsychotics are used therapeutically for various purposes, including managing schizophrenia, preventing nausea and vomiting, curbing...
Despite these side effects, antipsychotics are used therapeutically for various purposes, including managing schizophrenia, preventing nausea and vomiting, curbing...