ArticleEuropean journal of clinical pharmacology2017
The antipsychotic agent quetiapine is increasingly not used as such: dispensed prescriptions in Norway 2004-2015.
Article in European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trends in antipsychotic drug utilisation and indication in the paediatric population: a nationwide cohort study in Sweden.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Cardiovascular risk management in patients using antipsychotics: a qualitative feasibility study.BJGP open · 2026Article
- Antipsychotic off-label use in the 21st century: An enduring public health concern.Dialogues in clinical neuroscience · 2025Review
- Patterns and indications for quetiapine prescribing in Dutch primary care: a retrospective database study.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Antipsychotic use during pregnancy and risk of specific neurodevelopmental disorders and learning difficulties in children: a multinational cohort study.EClinicalMedicine · 2024Article
- Impact of low-dose quetiapine-use on glycosylated hemoglobin, triglyceride and cholesterol levels.Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica · 2023Article
- Trends in antipsychotic use among children and adolescents in Germany: a study using 2011-2020 nationwide outpatient claims data.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Use of low-dose quetiapine increases the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events: results from a nationwide active comparator-controlled cohort study.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2022Article
- Characteristics and predictors of off-label use of antipsychotics in general population sample.Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica · 2022Article
- Who prescribes quetiapine in Denmark?British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2022Article
- Antipsychotic use in pregnancy and risk of attention/deficit-hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder: a Nordic cohort study.Evidence-based mental health · 2022Article
- Use of chlorprothixene and the risk of diabetes and major adverse cardiovascular events: A nationwide cohort study.Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology · 2022Article
- Second-generation antipsychotic use during pregnancy and risk of congenital malformations.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2021Article
- Characteristics of Presentations to the Emergency Department Following Attempted Suicide with Drugs.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The Use of Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, and Stimulants in Youth Residential Care.Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology · 2021Article
- Association of Low-Dose Quetiapine and Diabetes.JAMA network open · 2021Article
- Use of antipsychotics in Denmark 1997-2018: a nation-wide drug utilisation study with focus on off-label use and associated diagnoses.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2021Article
- Quetiapine, Misuse and Dependency: A Case-Series of Questions to a Norwegian Network of Drug Information Centers.Drug, healthcare and patient safety · 2021Article
- New Users of Antipsychotics Among Children and Adolescents in 2008-2017: A Nationwide Register Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2020Article
- Trends in utilization and dosing of antipsychotic drugs in Scandinavia: Comparison of 2006 and 2016.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe antipsychotic agent quetiapine was introduced in Norway in 2003. We have assessed changes in dispensed prescriptions, including dosing, of quetiapine in Norway from 2004 to 2015.
methodsData on the sales of antipsychotics and antidepressants were drawn from the Norwegian Prescription Database. A total of 47,474 outpatients filled 195,622 prescriptions of quetiapine. Reimbursement codes, use of antipsychotics or antidepressants 12 months prior to the first prescription of quetiapine and estimated mean volume used measured as defined daily doses (DDDs) per day were used as proxies for diagnoses. We conducted a regression analysis with DDD per day as a function of possible explanatory variables.
resultsThe number of users filling at least two prescriptions of quetiapine per year increased from 584 in 2004 to 8506 in 2015 and the mean dose declined from 1.58 DDD per day (SD 8.00) to 0.48 DDD per day (SD 2.27). The latter is much lower than recommended for treatment of psychoses. In 2015, 60.1% of the 8506 quetiapine users did not seek reimbursement for the treatment of a major psychiatric disorder and only 2.6% of the patients were prescribed 1 DDD or more per day and reimbursed in accordance with the drug's primary indication, psychosis. A reported diagnosis of psychosis was not associated with higher quetiapine doses.
conclusionsIn 2015, the pattern of quetiapine dispensing in Norway most likely reflects predominant off-label use. This is unsettling considering poorly documented effects in non-psychotic disorders, profound side effects, significant toxicity and growing concern regarding abuse.
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