Thursday, October 22, 2009

Texas Lawsuit Blames Antipsychotic Seroquel for Woman’s Diabetes

Taking Seroquel to treat a mental disorder caused a Texas woman to develop diabetes and she wouldn’t have taken the drug if she knew of the risks, according to a lawsuit filed in Texas federal court.


Misty Peters claims she took the atypical antipsychotic drug, which is approved for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder but also is widely used by physicians to treat other unapproved “off-label” conditions, according to a report in the Southeast Texas Record.

Peters’ product liability lawsuit, filed last week in the Beaumont Division of the Eastern District of Texas, accuses Seroquel’s maker, Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, and others of promoting the drug’s benefits and downplaying its risks while knowing it could cause users to develop diabetes and other medical problems.


Seroquel Linked to Diabetes, Other Blood-Sugar Disorders
Seroquel was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1997 as a member of a newer class of drugs called atypical antipsychotics. The drugs, which control levels of dopamine in the brain, are billed as being just as effective as older antipsychotic drugs like Haldol with fewer side effects, but more recent research has found a link between taking Seroquel and developing diabetes and other blood-sugar disorders.

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