Quetiapine may reduce hospital admission rates in patients with mental health problems and alcohol addiction.
A 64-year-old man presented with 40 years history of chronic alcohol excess. On average, he had six hospital admissions a year with alcohol-related problems for at least a 10-year period. In 2009, he considered reducing his alcohol intake. He was noted to have mood disturbances, was seen by a psychogeriatrician who diagnosed bipolar disorder. He tried various bipolar medications including lithium and sodium valproate which was unsuccessful. He was then started on quetiapine 600 mg a day in divided doses. Subsequently this has not only controlled the bipolar disorder but also resulted in significant reduction in alcohol intake. He now shares a bottle of wine with his wife while in the past he was consuming a bottle of scotch daily. This case illustrates the benefits of quetiapine in assisting with this man's addiction to alcohol.
Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Morecombe Bay Trust, Barrow-in-Furness, UK. colinkongfarnjin@yahoo.com
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D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate