What Is Quetiapine Abuse?

Quetiapine abuse is the use of a drug called quetiapine in a manner for which it isn't prescribed. This drug is usually used for the purpose of treating conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and sometimes it also used as part of a treatment plan for depression. Some people, however, abuse it for its ability to produce a state that is close to that of sleeping. In such a case, they often crush the tablets and inhale them to achieve the feeling they want.

Most people use prescription drugs in the manner in which they were intended, but some abuse them by seeking an effect that is not medically warranted. Such is the case with quetiapine abuse. When a person uses this drug for its ability to make him feel sedate or allow him to enter a state that is close to sleep rather than to treat a real condition, he is abusing the drug. It is important to note, however, that a person can engage in quetiapine abuse regardless of whether the drug is prescribed to him or he obtains it illegally. The factor that makes it abuse is the use of the drug in a way that was not intended.

When people engage in quetiapine abuse, they actually are taking advantage of one of the drug's side effects. Among this drug's side effects are fatigue, nausea, dizziness, drops in blood pressure, and somnolence, which is referred to as a state of drowsiness or feeling close to sleep. Some people find this state enjoyable and seek to produce it by crushing quetiapine tablets into a powder and then inhaling the powder through their noses. When the drug is used this way, it is often referred to as Q-Ball or Susie-Q instead of by its prescription drug name.

People who abuse this drug often are able to find a number of ways to obtain it. For example, some may obtain it from people who were prescribed this medication by their doctors and then decide to sell it. Others might obtain this medication by faking symptoms so that their doctors will prescribe it for them or by stealing a doctor's prescription pad and writing their own prescriptions. Obtaining prescription medication in any of these ways is illegal in many jurisdictions. Sometimes, though, a person who actually has a condition that requires this drug may engage in quetiapine abuse by choosing to take it more often than prescribed or by snorting it in an effort to produce the desired effect.