Seroquel appears to help bipolar depression

Seroquel, an antipsychotic drug approved for the manic phase of bipolar and for schizophrenia, is now under study for the depressive phase of bipolar disorder and the early research results suggest that the drug is almost twice as effective at reducing suicidal thoughts as placebos. "That's remarkable because the medications that we have currently, to my knowledge, have never been shown to have [that much of an impact] effect on suicide,” Dr. Joseph Calabrese, a psychiatrist, told News 14 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Calabrese, who says patients with bipolar disorder are 10 times more likely to attempt suicide than those who do not, points out that this attempts most often occur during a depressed phase, and that new research into using the drug Seroquel to combat bipolar depression is encouraging. Calabrese says, “There's a desperate need for new treatments for bipolar depression."

There are, however, a number of drugs on the market that have been shown to reduce the symptoms of depression in those with bipolar, including lithium and several antipsychotic drugs. It is unclear what the side effects of Seroquel are in bipolar patients and the drug is now awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration for use in combating bipolar depression.