PlainMeds provides educational information only. This is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist.

quetiapine Side Effects

Also known as: Seroquel

Analysis of 185,533 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA from 2001 to 2025.

Total Reports

185,533

Death-Related

26,984

14.5% of reports

Hospitalizations

67,436

36.3% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

DRUG INEFFECTIVE
12,343
OFF LABEL USE
11,797
TOXICITY TO VARIOUS AGENTS
9,720
INSOMNIA
9,103
FATIGUE
8,863
DIABETES MELLITUS
8,342
WEIGHT INCREASED
8,154
DRUG INTERACTION
8,115
SOMNOLENCE
8,000
NAUSEA
7,978
DEPRESSION
7,805
ANXIETY
7,655
COMPLETED SUICIDE
7,101
DIZZINESS
6,855
PAIN
6,814
HEADACHE
6,751
VOMITING
6,584
CONFUSIONAL STATE
6,339
FALL
6,069
DRUG DOSE OMISSION
6,039

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 102,163 (59%)
Male 69,660 (40%)
Unknown 517

Age Distribution

0-17 7,270 (6%)
18-44 46,912 (37%)
45-64 44,188 (35%)
65-74 14,286 (11%)
75+ 15,404 (12%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2001 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 26,984 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
COMPLETED SUICIDE 7,059
DEATH 5,619
TOXICITY TO VARIOUS AGENTS 5,237
OFF LABEL USE 1,503
CARDIO-RESPIRATORY ARREST 1,450
CARDIAC ARREST 1,410
PNEUMONIA 1,406
GENERAL PHYSICAL HEALTH DETERIORATION 1,384
OVERDOSE 1,354
VOMITING 1,346
FATIGUE 1,319
PAIN 1,295
HYPERTENSION 1,254
CONFUSIONAL STATE 1,249
TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS 1,244
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 1,226
RASH 1,219
PYREXIA 1,202
DIARRHOEA 1,182
DRUG ABUSE 1,149

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 67,436 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
OFF LABEL USE 4,770
TOXICITY TO VARIOUS AGENTS 4,546
DRUG INEFFECTIVE 4,335
DRUG INTERACTION 4,109
VOMITING 3,801
NAUSEA 3,715
CONFUSIONAL STATE 3,650
SUICIDE ATTEMPT 3,471
FALL 3,449
INTENTIONAL OVERDOSE 3,445
ANXIETY 3,408
DEPRESSION 3,400
FATIGUE 3,375
OVERDOSE 3,263
SOMNOLENCE 3,208
PNEUMONIA 3,168
DIZZINESS 3,064
DYSPNOEA 3,041
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 3,009
PYREXIA 2,979

Nearby — Related Medications

Compare quetiapine vs acamprosate →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About quetiapine Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 185,533 voluntary reports linked to quetiapine and its brand equivalents (Seroquel), spanning 2001 through 2025. Of those, 26,984 (14.5%) listed death as an outcome and 67,436 (36.3%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Product Used For Unknown Indication.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 59% were female and 40% male; age distribution skews toward 18-44, with 46,912 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is drug ineffective with 12,343 submissions, followed by off label use and toxicity to various agents.

FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice — speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.