Link between Seroquel and Heart Problems?

My husband was prescribed Seroquel to help him sleep but the benefits went far beyond that, much to our delight. They reduced his tremors and increased his gait stability for a time. When he passed away he was close to the highest dose they could prescribe. Frequently doctors in nursing homes would decide they could not give him Seroquel because of the antipsychotic indication. Robert was not psychotic. He had fronto-temporal dementia. When a doctor would remove the Seroquel he would have extreme discomfort and the tremors would return almost immediately followed by a sharp decline in his mood and sense of safety. I did battle with the nursing home doctors each time and they returned him to the seroquel wit5h great success. Robert did not have heart problems nor did he show any signs of the Seroquel causing any heart problems.
My brother was recently put on Seroquel to help control bi-polar symptoms and it has worked well for him but they had to lower his dose. His blood pressure was increasing and they determined it was related to the Seroquel increase in dosage. He is doing o.k. at the lowered dose but not as well. He does not have lingering heart problems, symptoms, etc.
Seroquel helps so much that the temptation is to turn a blind eye to any negative impacts. In my husband's case the negative impacts would have had to have been dramatic. He was terminal and the difference Seroquel made in his life outweighed any other considerations.
In my brother's case he needed to lower his blood pressure and the change in dosage of Seroquel lowered his blood pressure.
Anecdotally the Seroquel benefits in patients with FTD are outstanding.
I have not seen one post indicating serious heart problems. Increases in blood pressure can be serious but once dosage is lowered the problem seems to take care of itself.

I checked Medscape Drug Reference and 1-10% can get rapid heart rate, <1% get myocarditis but no mention of heart failure.

Seroquel has a side effect of elevating the systolic BP but not decreasing it.

Due to the fact that your husband was terminally ill I’m glad Seroquel helped him. I wouldn’t suggest this medication for a healthy person.

Medications work differently for different people. It is one of the reasons I wonder how people who do not have someone to advocate for them get by. I know Robert had extreme reactions to a few medications that others were taking with no problem. For example, based on our experience with haldol, I would not recommend it for anyone ever. Yet when my son had a serious closed head injury the haldol helped him manage the hallucinations that came along during his early recovery. In both cases I was around to ask questions and observe my loved one's reaction to the medication. I absolutely agree that there is no one for all medication. It would be wonderful if one pill took care of everything. Managing and questioning medications was very difficult, especially in hospitals and nursing homes. I appreciate your comment especially because we all need to listen to all sides.

Hi,
I'm on Quatipine 300mg and sertraline 200mg
I'm getting really concerned about my breathlessness and rapid heart rate .
This only happens when I either walk a very short distance or do normal house work. I find I need to sit down until it passes. I have gained weight but my weight has always been up and down over the years and I have never had a problem like this.
I have a heart monitor fitted today but I'm terrified it will come back with no problems when I know this is not right at all .
We all know our bodies don't we!
If anyone could reply I would be very grateful
Thank you

Hi @pamy36, Welcome. Waiting can be stressful. I think we know how we feel but sometimes our bodies can trick us and cause a lot of stress and anxiety while we wait and expect the worse. I'm hoping you will be able to find something relaxing to get your mind off of wearing the heart monitor. I wore a Holter monitor for 24 a few different times and I think I was a little stressed out the first time because I didn't know what to expect. Here's some information that you may find helpful if you haven't already seen it.

Holter Monitor: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/diagnosing-a-heart-attack/holter-monitor

Do you have to wear it for 24 hours or a longer time?

Hi, thank you for replying I have to wear it for 48hrs but it came off in my sleep last nite which is a pain.

I took different strengths of Seroquel throughout my 30’s and 40’s ranging from 25mg. up to 200mg. for depression and anxiety. I am now in my early 50’s and approx. 80 lbs. overweight after being prescribed Lithium for 2 years -- to date I have never experienced any heart issues. This is also surprising to me as my paternal grandfather passed away at 48, paternal grandmother at 58, my father at 54, and my maternal grandfather at 62 -- all from heart attacks.

I have just titrated off of Seroquel. From 400 mg, to 200, to 100, and 50. One of the reasons I wanted to come off it was that my heart would pound in my chest when I was trying to fall asleep. It didn't happen every night but he did happen regularly. It frightened me. So I asked to come off it. Having a hard time sleeping though. I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure five years ago. After reading your post, I wonder if it was a Seroquel that caused the congestive heart failure. I've never had high blood pressure, heart problems you're not running my family, no smoking, no drinking, no illegal drugs. I wonder if it was the Seroquel. Has anyone else had heart pounding problems while taking the Seroquel? Has it been explained why they occur??