Quetiapine may reduce hospital admission rates in patients with mental health problems and alcohol addiction

Abstract

SUMMARYA 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. BACKGROUND