Clinical evolution of substance use disorder patients during treatment with quetiapine: a 12-week, open-label, naturalistic trial

Objective: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with a variety of psychiatric disorders and mood and behavioral instability. Growing evidence suggests that the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine may be useful in the treatment of SUDs. The primary objective of the current open-label trial was to examine the effects of quetiapine on SUD outcomes in patients entering detoxification. Methods: Thirty-three nonpsychosis SUD patients participated. Patients received quetiapine for a 12-week beginning in detoxification. Craving, quantities used and psychiatric symptoms were evaluated on baseline and at end point. Results: Out of 33 recruited patients, 26 completed > 9 weeks of treatment. Last observation carried forward (LOCF) analyses revealed that craving, SUD severity and quantities used improved during the study. Psychiatric and depressive symptoms also improved. Conclusions: Our results cannot be attributed per se to the pharmacological effects of quetiapine owing to the open-label design of the study, the small sample size involved and the fact that patients were involved in an intensive therapy program. Nevertheless, our results indicate that quetiapine may be helpful for the treatment of SUD patients entering detoxification. Controlled studies are warranted to determine whether these results are quetiapine-related.