Quetiapine IR preferred choice
Key points
- The NHSGGC Prescribing Management Group- Mental Health (PMG-MH) support the initiative by primary care to review all patients currently prescribed quetiapine modified release (MR) with consideration to switching to quetiapine immediate release (IR)
- Quetiapine IR preparations are the formulary choice in NHSGGC
- Although quetiapine MR has been non-formulary for a few years, a number of patients in NHSGGC remain on this formulation. The potential saving for 100% switch to IR from MR in primary care is now £618K per annum
- Quetiapine MR and IR tablets demonstrate the same therapeutic effects with similar pharmacokinetic and side effect profiles
The following advice has been issued to prescribing support pharmacists:
For patients, where there is no indication within the notes that the switch cannot go ahead, a review will take place and wherever possible the patient should be switched to the equivalent twice daily IR dose.
For patients where there is a historical indication for quetiapine MR specified in the notes, the prescribing consultant who initiated the MR prescription should be contacted to confirm if this is still required.
Published 21/08/2020. Medicines Update blogs are correct at the time of publication.