Diabetes is a possible side effect of certain atypical antipsychotic drugs such as, Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate), Abilify (aripiprazole), Clozaril or Leponex (clozapine), Geodon (zipracidone HCl), Risperdol or Rispen or Belivon (risperidone), and Zyprexa (olanzapine).

According to a September 1, 2004 article on the University of Utah Health Sciences website http://uuhsc.utah.edu/pharmacy/alerts/19.html, "Hyperglycemia, including ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar coma, or death can occur in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics. All atypical antipsychotics may cause this effect. Monitor any patient treated with an atypical antipsychotic for symptoms of hyperglycemia including polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia, and weakness. Patients need regular fasting blood glucose testing for patients who develop hyperglycemia (diabetes) while on atypical antipsychotics. Patients who already have diabetes also need regular testing for worsening glucose control. A fact sheet on Seroquel, an atypical antipsychotic, from the pharmacy down the street states, "Laboratory and/or medical tests such as eye exams or blood sugar levels may be done to monitor your progress or to check for side effects.DIABETICS: THIS MEDICINE MAY AFFECT YOUR BLOOD SUGAR. Check blood sugar levels closely."Yet, according to an article in Medical News Today http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22315, Apr 5, 2005, few doctors are regularly ordering the testing. "Nearly all of the 258 members of the American Psychiatric Association in Georgia, Ohio and Iowa responding to a survey said they considered metabolic side effects serious or very serious, say researchers from the Medical College of Georgia, University of Iowa and Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare in Ohio. However monitoring for these problems - including getting baseline data on personal and family health history as well as baseline and regular checks of height and body weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and lipid levels - largely goes undone, researchers say of findings being presented during the 10th International Congress on Schizophrenia Research April 2-6 in Savannah, Ga."A sample atypical, Seroquel, does state on the drug website http://www.seroquel.com/, in the patient information section and the health care providers' section, a warning of a diabetes risk. I did not find (which doesn't mean it's not there), if the diabetes remains after stopping the drug, or, if blood sugar returns to normal after stopping the drug.According to an article on, Online Lawyer Source http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/seroquel/withdrawal.html, "Seroquel can also cause serious side effects such as the motor condition tardive dyskinesia, potentially fatal Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, and diabetes. These conditions may be permanent and may not disappear during a Seroquel withdrawal."Another article on Defective Drugs http://www.adrugrecall.com/seroquel/dangers.html, Dec 23, 2003, "In some cases, hyperglycemia has resolved when the atypical antipsychotic was discontinued; however, some patients required continuation of anti-diabetic treatment despite discontinuation of the suspect drug."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eileen Parker is the writer/journalist for Mental Illness Blog, www.mentalillnessblog.com