Olanzapine for the Treatment of Somatic Symptom Disorder: Biobehavioral Processes and Clinical Implications

The Role of Low-Dose Quetiapine in the Treatment of Somatic Symptom Disorder: A Case Report

Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) involves physical symptoms like palpitations, pain, weakness, dizziness, and pseudo-neurological symptoms. These symptoms are accompanied by excessive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors related to the symptom, causing significant distress and impairment lasting at least six months. They may not be explained by any underlying medical conditions. SSD can be resistant to standard treatment modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), and Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs). Antipsychotics, in particular second generations, have also been used to treat SSD but not as frequently. This case report shows the improvement in symptomatology of SSD after low-dose quetiapine was used for its management. This case is a 41-year-old Hispanic male with a diagnosis of SSD who presented to the outpatient clinic for severe somatic symptoms. The use of low-dose second-generation antipsychotic (SGA), in particular quetiapine, to successfully improve symptoms and patient functionality after just four weeks on quetiapine as the patient and wife both reported significant normalization of intrusive thoughts and health-related behaviors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case demonstrating symptom improvement in SSD following the addition of low-dose quetiapine to SNRI treatment.

Quetiapine Treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Paroxetine and Sertraline are the only medications approved in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, about 60% of traumatized patients fail to show an adequate clinical response. Second generation antipsychotics are recommended as second-line monotherapy or third-line augmentation strategies and quetiapine appears as one of the most used and promising agents. Up to date, no reviews assessed the efficacy of quetiapine in the treatment of PTSD. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and general safety of quetiapine on PTSD. A systematic review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Cochrane guidelines, selecting studies that evaluated the efficacy of quetiapine on global or specific PTSD symptomatology. Ten studies (n = 894) were considered eligible for qualitative synthesis: one case report, one case series, one prospective cohort study, 3 open-label trials, 3 retrospective studies, one randomized controlled trial. Quetiapine was effective on global PTSD symptomatology assessed in 6 studies as well as on re-experiencing (4/4 studies), avoidance (4/3 studies) and hyperarousal (4/4 studies), flashbacks (2/2 studies), depressive (4/4 studies), anxiety (1/1 studies), psychotic (3/3 studies), insomnia (4/5 studies), nightmares (3/3 studies) specific symptoms and PTSD domains. Sedation was among the most frequently observed adverse effects and the main cause of drug discontinuation. Preliminary findings support the efficacy of quetiapine in ameliorating symptoms relative to PTSD and its overall safety. However, quetiapine use in PTSD cannot be recommended yet as studies mainly rely on open-label, retrospective studies or case series.