Quetiapine can have its places in the practice of medicine, particularly psychiatry, but it is rather 'dirty' in its mechanisms of action. This is not an inherently bad thing, and can actually work to one's advantage depending on the therapeutic effects desired, but can cause also be a problem. It depends on the individual, and the individual's needs in drug therapy. Quetiapine, at lower doses, exerts a lot of effects as would a sedating anti-histamine and this can cause some RLS, anxiety, paradoxical excitation as unwanted side-effects, but can also be of use (at such a dose) for someone who tolerates it well w/o side-effects becoming problematic and needs the therapeutic effects it renders. As the dose goes up, quetiapine begins acting more like what it is - a neuroleptic or anti-psychotic, albeit a 2nd generation anti-psychotic. As the dose goes up from a low dose, the serotonin activity becomes changed more than with the lower doses and the dopamine activity is not as affected, if I recall correctly - and, if I do recall correctly, when the dose is upped even more it begins to exert more action on dopamine activity as well as even more activity on serotonin, and it still keeps its anti-histamine properties, too. Because of this very dose-dependent range of DIFFERENT effects, and not so much just the LEVEL, it is important to find out if there is a dose and dosing regimen of quetiapine that works well for what you need, provided you can tolerate that dose. Also, a little problematic is the fact that it is rather short-acting, and quite sedating. The level of that heavy sedation does seem to fade SOME, but not a whole lot - one will become more used to it, though, generally, if taking it regularly over a while. Compared to some other anti-psychotics, it is safer in some ways, and potentially more dangerous in others - for example, it is notorious for weight gain, but all anti-psychotics will cause weight gain, usually. It SHOULD BE NOTED that anti-psychotics, on the whole, are a very risky group of drugs to use, even when rx'd by a doctor - the old ones and the new ones both have dangers and side-effects which are potentially serious. For example, anti-psychotics can cause tardive dyskinesia - a permanent side-effect causing regular and uncontrollable tics and muscle spasms, a truly horrible side-effect. Anti-psychotics, can too, cause severe restlessness and dysphoria - I can attest to the hellish nature of this firsthand. They also can cause what is called neuroleptic malignant syndrome, which is potentially fatal and is an acute set of serious symptoms brought on by the taking of an anti-psychotic (AKA neuroleptic), which is said to be not only potentially fatal but extraordinarily horrible to go through. I just want to stress that there are risks with ALL anti-psychotics (or neuroleptics) and one must be careful in taking them - they really should be avoided completely, unless the benefits outweigh the negatives and they are needed as a part of drug therapy for better mental health and functioning. Just, ALWAYS BE CAREFUL WITH ANTI-PSYCHOTICS, even if doctors are involved in prescribing them and say it is 'fine'.