Drug used to treat PTSD raises questions

Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-psychotic called Seroquel.

Thousands of troops suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the past nine years, helping make Seroquel one of Veteran Affairs' top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.

But several soldiers and veterans have died while taking the pills, raising concerns among some military families that the government is not being upfront about the drug's risks. They want Congress to investigate.

In White's case, the nightmares persisted. So his doctors recommended progressively larger doses of Seroquel. At one point, the 23-year-old Marine corporal was prescribed more than 1,600 milligrams per day - more than double the maximum dose recommended for schizophrenia patients.

A short time later, White died in his sleep.

"He was told if he had trouble sleeping he could take another [Seroquel] pill," said his father, Stan White, a retired high school principal.

A VA investigation concluded that White died of a rare drug interaction. He was also taking an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety pill, as well as a painkiller for which he did not have a prescription. Inspectors concluded he received the "standard of care" for his condition.

It's unclear how many soldiers have died while taking Seroquel, or if the drug definitely contributed to the deaths. White has confirmed at least a half-dozen deaths among soldiers on Seroquel, and he thinks there may be many others.

Spending for Seroquel by the government's military medical systems has increased more than sevenfold since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act. That by far outpaces the growth in personnel who have gone through the system in that time.

Seroquel is approved to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, but it has not been endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for insomnia. However, psychiatrists are permitted to prescribe approved drugs for other uses in a common practice known as "off-label" prescribing.

But the drug's potential side effects, including diabetes, weight gain and uncontrollable muscle spasms, have resulted in thousands of lawsuits. While taking Seroquel, White gained 40 pounds and experienced slurred speech, disorientation and tremors - all known side effects.

Last year, researchers at Vanderbilt University published a study suggesting a new risk: sudden heart failure.