Time to Take Another Look at Seroquel?

The Defense Department has a long standing policy to allow troops in combat zones to use Seroquel -- a drug developed to deal with serious mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder -- in low doses as a sleep aid, despite its connections to the deaths of two Marines who died of drug overdoses.

Now the Psychotropic Medication Work Group and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Work Group of the Defense Health Board, a health advisory group to the Secretary of Defense, has suggested the department re-examine its policy for such off-label use.

A recommendation on this could come as early as next Monday, when the psychotropic medication work group presents a draft set of recommendations at a meeting in Tacoma, Washington. Participants include Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.