Reactions 1316 - 28 Aug 2010

SCitalopram

Fever: case reportA 60-year-old woman, who was receiving citalopram,

presented with a 2-day history of fever [duration oftreatment prior to reaction onset, dosage, route ofadministration and therapeutic indication not stated].Investigations revealed the following values: systolicBP 130mm Hg, HR 80 beats/min and bodytemperature 40.1°C. Confusion, sweating and hypotoniawith areflexia were also observed. Antibiotics were initiatedand all psychotropic therapies were withdrawn. The feverand neurological symptoms subsequently disappeared.Citalopram was reinitiated, and after 1 day, her fever,hypotonia, areflexia and confusion returned. Citalopramwas discontinued and her symptoms resolved.

Author comment: "We believe that the presentingsymptoms and signs in our patient were secondary to an SSRIadverse effect due to the temporal relationship between drugadministration and signs, and a repeat on rechallenge, even ifthe complete serotonin syndrome is absent."Benhamou Y, et al. An isolated fever associated with selective serotonin reuptakeinhibitors therapy. Internal Medicine Journal 39: e4-e5, No. 12, Dec 2009 -France 803033054

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Reactions 28 Aug 2010 No. 13160114-9954/10/1316-0001/$14.95 © 2010 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved