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Citation |
Song JH, Yu BH, Lee D, Yoon SC, Jeon HJ. Psychiatry Investig. 2011; 8(1): 74-76. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2011, Korean Neuropsychiatric Association) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
Antidepressants are known to have no significant ability to cause addiction. However, a recent study showed many individuals with mood disorders self-medicated with antidepressants to relieve symptoms. We report here a male physician, diagnosed five years ago with major depressive disorder, with insomnia, anxiousness, and chest heaviness. He began self-medicating with 150 mg of venlafaxine daily, without any monitoring. During his most recent severe depressive episode, he was taking up to 1,500 mg of venlafaxine daily. Without this medication, he experienced discontinuation syndrome, which included severe anxiety, chest heaviness, and breathing difficulty, and which he judged as indicating a more severely depressed state. He also experienced overdose symptoms, such as hypertension and tachycardia. He attempted suicide with drugs that he possessed. In conclusion, careful monitoring is needed when treating patients with venlafaxine, because its discontinuation syndrome is similar to symptoms of major depressive disorder, and suicidality may result from an overdose. © 2011 Korean Neuropsychiatric Association. Language: en |
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Keywords |
adult; human; suicide; male; case report; insomnia; depression; Suicide attempt; anxiety; Major depressive disorder; major depression; disease severity; drug overdose; Venlafaxine; article; anorexia; physician; amfebutamone; mirtazapine; paroxetine; tachycardia; venlafaxine; vertigo; impulsiveness; sleep disorder; drug dependence; trazodone; follow up; nausea; tremor; drug withdrawal; irritability; hypertension; side effect; amisulpride; self medication; agitation; asthenia; epigastric pain; tinnitus; clonazepam; thorax disease; dyspnea; paresthesia; thorax pain; dizziness; drug dose reduction; drug dose increase; amlodipine; Ginkgo biloba; Ginkgo biloba extract; Discontinuation syndrome; vascular endothelial growth inhibitor |