Citation

Heeringa M, Honkoop P, de Man RA, Feenstra J, Smits CM. Ned. Tijdschr. Geneeskd. 1998; 142(28): 1618-1621.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Erven Bohn)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9763845

Abstract

The Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Foundation Lareb and the Drug Safety Unit of the Inspectorate for Health Care in 1997 received 6 reports of serious psychiatric symptoms during the use of interferon alpha-2b. Of these patients, three men aged 42, 49 and 62 years and three women aged 31, 40 and 33 years, two had had psychic symptoms before. Depression or psychosis developed 12-24 weeks after the start of the use of interferon alpha-2b with 3-10 million IU per week subcutaneously because of chronic hepatitis B or C. After cessation of the medication, four patients recovered after a few days or weeks; the course of one patient was unknown, one patient had committed suicide. Knowledge of these psychiatric adverse drug reactions to interferon alpha-2b can contribute to early recognition by the physician and timely treatment of the symptoms.

Language: nl

Keywords

Adult; Depression; Female; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis C; Humans; Injections, Subcutaneous; Interferon alpha-2; Interferon-alpha; Male; Mental Disorders; Middle Aged; Psychoses, Substance-Induced; Recombinant Proteins