Citation

Pikard JL, Oliver D, Saraceno J, Groll D. SAGE Open Med. Case Rep. 2019; 7: 2050313X18823101.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/2050313X18823101

PMID

30675359

PMCID

PMC6330727

Abstract

Although lithium-induced dystonia has been well documented in the literature, conflicting evidence discusses whether a patient may be susceptible to adverse effects from the drug after an anoxic brain injury. More recent literature discusses that lithium may, in fact, be neuroprotective. This case report presents a 35-year-old male who, after an anoxic brain injury after a suicide attempt, developed lithium-induced dystonia with characteristic symptoms of sustained muscle contractions, repetitive movements, and postures, which was not markedly improved with benztropine or benzodiazepines. It is postulated that because this patient received a depot neuroleptic with a subsequent anoxic brain injury, he may have become more sensitive to lithium and its rare complications.

Language: en

Keywords

Lithium; brain injury; dystonia; anoxia