Craving for menthol sweets: A case report

We describe a case of craving for menthol sweets in a 53-year-old woman with excessive consumption of menthol sweets (100 units/day). She was admitted with a history of rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, anxiety associated with onychophagia and pinching of the skin. Organic disorders were ruled out with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista colombiana de psiquiatría (English ed.) 2020-10, Vol.49 (4), p.301-304
Main Authors: Muñoz, Omar Humberto, Maldonado, Juan Carlos Alba, Rodríguez, Ledmar Jovanny Vargas, Sanabria, Milena Brigitte Agudelo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alimentos
Ansia
Ansiedad
Anxiety
Craving
Food
Menthol sweets
Mentolados
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo
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Summary:We describe a case of craving for menthol sweets in a 53-year-old woman with excessive consumption of menthol sweets (100 units/day). She was admitted with a history of rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, anxiety associated with onychophagia and pinching of the skin. Organic disorders were ruled out with paraclinical tests and in-hospital treatment was administered. At discharge, the patient’s condition was stable, but because of exacerbated pain due to the rheumatological disease, she presented depressive symptoms, requiring her medication to be adjusted. The “food craving” and anxiety present pathophysiological similarities. Mints have different mechanisms or ways in which they can counteract or control these symptoms, including an increase in serotonin, binding to GABA-A receptors and stimulation of the nicotinic receptor in nerve cells. Se describe un caso de craving por dulces mentolados, una paciente de 53 años con cuadro de consumo excesivo de dulces mentolados (100 unidades/día). Ingresó con el antecedente de artritis reumatoide, con obesidad, en estado de ansiedad asociado con onicofagia y pellizcos de la piel. Se descartó la organicidad mediante paraclínicos y se le dio asistencia hospitalaria. Al alta, la paciente estaba estable; sin embargo, por progresión del dolor por la enfermedad reumática, ha sufrido síntomas depresivos, por lo que ha requerido ajuste de la medicación. El food craving y la ansiedad presentan similitudes fisiopatológicas. Las mentas tienen distintos mecanismos o modos en que pueden contrarrestar o controlar estos síntomas, entre los que está el aumento de serotonina, la unión a receptores GABA-A y la estimulación del receptor nicotínico en las células nerviosas.
ISSN:2530-3120
2530-3120
DOI:10.1016/j.rcpeng.2019.02.003