The Treatment of Clozapine-Withdrawal Delirium with Electroconvulsive Therapy

Clozapine, a commonly used atypical antipsychotic, can precipitate a severe withdrawal syndrome. In this report, we describe a case of delirium with catatonic features emerging after the immediate cessation of clozapine subsequent to concerns of developing neuroleptic malignant syndrome. After multi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Case reports in psychiatry 2017-01, Vol.2017 (2017), p.1-3
Main Authors: Modak, Anish, Åhlin, Arne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Care and treatment
Case Report
Case reports
Clozapine
Delirium
Electroconvulsive therapy
Insomnia
Mental disorders
Neurosciences
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Psychosis
Schizophrenia
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Summary:Clozapine, a commonly used atypical antipsychotic, can precipitate a severe withdrawal syndrome. In this report, we describe a case of delirium with catatonic features emerging after the immediate cessation of clozapine subsequent to concerns of developing neuroleptic malignant syndrome. After multiple treatments were found to be inefficacious, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was initiated, resulting in significant improvement. A literature search revealed six previous cases of clozapine-withdrawal syndromes of varied symptomatology treated with ECT. To our knowledge, the present case represents the first reported clozapine-withdrawal delirium treated successfully with ECT.
ISSN:2090-682X
2090-6838
DOI:10.1155/2017/1783545