Hallucinations after a therapeutic dose of benzodiazepine hypnotics with co-administration of erythromycin.
A case of repetitive hallucinations during treatment with a therapeutic dosage of triazolam (0.25 mg/day) and nitrazepam (5 mg/day) is presented. The patient suffered from acute pneumonia and chronic renal failure. Such non-psychotic symptoms as anxiety, tremor and depressed feeling were observed initially. However, after co-administration of erythromycin (600 mg/day), visual hallucinations and abnormal bodily sensations developed repeatedly after each administration of triazolam or nitrazepam. This report suggests that benzodiazepine hypnotics even at a therapeutic dosage with co-administration of erythromycin causes serious psychotic symptoms in vulnerable patients with physical complications.
Tokinaga
N
N
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Kondo
T
T
Kaneko
S
S
Otani
K
K
Mihara
K
K
Morita
S
S
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009567:Nitrazepam / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D014229:Triazolam / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D014229:Triazolam; D004917:Erythromycin; D009567:Nitrazepam