title: Hallucinations after a therapeutic dose of benzodiazepine hypnotics with co-administration of erythromycin.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tokinaga
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Otani
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mihara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morita
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D014229:Triazolam; D004917:Erythromycin; D009567:Nitrazepam