title: Delirium following abrupt discontinuation of fluoxetine.
abstract: Sudden discontinuation of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRI) can lead to a number of psychological (e.g., nervousness, anxiety, crying spells, psychomotor agitation, irritability, depersonalization, decreased mood, memory disturbances, confusion, decreased concentration, and/or slowed thinking) and somatic (e.g., nausea, dizziness, headache) symptoms. Recent studies have shown that withdrawal symptoms are common with paroxetine, venlafaxine and fluvoxamine, but relatively rare and mild with fluoxetine cessation, likely as a result of its longer half-life. We report an unusual case of a patient who developed delirium after abrupt discontinuation of fluoxetine.
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, Department of Neurology, 300 Pasteur Drive Stanford, Rm. A343, CA 94305, United States. dblum@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maldonado
authors.forename: Everett
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lansberg
mesh_terms: D003693:Delirium / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D005473:Fluoxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors