Childhood mefloquine-induced mania and psychosis: a case report.
Mefloquine, a commonly used oral antimalarial is occasionally associated with severe, neuropsychiatric adverse effects, especially in adults. Such events are extremely rare in children. The authors report on an 11-year-old, otherwise healthy girl from Eastern India, a malaria-endemic region, who developed mania and psychosis following intake of a therapeutic dose of mefloquine for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. She recovered satisfactorily with risperidone therapy. To our knowledge, there is only one documented instance of mefloquine-induced psychosis in the pediatric literature to date. Those caring for children need to realize that severe neuropsychiatric manifestations may be seen in the pediatric age group. A positive history of intake of the offending drug with careful exclusion of other etiologies usually clinches the diagnosis.
Thapa
Rajoo
R
Department of Pediatrics, The Institute of Child Health, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. rajoothapa@yahoo.co.in
Biswas
Biswajit
B
D000962:Antimalarials / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy; D015767:Mefloquine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000962:Antimalarials; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018967:Risperidone; D015767:Mefloquine