Resolution of pregabalin and mirtazapine associated restless legs syndrome by bupropion in a patient with major depressive disorder.
Bupropion is a selective norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor with no serotonergic activity, and is therefore an antidepressant with unique pharmacological properties. There are some reports that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or mirtazapine can induce adverse effects including restless legs syndrome (RLS) and that bupropion can reverse these adverse effects. Here, we report about a patient with a major depressive disorder who exhibited RLS after being treated with pregabalin and mirtazapine. This adverse effect disappeared after having switched from mirtazapine to bupropion. Bupropion inhibits the reuptake of dopamine and increases dopamine neurotransmission in both the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex. This pharmacological profile can be effective in patients with RLS related to dopamine hypoactivity. However, the limitations of this single case report mean that further investigations with larger samples are needed.
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Inje University College of Medicine, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
Young-Min
YM
Park
Heon-Jeong
HJ
Lee
Seung-Gul
SG
Kang
Jae-Hyuck
JH
Cho
Leen
L
Kim