Trazodone-induced parkinsonism in a middle-aged male: A case report.

Introduction: Trazodone is an antidepressant agent approved for treating major depressive disorders and is also prescribed for insomnia due to its sedative effect. In a few cases, trazodone was associated with parkinsonism. Herein, we describe a case of parkinsonism after a brief exposure to a moderate dose of trazodone. Objective: To describe a case of a patient with trazodone-induced parkinsonism in which the diagnosis was suspected after the exclusion of other common and serious causes. Methods: A case report of trazodone-induced parkinsonism. Clinical Case: A 58-year-old male with sleeping problems was prescribed trazodone 50 mg daily at bedtime. The subject doubled the dosage without medical advice a week later. After 14 days of trazodone treatment, he started to experience difficulty in moving his upper limbs and recurrent falling. Neuroimaging, electrodiagnostic studies, and laboratory exams were unremarkable. Trazodone was discontinued, and the patient fully recovered. Noteworthy, the patient developed a recurrence of the motor symptoms with trazodone-rechallenge. Conclusion: Our case showed reversibly induced parkinsonism after a short intake of a moderate dose of trazodone which was prescribed for insomnia. The patient had a complete recovery after trazodone withdrawal. Noteworthy, the symptoms recurred upon trazodone-rechallenge.

BUPROPION MISUSE BY NASAL INSUFFLATION WITH A FATAL OUTCOME: CASE REPORT AND REVIEW.

Bupropion is the only FDA - approved synthetic cathinone, with increasing popularity in clinical practice due to its wide range of action, and lack of sexual side effects. However, its stimulant effect similar to amphetamines has growing the concern regarding its recreational use.

Efficacy and safety of adding fluoxetine to the treatment regimen of hospitalized patients with non-critical COVID-19 pneumonia: A double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are considered the drugs, whose effectiveness in viral pandemics has been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate of adding fluoxetine to the treatment regimen of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. METHODS: This study was a double-blind randomized placebo controlled clinical trial .36 patients in the fluoxetine and 36 patients in the placebo group were enrolled. Patients in the intervention group were first treated with fluoxetine 10 mg for 4 days and then the dose of 20 mg was continued for 4 weeks. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS V. 22.0. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of clinical symptoms at the beginning of the study and also the score of anxiety and depression, oxygen saturation at the time of hospitalization, mid-hospitalization and discharge periods. The need for mechanical ventilator support (p = 1.00), the need for admission in the intensive care unit (ICU) (p = 1.00), rate for mortality (p = 1.00), and discharge with relative recovery (p = 1.00) were not significantly different between the two groups. The distribution of CRP within the study groups showed a significant decrease during different time periods (p = 0.001), and although there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups on the first day (p = 1.00) and at discharge (p = 0.585), mid-hospital CRP showed a significant decrease in the fluoxetine group (p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: Fluoxetine resulted in a faster reduction of patients' inflammation without association with depression and anxiety.

Nonpharmacologic and Pharmacologic Treatments of Adult Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis for a Clinical Guideline by the American College of Physicians.

BACKGROUND: Primary care patients and clinicians may prefer alternative options to second-generation antidepressants for major depressive disorder (MDD). PURPOSE: To compare the benefits and harms of nonpharmacologic treatments with second-generation antidepressants as first-step interventions for acute MDD, and to compare second-step treatment strategies for patients who did not achieve remission after an initial attempt with antidepressants. DATA SOURCES: English-language studies from several electronic databases from 1 January 1990 to 8 August 2022, trial registries, gray literature databases, and reference lists to identify unpublished research. STUDY SELECTION: 2 investigators independently selected randomized trials of at least 6 weeks' duration. DATA EXTRACTION: Reviewers abstracted data about study design and conduct, participants, interventions, and outcomes. They dually rated the risk of bias of studies and the certainty of evidence for outcomes of interest. DATA SYNTHESIS: 65 randomized trials met the inclusion criteria; eligible data from nonrandomized studies were not found. Meta-analyses and network meta-analyses indicated similar benefits of most nonpharmacologic treatments and antidepressants as first-step treatments. Antidepressants had higher risks for discontinuation because of adverse events than most other treatments. For second-step therapies, different switching and augmentation strategies provided similar symptomatic relief. The certainty of evidence for most comparisons is low; findings should be interpreted cautiously. LIMITATIONS: Many studies had methodological limitations or dosing inequalities; publication bias might have affected some comparisons. In some cases, conclusions could not be drawn because of insufficient evidence. CONCLUSION: Although benefits seem to be similar among first- and second-step MDD treatments, the certainty of evidence is low for most comparisons. Clinicians and patients should focus on options with the most reliable evidence and take adverse event profiles and patient preferences into consideration. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: American College of Physicians. (PROSPERO: CRD42020204703).

The Timing of Clinical Effects of Bupropion Misuse Via Insufflation Reported to a Regional Poison Center.

BACKGROUND: Bupropion is an antidepressant medication with expanding indications including smoking cessation, weight loss, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and amphetamine dependence. Despite its increasing popularity among providers, it has a well-known narrow therapeutic window that can lead to delayed onset of symptoms with extended-release formulations and devastating consequences in overdose. We have noticed some patients misusing bupropion via insufflation, which added a layer of complexity with regards to the therapeutic application of the drug. This route of use created difficult decisions regarding clinical monitoring in these patients. OBJECTIVES: To determine if prolonged observation is required after insufflation of bupropion and to further describe effects from this route of use. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study reviewing all the cases of insufflated bupropion use reported to a single poison center without any other coingestants. RESULTS: The majority (85.7%) of patients had mild or moderate effects, and seizures occurred in 19.6% of cases; and the vast majority of patients were symptomatic by the time of the initial call to the poison center. We did not encounter any delayed effects after this route of use. CONCLUSIONS: This report describes the clinical effects reported, and the timing of these effects, after insufflation of bupropion.

Bupropion Use Disorder by Chewing.

INTRODUCTION: Bupropion is a widely used antidepressant that plays an essential role in treating mental disorders. Due to its structural similarities with psychostimulants, bupropion is suggested to have addictive potential. Several case reports have been published addressing its misuse in recent years, mainly through nasal insufflation and intravenous administration. Most of the reported cases cited a history of substance use disorder. METHODS: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient to write this case report. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case with alcohol use disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, who developed a substance use disorder to bupropion while chewing it in doses up to 2250 mg, in an attempt to get "high" with no history of seizures. DISCUSSION: Our case suggests that bupropion can also be misused by chewing even at high doses and that it can lead to a substance use disorder. Its use in various indications in treating mental disorders and its over-the-counter accessibility, along with a lower risk of stigmatization, could increase the prevalence of bupropion misuse. It is essential to know the medical consequences of bupropion misuse as there is increasing data on its addictive potential. More information is needed to clarify the impact of the route of administration on drug metabolism and adverse effects.

The effects of trazodone on human cognition: a systematic review.

Trazodone is a widely used antidepressant that is also useful in the control of agitation and insomnia in Alzheimer's disease. This drug is now recognized as having a new mechanism of action, an effect on the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway, restoring protein translation and slowing neurodegenerative progression in mice. This mechanism may have a role in dementia-modifying treatment. To explore the effects of trazodone on human cognition and to search for clinical evidence of its putative benefits in human neurodegenerative diseases, a systematic review was conducted for studies that evaluated the effect of a minimum dose of 25 mg of trazodone daily, for at least 1 week, on cognition in adult humans. The search was run in MEDLINE, Web of Science, and CENTRAL from the Cochrane databases, yielding a total of 16 studies after selection. Overall, seven studies showed no effect of trazodone on cognition, five showed a beneficial effect by improving or reducing cognitive decline, and four evidenced impaired cognitive function. Our analysis highlights the possibility of a dose-independent dual effect of trazodone on human cognition, with acute utilization associated with impaired cognitive function and long-term use with preventing cognitive deterioration. There was no clinical evidence that trazodone could be used as a specific treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Future studies should explore the role of trazodone in the UPR pathway and the implications in neurodegenerative diseases in humans.

Clinical features of Barré-Lièou syndrome and efficacy of trazodone for its treatment: A retrospective single center study.

Barré-Lièou syndrome (BLS) is a manifestation of various autonomic and secondary symptoms including muscle stiffness, tinnitus, dizziness, and pain in various body parts. Although considered to be caused by hyperactivation of the autonomic nervous system due to trauma, there is currently no firmly established etiology or evidence on the treatment and clinical features of BLS. We retrospectively examined the clinical features of BLS and evaluated the efficacy of trazodone (TZD) for its treatment. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the data of 20 consecutive cases with suspected BLS who were treated in our hospital between 2016 and 2019. BLS symptoms were rated on a 10-point scale, and two groups were defined, that is, a mild-BLS group (BLS scores, 1-5) and a severe-BLS group (BLS scores, 6-10). Univariate analysis of patient factors was performed. The BLS score was 6.0 ± 1.7, and the maximum TZD dose was 80 ± 34 mg/day; nine patients (45%) were TZD free, and no TZD side effects were observed, while all patients had a good clinical outcome. There were significant differences between the mild-BLS and severe-BLS groups in the period from injury to diagnosis (p = 0.015), chest/back pain (p < 0.001), constipation (p = 0.001), and maximum TZD dose (p = 0.008). BLS involves posttraumatic autonomic symptoms accompanied by depression and insomnia. The sympathetic hypersensitivity theory could explain its etiology. TZD could effectively and safely treat BLS, and early diagnosis and treatment can contribute toward good clinical outcomes. Enhanced recognition and understanding of this disease are warranted.