Methylphenidate intoxication: somnolence as an uncommon clinical symptom and proof of overdosing by increased serum levels of ritalinic acid.

There is considerable evidence for an increase of methylphenidate (MPH) abuse; thus, physicians might be confronted more frequently with MPH intoxications. Possible symptoms of intoxications with MPH are orofacial, stereotypic movements and tics as well as tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmias, arterial hypertension, hyperthermia, hallucinations and epileptic seizures. Here we report a patient who demonstrated somnolence as an uncommon clinical feature of MPH intoxication. The patient exhibited subnormal MPH serum levels (3 µg/l), however markedly increased serum levels of ritalinic acid (821 µg/l; inactive metabolite of MPH), that finally confirmed the initially suspected MPH intoxication. Due to the short half-life of orally administered MPH (t1/2~3 h) the sole measurement of MPH serum levels might be misleading concerning the proof of MPH overdosing in some cases. Parallel measurement of MPH and ritalinic acid is recommended in cases with suspected MPH intoxication and insufficient anamnestic data.

[Animal hoarding: a mental disorder with implications for public health]. / Animal Hoarding: eine psychische Störung mit Implikationen für die Öffentliche Gesundheit.

Animal hoarding (AH) is a mental disorder that is characterised by an excessive number of kept animals, inability to maintain minimal standards of animal care and hygiene, and deficient insight into the thereby developing failures and problems. Although AH as a disease concept is neither represented in the DSM-5 nor the ICD-10, it may be classified as a subform of the hoarding disorder (DSM-5 300.3) that was implemented in the DSM-5 as an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Due to the hygienic deficiencies of the living spaces and the insufficient keeping of animals there is an increased risk of epizootic diseases and zoonoses. Specific epidemiological studies do not exist, however, women seem to be affected more frequently. AH is diagnosed mostly in late adulthood. Besides thorough somatic and psychiatric medical diagnostics, cooperation with the veterinary offices and authorities is usually necessary. Comorbid mental disorders (particularly depressive, obsessive-compulsive and personality disorders) are frequent. Currently, no evidence-based therapies exist. Social therapy and cognitive-behavioural psychotherapeutic interventions as well as sufficient treatment of comorbid mental disorders are recommended.

Withdrawal and discontinuation phenomena associated with tranylcypromine: a systematic review.

Tranylcypromine (TCP) is an effective antidepressant with a complex pharmacological profile and a relevant risk of abuse and dependence. Withdrawal phenomena (WP, in the case of TCP-abuse/dependence) or discontinuation phenomena (DP, in the case of absent TCP-abuse/dependence) subsequent to abrupt termination of TCP are a potentially severe clinical syndrome. We conducted a systematic review of all previously published WP/DP cases following abrupt termination of TCP in order to identify typical clinical presentations and risk factors of WP/DP and frequency of TCP abuse or dependence within these patients. By searching the Medline and Scopus databases we identified n=25 cases (cohort WP: n=18, cohort DP: n=7). Delirium was found in n=13 patients (cohort WP: 10/55.6%; cohort DP: 3/42.9%), n=6 demonstrated WP/DP without delirium (WP: 6/33.3%; DP: 0/0%) and n=5 rapid relapse in depression (WP: 1/5.6%; DP: 4/57.1%). Mean time until development of WP/DP was 1.9 (WP) and 2.2 (DP) days. Mean duration of WP/DP was 5.7 (WP) and 11.3 (DP) days. All patients of cohort WP were described to feature TCP-abuse/dependence. Patients with delirium were on average older (41.8 years vs. 37.8 years) and featured higher mean prescribed (71.0 mg vs. 38.3 mg) and actually taken daily TCP dosages (285.8 mg vs. 187.7 mg). In conclusion, even termination of lower daily dosages of TCP may result in delirium. Thrombocytopenia features diagnostic value in patients with deliria of unknown etiology. TCP should be administered with great care, especially in dependence-prone patients.·

Aseptic gingivitis related to quetiapine hemifumarate.

Quetiapine hemifumarate (QF) is widely used in psychiatry and is associated with regularly occurring side effects such as dizziness and metabolic problems. Apart from these typical adverse events the agent has attracted attention for several rare phenomena (priapism, cholestasis, rhabdomyolysis) that indeed feature anecdotal character, but are nevertheless indispensable for a comprehensive understanding of the factual risk profile of quetiapine. We present the first report of aseptic gingivitis associated with QF in a patient with mental retardation.

[Relapse prevention in alcohol dependence: acamprosate and naltrexone as a combined pharmacological strategy]. / Rückfallprävention bei Alkoholabhängigkeit: Acamprosat und Naltrexon als kombinierte pharmakologische Strategie.

Acamprosate and naltrexone are established strategies for pharmacologic relapse prevention in patients with alcohol dependence. Regarding pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic considerations the combination of both agents for this indication is a reasonable treatment option that has been described to be safe and effective in clinical studies. However, this combination is uncommon in clinical practice. We report the case of a patient with severe alcohol and benzodiazepine dependence who achieved the longest interval of abstinence under combined treatment with acamprosate and naltrexone since the development of addiction. In addition, the currently available evidence regarding efficacy, safety and tolerability of both agents is discussed. In summary the combined treatment with both agents should be considered in patients who did not achieve abstinence under monotherapy unless contraindications are present.

Intranasal application of xenon: describing the pharmacokinetics in experimental animals and the increased pain tolerance within a placebo-controlled experimental human study.

BACKGROUND: Pain sensitizes the central nervous system via N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) leading to an enhancement of pain perception. However, the enhanced responsiveness of pain-processing areas can be suppressed by subanaesthetic doses of the NMDAR antagonist xenon. To analyse the strength of the analgesic effect of low-dose xenon using new economical application methods, we tested xenon applied nasally in an experimental human pain setting. METHODS: We tested 10 healthy volunteers using a multimodal experimental pain testing in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled repeated measures study. Xenon was administered using a novel low-pressure intranasal application device. Additionally, we measured xenon concentrations in blood samples obtained from intracranial veins of experimental animals to describe the pharmacokinetics of intranasally applied xenon in the cerebral compartment. RESULTS: Intranasal application of xenon at a rate of 1.0 litre h(-1) for 30 min significantly increased pain tolerance of volunteers to ischaemic (+128%), cold (+58%), and mechanical (+40%) stimulation (P<0.01). However, 60 min after terminating the application of xenon, there was no significant alteration of pain tolerance compared with placebo. Cranial blood concentrations of xenon in pigs reached a steady state of approximately 450 nl ml(-1) after 5 min. CONCLUSIONS: In this placebo-controlled experimental human study, we described the increased pain tolerance induced by intranasally applied xenon. On the basis of our results, we conclude that intranasally administered xenon has analgesic properties and suggest that the novel application device presented here offers new possibilities for the administration of NMDAR antagonists within a multimodal analgesia approach.