digoxin and Hallucinations

Topics: Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Delirium; Depression; Digitalis Glycosides; Digitoxin; Digoxin; Hallucinations; Heart Failure; Humans; Vision Disorders

Clinical autopsy rate have been declining since the 1950s, but it remains a useful investigation tool.. Through six examples of our experience, we underline its interest for clinical, didactic and public health purposes.. We try to understand the reasons for its decline and, as demonstrated, it can be attributed to a number of factors. These need to be addressed in order to reassert the status of the autopsy as an investigation and audit tool which is crucial to the future effectiveness of modern medicine.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Atherosclerosis; Atrial Fibrillation; Autopsy; Cardiotonic Agents; Casuistry; Cause of Death; Coronary Artery Disease; Coronary Thrombosis; Diagnosis, Differential; Digoxin; Education, Medical; Female; France; Hallucinations; Hospitals, University; Humans; Male; Marfan Syndrome; Meningitis, Listeria; Meningitis, Pneumococcal; Middle Aged; Myocardial Infarction

To present a case of photopsia resulting from digoxin intoxication brought about by dehydration in a 72-year-old woman.. Ophthalmologists may be the first clinicians to notice the symptoms of digitalis intoxication, which is potentially a life-threatening condition.

Topics: Aged; Cardiotonic Agents; Dehydration; Digoxin; Female; Fluid Therapy; Hallucinations; Humans; Phosphenes

Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) is characterized by the presence of visual hallucinations in elderly, mentally healthy people. We report a visually impaired 90-year-old woman suddenly complaining of visual hallucinations, suffering from hyperthyroidism and a relative digitalis overdose. The diagnosis of CBS could be made after the exclusion of an intoxication and other neurological and psychiatric syndromes. In this case, visual hallucinations ceased without specific psychopharmacological therapy. A brief review of this organic hallucinosis, differential diagnosis, especially hyperthyroidism-induced psychosis, and digitoxin-induced psychosis is given and current therapeutic strategies are suggested.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Delusions; Diagnosis, Differential; Digoxin; Drug Overdose; Female; Hallucinations; Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus; Humans; Hyperthyroidism; Patient Care Team; Vision, Low

Since 1965, Health and Welfare Canada has operated an adverse drug reaction (ADR) program. The program accepts spontaneous reports of adverse drug reactions, and maintains an ADR database. The purpose of this article is to summarize the Psychiatric ADRs reported to this database since 1965. The nature of the information prohibits its use in the evaluation of epidemiological hypotheses about the etiology of drug-induced mental disorders. However, in an exploratory sense, the contents of the database may contribute to the development of epidemiological hypotheses about the etiology of drug-induced mental disorders. Of particular interest are areas of apparent contradiction between the contents of the database and the clinical literature.. The database was searched for reports of ADRs to a group of drugs which have been frequently implicated in causing psychiatric toxicity. All reports characterized as "psychiatric disorders" were down-loaded from the database for the analysis (n = 1822). The reports were further classified into nine categories according to the type of psychiatric symptoms described.. There were several reports of hallucinations caused by methyldopa, and also several reports of benzodiazepine-induced hallucinations and encephalopathy. These reactions have not been described in the literature. Also, there were few reports of digoxin-induced organic depression, and an absence of reports of organic mania induced by H-2 blockers, despite descriptions of these sorts of reactions in the clinical literature.. Further research is needed to define the neuropsychiatric toxicity associated with medical drugs. Clinicians must continue to consider the potential role of medications in the etiology of psychiatric symptoms.

Topics: Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; Benzodiazepines; Canada; Databases, Factual; Delirium; Digoxin; Hallucinations; Histamine Agonists; Humans; Methyldopa; Mood Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders

Topics: Aged; Digoxin; Female; Hallucinations; Heart Failure; Humans; Vision Disorders

Topics: Aged; Central Nervous System; Digoxin; Female; Hallucinations; Humans; Male

The 83-year-old woman in this case report developed paranoid delusions and auditory hallucinations in association with toxic serum levels of digoxin, while remaining alert, unagitated, and coherent in thinking. No cardiovascular or metabolic abnormalities were discovered to account for her psychiatric symptoms. Her mental status rapidly returned to normal as serum digoxin declined to therapeutic levels.

Topics: Aged; Auditory Perception; Coronary Disease; Delusions; Digoxin; Female; Hallucinations; Humans; Paranoid Disorders; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome