Annals of Pharmacotherapy · 2003 · 24 citations · 17 references
MedicinePharmacotherapyPsychiatryGeriatric PsychiatryMemoryPsychopharmacologyAntidepressant PharmacologyAntidepressant PharmacotherapyCognitive ImpairmentGeriatric PsychopharmacologyMedication UseMemory DisordersCausality Assessment MethodologyGeriatric Antidepressant TherapyGeriatric Antidepressant UseGeriatric Depression PharmacotherapyMedication-induced Cognitive ImpairmentSelective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor TreatmentSelective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor UseSide Effect Profile
OBJECTIVE: To report a case of severe memory loss in an elderly patient after initiation of fluoxetine. CASE SUMMARY: An 87-year-old white woman was started on fluoxetine for depression, and the dose was titrated to 20 mg/d. She developed progressive memory loss over the next 6 weeks for which she ultimately was hospitalized. Other potential causes for her memory loss were ruled out. After fluoxetine was discontinued, the patient's memory improved significantly over the next 2 months. An objective causality assessment indicated a possible relationship between the memory loss and fluoxetine in this patient. DISCUSSION: Our report documents a case of severe reversible memory deterioration after initiating fluoxetine. Fluoxetine has a favorable adverse effect profile when compared with older classes of antidepressants. Postmarketing studies and isolated case reports, however, suggest that fluoxetine may harm memory in some patients. Some selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) appear to cause memory loss more frequently than others. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware of the possible effects of fluoxetine (and possibly other SSRIs) on memory.
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A method for estimating the probability of adverse drug reactions
C. A. Naranjo, U. Busto, Edward M. Sellers et al. · Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics · 1981 · 11.6K citations
Fernando Taragano, Constantine G. Lyketsos, Carlos A. Mangone et al. · Psychosomatics · 1997 · 161 citations · Full text