Mathew M
Venlafaxine, a selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SSNRI) approved by FDA in 1983 for treatment of depression, lately approved for anxiety disorder is a popular medication all over the world. Though symptoms of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and insomnia are frequent with Venlafaxine, akathisia is reported rarely. A thorough search on the internet revealed only 6 case reports of Venlafaxine induced akathisia till now. This is a case report of a young adult male from India, known case of Major Depressive Disorder (not on treatment), who presented to the outpatient department with high-grade fever with chills, rigors, headache, body ache, and nausea. The patient was diagnosed with Plasmodium vivax malaria and started on the standard regimen of chloroquine [0 (10 mg/kg), 6, 24 and 36 hours (5 mg/kg)] followed by primaquine (30 mg, 14 days). Patient was started on Venlafaxine (75 mg/day), later increased to 225 mg/day]. The patient developed restlessness, irritability, uncontrollable urge to move around, and an inability to lay still on the bed. After ruling out other possible causes, a diagnosis of Venlafaxine induced akathisia was made. The symptoms started improving and subsided completely after venlafaxine was withdrawn.
PDFShare this article
Journal of Clinical Case Reports received 1295 citations as per Google Scholar report