Apathy symptoms induced by low‐dose venlafaxine: Two cases

Abstract Recent guidelines regarding pharmacological interventions for major depressive disorder (MDD) recommend first using serotonin (5HT) selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or 5HT and norepinephrine (NE) reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Although SSRIs and SNRIs are effective and well‐tolerated, ap...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shinji Sato, Noriko Sodeyama, Asaki Matsuzaki, Yuki Shiratori
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-06-01
Series:Neuropsychopharmacology Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/npr2.12104
Description
Summary:Abstract Recent guidelines regarding pharmacological interventions for major depressive disorder (MDD) recommend first using serotonin (5HT) selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or 5HT and norepinephrine (NE) reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Although SSRIs and SNRIs are effective and well‐tolerated, apathy occurs as an adverse effect in some SSRIs‐treated patients. Because apathy would be associated with the 5HT pathway, if a patient exhibits apathy symptoms under SSRIs treatment, a clinical strategy has been to change the SSRIs to treatment with an SNRIs. Here, I report two cases in which low‐dose venlafaxine, an SNRIs, induced apathy symptoms.
ISSN:2574-173X