Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-15-2017

Abstract

This report presents the case of a 78-year-old man residing in a nursing home who presented with a 2-month history of increasing lethargy and confusion. These symptoms coincided with the initiation of sertraline in the patient. Among other medications, he was also taking phenytoin. The medical team concluded that the cause of the patient’s lethargy and confusion was a drug interaction between sertraline and phenytoin. Phenytoin was held, while the sertraline was slowly tapered to discontinuation. The patient’s symptoms resolved soon thereafter. Future research is needed to better guide clinicians in appropriate selection, dosing, and monitoring of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors with concomitant phenytoin use.
Key words: phenytoin, sertraline, SSRIs, drug interaction

DOI

10.25270/altc.2017.10.e00001

Comments

© 2017, HMP. All rights reserved. Ann Longterm Care. 2017;25(5):46-48. doi:10.25270/altc.2017.10.e00001

Posted with permission. This article can also be viewed on the publisher's webpage: https://dx.doi.org/10.25270/altc.2017.10.e00001

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