Antidepressants and Hyponatremia

Drug-Resistant Hyponatremia after Escitalopram Intake: A Series of Two Case Reports

The consumption of new selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is raising dramatically especially in European countries. It contributes to occurrence of clinically important drug side effects. One of which can be hyponatremia. We present two case reports of 85-year-old and 84-year-old women who developed hyponatremia after escitalopram administration. We hypothesize that in both cases hyponatremia was connected with antidepressants administration. However, due to multiple comorbidities and polypharmacy it is often impossible to establish the exact mechanism of hyponatremia. Moreover, it is crucial to distinguish subtypes of drug-induced syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone hypersecretion (SIADH), such as SSRI-induced SIADH, reset osmostat SIADH, thiazide-associated hyponatremia, thiazide-induced hyponatremia, mineralocorticoid responsive hyponatremia of older adults, in order to properly diagnose and treat geriatric patients. Administration of antidepressants or thiazides should be followed by a regular monitoring of serum sodium level.

Palliative Care for People Living With Heart Disease-Does Sex Make a Difference?

The distribution of individual heart disease differs among women and men and, parallel to this, among particular age groups. Women are usually affected by cardiovascular disease at an older age than men, and as the prevalence of comorbidities (like diabetes or chronic pain syndromes) grows with age, women suffer from a higher number of symptoms (such as pain and breathlessness) than men. Women live longer, and after a husband or partner's death, they suffer from a stronger sense of loneliness, are more dependent on institutionalized care and have more unaddressed needs than men. Heart failure (HF) is a common end-stage pathway of many cardiovascular diseases and causes substantial symptom burden and suffering despite optimal cardiologic treatment. Modern, personalized medicine makes every effort, including close cooperation between disciplines, to alleviate them as efficiently as possible. Palliative Care (PC) interventions include symptom management, psychosocial and spiritual support. In complex situations they are provided by a specialized multiprofessional team, but usually the application of PC principles by the healthcare team responsible for the person is sufficient. PC should be involved in usual care to improve the quality of life of patients and their relatives as soon as appropriate needs emerge. Even at less advanced stages of disease, PC is an additional layer of support added to disease modifying management, not only at the end-of-life. The relatively scarce data suggest sex-specific differences in symptom pathophysiology, distribution and the requisite management needed for their successful alleviation. This paper summarizes the sex-related differences in PC needs and in the wide range of interventions (from medical treatment to spiritual support) that can be considered to optimally address them.

Depression Part 3: Medication Related Problems

When selecting and managing psychoactive medications in older people, it is equally important to focus on avoidance of toxicity as it is to focus on efficacy. Higher psychoactive medication load is associated with increased rate and risk of all cause hospitalization. The medication classes used to treat depression and related comorbidities include antidepressants, antipsychotics, stimulants, mood stabilizers, lithium, anxiolytics and sedative hypnotics. This discussion will examine considerations to help avoid medication related problems relevant to medications used to treat depression in the antidepressant pharmacological class.

The 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders

OBJECTIVES

To provide advice and guidance regarding the management of mood disorders, derived from scientific evidence and supplemented by expert clinical consensus to formulate s that maximise clinical utility.

METHODS

Articles and information sourced from search engines including PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Google Scholar were supplemented by literature known to the mood disorders committee (e.g. books, book chapters and government reports) and from published depression and bipolar disorder guidelines. Relevant information was appraised and discussed in detail by members of the mood disorders committee, with a view to formulating and developing consensus-based recommendations and clinical guidance. The guidelines were subjected to rigorous consultation and external review involving: expert and clinical advisors, key stakeholders, professional bodies and specialist groups with interest in mood disorders.

RESULTS

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists mood disorders clinical practice guidelines 2020 (MDcpg²⁰²⁰) provide up-to-date guidance regarding the management of mood disorders that is informed by evidence and clinical experience. The guideline is intended for clinical use by psychiatrists, psychologists, primary care physicians and others with an interest in mental health care.

CONCLUSION

The MDcpg²⁰²⁰ builds on the previous 2015 guidelines and maintains its joint focus on both depressive and bipolar disorders. It provides up-to-date recommendations and guidance within an evidence-based framework, supplemented by expert clinical consensus.

MOOD DISORDERS COMMITTEE

Gin S Malhi (Chair), Erica Bell, Darryl Bassett, Philip Boyce, Richard Bryant, Philip Hazell, Malcolm Hopwood, Bill Lyndon, Roger Mulder, Richard Porter, Ajeet B Singh and Greg Murray.

Targeting the Trafficking of Kidney Water Channels for Therapeutic Benefit

The ability to regulate water movement is vital for the survival of cells and organisms. In addition to passively crossing lipid bilayers by diffusion, water transport is also driven across cell membranes by osmotic gradients through aquaporin water channels. There are 13 aquaporins in human tissues, and of these, aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is the most highly regulated water channel in the kidney: The expression and trafficking of AQP2 respond to body volume status and plasma osmolality via the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin (VP). Dysfunctional VP signaling in renal epithelial cells contributes to disorders of water balance, and research initially focused on regulating the major cAMP/PKA pathway to normalize urine concentrating ability. With the discovery of novel and more complex signaling networks that regulate AQP2 trafficking, promising therapeutic targets have since been identified. Several strategies based on data from preclinical studies may ultimately translate to the care of patients with defective water homeostasis.

Duloxetine-Induced Hyponatremia in an Elderly Male Patient with Treatment-Refractory Major Depressive Disorder

Several classes of antidepressants can induce syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone hypersecretion (SIADH), thereby causing hyponatremia. Initial symptoms of hyponatremia include neuropsychiatric and gastrointestinal manifestations can mimic depression, especially in elderly people with multiple somatic complaints. Here we present a case of a 68-year-old man with treatment-refractory depression and general anxiety disorder who developed duloxetine-induced hyponatremia. His symptoms of hyponatremia including unsteady gait, dizziness, nausea, general malaise, and poor appetite subsided after discontinuing the offending medication. Our case illustrates that drug-induced SIADH and potential drug-drug interactions should be considered in elderly patients who develop hyponatremia following the initiation of antidepressants.