Comparison of citalopram and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ingestions in children

Citalopram intoxication in four week old infant

Background

In contrast to intoxications in toddlers which can be due to accidental ingestions, many intoxications in infants are due to medication errors. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a citalopram intoxication in an infant, and may offer new insight on possible screening methods for intoxication as well as pharmacokinetics of citalopram in small infants.

Case presentation

This case report describes an unintentional citalopram intoxication in a 4 week old infant due to a vitamin D drops ‘look alike’ error. The infant showed extreme jitteriness and opisthotonus at presentation, as well as prolonged signs of gastro-oesophageal reflux. No cardiac rhythm disturbances or convulsions were seen. The clinical course combined with Finnegan scores was correlated to and supported by pharmacokinetic and pharmacokinetic data of citalopram in the patient.

Conclusions

Using Finnegan scores in general pediatric practice could help objectify follow-up of acute intoxications in young infants with neurological symptoms.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-020-02439-5.

Increased Odds of Ventricular Arrhythmias Associated with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Use among the Pediatric and Young Adult Population: A Case-Control Study

OBJECTIVE

To measure the association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use and out-of-hospital ventricular arrhythmia among the pediatric and young adult population.

STUDY DESIGN

Case-control study using US claims data from 2007 to 2018. Cases were subjects with at least 1 event between ages 2 and 24 years. Controls (matched 10:1 on index date, age, sex, and continuous enrollment) had no events during study period. Independent association between current SSRI use (prescription fill with continuous exposure ending on, or after, the index date) and incident out-of-hospital ventricular arrhythmia (hospitalization or emergency room encounter with primary diagnostic code for ventricular arrhythmia) was estimated using multivariable conditional logistic regression. Separate analyses were performed for pediatric (2-17 years of age) vs young adult (18-24 years of age) subjects and between citalopram/escitalopram vs other SSRIs.

RESULTS

During the study period, 237 eligible cases were identified with 2370 matched controls. Cases were more likely to have government insurance and have a mental health, cardiac, or other complex chronic condition. Thirteen cases (5%) and 15 controls (<1%) had current SSRI exposure. After adjustment for mental health and chronic conditions, there was an increased odds of current SSRI use among cases compared with controls (OR 5.11, 95% CI 1.22-21.37). No difference was observed between pediatric and young adult ages, nor between citalopram/escitalopram and other SSRIs.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate increased odds of out-of-hospital ventricular arrhythmia associated with SSRI use in the pediatric and young adult population, suggesting a need for heightened awareness and ongoing monitoring of this potential adverse effect.

Serotonin Syndrome in a Pediatric Patient After Vilazodone Ingestion

Serotonin syndrome (SS) is a serious toxicity that manifests with symptoms such as tremor, hyperthermia, agitation, and altered mental status that may lead to seizures, coma, or death. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may precipitate SS, particularly in combination with other drugs that possess serotonergic activity. We present a case of SS in a 14-month-old after an ingestion of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor vilazodone.

Seizures After Pediatric Vilazodone Ingestion: A Case Series

Vilazodone hydrochloride is the first member in a new class of antidepressants called indolealkylamines and was approved for use in the United States in 2011 for major depressive disorder. It has a combined mechanism of action of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and a partial agonist of serotonin 5-HT1A receptors. It has not been approved for use in the pediatric population, and toxicity from exploratory vilazodone ingestion has been rarely described to date. We describe 2 children with laboratory-confirmed vilazodone ingestions that led to significant toxicity including refractory status epilepticus in 1 patient and likely transient seizure activity in the other. Both patients required multiple doses of benzodiazepines; in the more severe case, barbiturates were added to control seizure activity. These children returned to baseline and had no prolonged neurologic complications. Pediatric experience with vilazodone is limited; however, the literature demonstrates 3 additional case reports of children experiencing seizure after vilazodone ingestion. With the 2 new cases presented here, it seems prudent to educate prescribers and families of the potential dangers of ingestion of vilazodone tablets by young children.

Toxicologic Emergencies in Patients with Mental Illness: When Medications Are No Longer Your Friends

Patients with psychiatric disorders are at risk for toxicologic emergencies. Psychotropic medications have numerous effects on the neurologic, cardiac, and other organ systems and interact with other medications, potentially leading to further side effects. It is important to become familiar with accepted psychiatric practice guidelines, common toxidromes, medical sequelae associated with prescribed medications, and the specific workup and treatment of overdoses of frequently prescribed psychotropics.

Neonatal Toxicity From Escitalopram Use In Utero: A Case Report

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) exposure during pregnancy can result in symptoms of serotonin syndrome or serotonin withdrawal. In contrast to other SSRIs, reports of serotonin behavioral syndrome following in utero exposure to escitalopram and citalopram are limited. We describe a case of suspected toxicity following in utero exposure to 20 mg escitalopram throughout pregnancy. The infant was transferred to our neonatal intensive unit at 9 hours of life for further evaluation of lethargy, weak cry, bradycardia, and non-reactive pupils. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy was suspected upon presentation, despite APGAR scores of 8 and 9. Upon admission, symptoms progressed to signs of hypertonia, irritability, high-pitched cry, and posturing. The patient was loaded with phenobarbital for empiric management of suspected seizures versus drug withdrawal. Both electroencephalogram and computed tomography scan results were normal; however, an electrocardiogram revealed a prolonged QTc interval of 531 milliseconds. Signs of irritability and QTc prolongation continued through day of life (DOL) 5. The infant was discharged on DOL 10 with no further symptoms. We hypothesize that this represented a case of serotonin toxicity due to in utero exposure to escitalopram and recommend close monitoring for neonatal behavioral syndrome symptoms and QTc prolongation in infants exposed to escitalopram during pregnancy.

A Systematic Evaluation of the QTc Interval and Antidepressants in Youth: An Electronic Health Record Study

OBJECTIVE

The US Food and Drug Administration announced that citalopram was associated with dose-related prolongation of the QTc interval in adults. This study aimed to assess how antidepressants affect QTc intervals in children. The authors hypothesized that some antidepressants would show an association with QTc prolongation.

METHODS

An electronic medical record review was conducted of children aged 5 to 18 years in the Partners Healthcare system with at least 1 prescription of an antidepressant or methadone between February 1990 and August 2011. The authors extracted lifetime diagnoses and QTc interval of patients who had received an electrocardiogram 14 to 90 days after antidepressant or methadone prescription (N = 297). The mean QTc per medication was calculated as compared with the mean of all QTc measurements across medications. The number of patients taking medications who had QTc values in normal, borderline, abnormal, or high were also calculated.

RESULTS

Mean QTc values for all medications were in the normal range. The highest mean QTc was in patients on escitalopram (436 milliseconds). The mean QTc for sertraline (416 milliseconds) was significantly lower than all other drugs measured (t(331) = -2.21, p < .05). After controlling for confounding effects, none of the differences in mean QTc compared with other study drugs reached statistical significance. The greatest percentages of abnormal and high QTc values were found among patients taking paroxetine (18.8%), followed by escitalopram (15.4%). None of the children had documented ventricular arrhythmia.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that most antidepressants are not associated with prolonged QTc at doses typically prescribed for children.