Advertisement
Comment| Volume 30, ISSUE 2, P190-196, July 15, 1991

Download started.

Ok

Fluotexine-induced suicidality, serotonin, and seasonality

  • Timothy D. Brewerton
    Correspondence
    Address reprint requests to Dr. Timothy D. Brewerton, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 171 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC 29425-0742.
    Affiliations
    Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
    Search for articles by this author
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3223(91)90173-J
Fluotexine-induced suicidality, serotonin, and seasonality
Previous ArticleEndogenous event-related brain potentials and psychometric performance in children at risk for schizophrenia
Next ArticleClinical outcome and psychoendocrinological findings in a case of lethal catatonia
      This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.

      Abstract

      In spite of the complexities involved in suicide, fluoxetine has been prematurely and simplistically blamed for inducing this phenomenon. A variety of variables must be factored into such an interpretation. Nevertheless, given the complicated psychobiological circumstances involved, acute and rapid changes in serotonin (5-HT) function appear to be important to the understanding of changes in suicidal behavior. Such a mechanism may also explain the robust seasonal peak of suicides in spring.
      To read this article in full you will need to make a payment

      Purchase one-time access:

      Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online access
      One-time access price info
      • For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
      • For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'

      Subscribe:

      Subscribe to Biological Psychiatry
      Already a print subscriber? Claim online access
      Already an online subscriber? Sign in
      Register: Create an account
      Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect

      References

        • Altamura A.C.
        • Montgomery S.A.
        • Wernicke J.F.
        The evidence for 20 mg a day of fluoxetine as the optimal dose in the treatment of depression.
        Br J Psychiatry. 1988; 153: 109-112
        • Aschoff J.
        Annual rhythms in man.
        in: Handbook of Behavioral Neurobiology. vol. 4. Plenum Press, New York1981: 475-487
        • Aulakh C.S.
        • Cohen R.M.
        • McLellan C.
        • et al.
        Correlation of changes in alpha2-adrenoceptor number and locomotor responses to clonidine following clorgyline discontinuation.
        Br J Pharmacol. 1983; 80: 10-12
        • Bastani B.
        • Nash F.
        • Meltzer H.Y.
        Prolactin and cortisol responses to MK-212, a serotonin agonist, in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
        Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1990; 47: 833-839
        • Bouchard R.H.
        • Pourcher E.
        • Vincent P.
        Fluoxetine and extrapyramidal side effects.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1989; 146: 1352-1353
        • Bremmer J.D.
        Fluoxetine in depressed patients: A comparison with imipramine.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1984; 45: 414-419
        • Brewerton T.D.
        Seasonal variation of serotonin function in humans: Research and clinical implications.
        Ann Clin Psychiatry. 1989; 1: 153-164
        • Brewerton T.D.
        • George M.S.
        A study of the seasonal variation of migraine.
        Headache. 1990; 30: 511-513
        • Brewerton T.D.
        • Berrittini W.
        • Nurnburger J.
        • et al.
        An analysis of seasonal fluctuations of CSF monoamines and neuropeptides in normal controls: Findings with 5-HIAA and HVA.
        Psychiatry Res. 1988; 23: 257-265
        • Brewerton T.D.
        • Brandt H.E.
        • Lesem M.D.
        • et al.
        Eating disorders, anxiety, and 5-HT.
        in: Presented at the 143rd Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, New York, NY, May 19901990
        • Carlsson M.
        • Svensson K.
        • Eriksson E.
        • et al.
        Rat brain serotonin: Biochemical and functional evidence for a sex difference.
        J Neurol Trans. 1985; 63: 297-313
        • Charney D.S.
        • Heninger G.R.
        • Reinhard J.F.
        • et al.
        The effect of intravenous l-tryptophan on prolactin and growth hormone and mood in healthy subjects.
        Psychopharmacology. 1982; 77: 217-222
        • Charney D.S.
        • Woods S.W.
        • Goodman W.K.
        • et al.
        Serotonin function in anxiety. II. Effects of the serotonin agonist MCPP in panic disorder patients and healthy subjects.
        Psychopharmacology. 1987; 92: 14-24
        • Charney D.S.
        • Goodman W.K.
        • Price L.H.
        • et al.
        Serotonin function in obsessive-compulsive disorder. A comparison of the effects of l-tryptophan and m-chlorophenylpiperazine in patients and healthy subjects.
        Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1988; 45: 177-185
        • Chouinard G.
        A double-blind controlled clinical trial of fluoxetine and amitriptyline in the treatment of outpatients with major depressive disorder.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1985; 46: 32-37
        • Chouinard G.
        • Steiner W.
        A case of mania induced by high-dose fluoxetine treatment.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1986; 143: 686
        • Cohn J.B.
        • Wilcox C.
        A comparison of fluoxetine, imipramine, and placebo in patients with major depressive disorder.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1985; 46: 26-31
        • Cooper G.L.
        The safety of fluoxetine.
        Br J Psychiatry. 1988; 153: 77-86
        • Damluji N.F.
        • Ferguson J.M.
        Paradoxical worsening of depressive symptomatology caused by antidepressants.
        J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1988; 8: 347-349
        • Fabre L.F.
        • Putman H.P.
        A fixed-dose clinical trial of fluoxetine in outpatients with major depression.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1987; 48: 406-408
        • Fava M.
        • Rosenbaum J.F.
        Suicidality and fluoxetine: Is there a relationship?.
        in: Proc Am Psychiatr Assoc. New Research Abstract #475. American Psychiatric Press, Washington1990
        • Feighner J.P.
        • Boyer W.F.
        • Tyler D.L.
        • et al.
        Adverse consequences of fluoxetine-MAOI combination therapy.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1990; 51: 222-225
        • Feuerstein T.J.
        • Jackisch R.
        Why do some antidepressants promote suicide?.
        Psychopharmacology (Berlin). 1980; 90: 422
        • Fontaine R.
        • Chouinard G.
        Fluoxetine in the long-term maintenance treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
        Psychiatr Ann. 1989; 19: 88-91
        • Freeman C.P.L.
        • Hampson M.
        Fluoxetine as a treatment for bulimia nervosa.
        Int J Obesity. 1987; 11: 171-177
        • Goodwin F.K.
        Suicide, aggression, and depression. A theoretical framework for future research.
        Ann NY Acad Sci. 1986; 487: 351-355
        • Goodwin G.M.
        • Fairburn C.G.
        • Cowen P.J.
        Dieting changes serotonergic function in women, not men: Implications for the etiology of anorexia nervosa.
        Psychol Med. 1988; 17: 839-842
        • Gorman J.M.
        • Liebowitz R.M.
        • Fyer A.J.
        • et al.
        An open trial of fluoxetine in the treatment of panic attacks.
        J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1987; 7: 329-332
        • Hon D.
        • Preskon S.H.
        Mania during fluoxetine treatment for recurrent depression.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1989; 146: 1638-1639
        • Insel T.R.
        • Roy B.F.
        • Cohen R.M.
        • et al.
        Possible development of the serotonin syndrome in man.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1982; 139: 954-955
        • Kahn R.S.
        • van Praag H.M.
        Panic disorder: A presynaptic serotonin defect?.
        Psychiatry Res. 1990; 31: 209-210
        • Kennett G.A.
        • Chaouloff F.
        • Marcou M.
        • et al.
        Female rats are more vulnerable than males in an animal model of depression: The possible role of serotonin.
        Brain Res. 1986; 382: 416-421
        • Kevan S.M.
        Perspectives on season of suicide: A review.
        Soc Sci Med. 1980; 14D: 369-378
        • Lebegue B.
        Mania precipitated by fluoxetine.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1987; 144: 1620
        • Levine L.R.
        • Rosenblatt S.
        • Bosomworth J.
        Use of a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, in the treatment of obesity.
        Int J Obesity. 1987; 11: 185-190
        • Lipinski J.F.
        • Mallya G.
        • Zimmerman P.
        • et al.
        Fluoxetine-induced akathisia: Clinical and theoretical implications.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1989; 50: 339-342
        • Muijen M.
        • Roy D.
        • Silverstone T.
        • Mehmet A.
        • Christie M.
        A comparative clinical trial of fluoxetine, mianserin and placebo in depressed outpatients.
        Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1988; 78: 384-390
        • Muller E.A.
        • Murphy D.L.
        • Sunderland T.
        Neuroendocrine effects of m-chlorophenylpiperazine, a serotonin agonist, in humans.
        J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1985; 61: 1179-1184
        • Murphy D.L.
        • Garrick N.A.
        • Aulakh C.S.
        • et al.
        New contributions from basic science to understanding the effects of monoamine oxidase inhibiting antidepressants.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1984; 45 (Sec. 2): 37-43
        • Murphy D.L.
        • Sunderland T.
        • Cohen R.M.
        Monoamine oxidase-inhibiting antidepressants. A clinical update.
        Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1984; 7: 549-562
        • Nakra B.R.S.
        • Szwabo P.
        • Grossberg G.T.
        Mania induced by fluoxetine.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1989; 146: 1515-1516
        • Noveske P.G.
        • Hahn D.R.
        • Flynn R.J.
        Possible toxicity of combined fluoxetine and lithium.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1989; 146: 1515
        • Pope Jr., H.G.
        • Jonas J.M.
        • Hudson J.I.
        • et al.
        Toxic reactions to the combination of monoamine oxidase inhibitors and tryptophan.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1985; 142: 491-492
        • Potter W.Z.
        • Rudorfer M.V.
        • Lesieur P.
        • Risby E.D.
        • Linnoila M.
        Biochemical effects of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors in man.
        in: Gastpar M. Wakelin J.S. Mendlevicz J. van Praag H.M. Selective 5-HT Reuptake Inhibitors: Novel or Commonplace Agents? Advances in Biological Psychiatry. Karger, Basel1988: 18-30
        • Rickels K.
        • Smith W.T.
        • Glaudin V.
        Comparison of two dosage regimens of fluoxetine in major depression.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1985; 46: 38-41
        • Rosenthal N.E.
        • Sack D.A.
        • Wehr T.A.
        Seasonal variation in affective disorders.
        in: Wehr T.A. Goodwin F.K. Circadian Rhythms in Psychiatry. Boxwood Press, 1983: 185-201
        • Schou M.
        • Weeke A.
        Did manic-depressive patients who committed suicide receive prophylactic or continuation treatment at the time?.
        Br J Psychiatry. 1988; 153: 324-327
        • Schweizer E.
        • Rickels K.
        • Amsterdam J.D.
        • et al.
        What constitutes an adequate antidepressant trial for fluoxetine?.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1990; 51: 8-11
        • Soloff P.H.
        • George A.
        • Natran R.S.
        • et al.
        Paradoxical effects of amitriptyline on borderline patients.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1986; 143: 1603-1605
        • Sternback H.
        Danger of MAOI therapy after fluoxetine withdrawal.
        Lancet. 1988; 2: 850-851
        • Takahashi E.
        Seasonal variation of conception and suicide.
        Tohoku Exp Med. 1964; 84: 215
        • Tate J.L.
        Extrapyramidal symptoms in a patient taking haloperidol and fluoxetine.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1980; 146: 399-400
        • Teicher M.H.
        • Glod C.
        • Cole J.O.
        Emergence of intense suicidal preoccupation during fluoxetine treatment.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1990; 147: 207-210
        • Thomas J.M.
        • Rubin E.H.
        Case report of a toxic reaction from a combination of tryptophan and phenelzine.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1984; 141: 281-283
        • Wernicke J.F.
        The side effect profile and safety of fluoxetine.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 1985; 46: 59-67
        • Wernicke J.F.
        • Dunlop S.R.
        • Dornseif B.E.
        • et al.
        Fixed-dose fluoxetine therapy for depression.
        Psychopharmacol Bull. 1987; 23: 164-168
        • Zohar J.
        • Insel T.R.
        Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychobiological approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and pathophysiology.
        Biol Psychiatry. 1987; 22: 667-687

      Article info

      Publication history

      Received in revised form: January 26, 1991
      Received: May 29, 1990

      Identification

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3223(91)90173-J

      Copyright

      © 1991 Published by Elsevier Inc.

      ScienceDirect

      Access this article on ScienceDirect

      The content on this site is intended for healthcare professionals.


      We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. To update your cookie settings, please visit the Cookie Preference Center for this site.
      Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. except certain content provided by third parties.


      RELX