Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
Manuela Stoicescu
University of Oradea, Romania
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clin Exp Cardiolog
Objectives: The main important objective of this presentation is to attract attention that the therapy with antidepressant drugs is not inoffensive. In the last period there was an abuse of therapy with antidepressant drugs with or without serious justification. Many young women used these pills after diagnosis of depression. This abuse must to be stopped because of dangerous sides effects. Material & Methods: Present the situation of a woman patient 40 years old, non-smoker, without coffee or alcohol consume, with a good life style, which started the therapy with tricyclic antidepressant drug�amitriptyline,10 mg orally 3 times daily with four month ago, after her husband deeds in a car accident and she was diagnosis with depression. After that, she came at the consultation for a crisis of palpitations. The EKG showed torsades de pointes and needs antiarrhythmic i.v. therapy to revue in sinus rhythm. When the patient become in sinus rhythm appear evident on EKG the QT interval very long so a prolonged QT interval. This could be a side effect after amitriptyline administration, or the patient can have had an unknown prolonged congenital QT interval and the antidepressant drug prolong more than that the QT interval and this degenerate and develop torsades de pointes, very risky because can induce ventricular fibrillation and sudden death. Of course the therapy was stopped. Results & Discussions: The antidepressant drug - amitriptyline is contraindicating at the patients with congenital prolog QT syndrome. It is dangerous to start this therapy without one minimum EKG before, to exclude this congenital prolog QT syndrome unknown, because is asymptomatic. Also, at the categories of patients with normal EKG previously, can develop side effects prolog QT syndrome after amitriptyline, but if the congenital prolong QT syndrome is present, the risk for torsades de points are higher. Conclusions: The administration of antidepressant drugs without an EKG before started this therapy, is dangerous because these categories of drugs especial amitriptyline develop side effects prolong QT syndrome and if a patient had an unknown congenital QT long syndrome this side effects prolong more QT interval and can degenerate in torsades de pointes, ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest and sudden death. The patients must to be attention about this dangerous risk.
Manuela Stoicescu is Consultant Internal Medicine Physician (PhD in Internal Medicine), Assistant Professor of University of Oradea, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Medical Disciplines Department, Romania. She was invited as a speaker at more than 30 International Conferences is USA, China, Japan, Canada, Thailand, Dubai, Spain, Germany, is Committing Organizing Member at many International Conferences, is editorial board member in two ISSN prestigious Journal in U.S.A, published more than 20 articles in prestigious ISSN Journals in U.S.A. She published five books: two books for students, two books on Amazon at International Editor–LAP Lambert Publishing Academic House in Germany- “Sudden Cardiac Death in the Young” and “Side Effects of Antiviral Hepatitis Treatment”, one monograph:“High blood pressure in the young a ignored problem!”, two chapter books – Cardiovascular disease: Causes, Risks, Management CVD1- Causes of Cardiovascular Disease 1.5,1.6, U.S.A on Amazon. , a book in USA -‘Tumor Markers in Hypertensive Young Patients.