Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T07:35:04.318Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Psychosis following lorazepam withdrawal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

John D Sheehan  and
Rory K Shelley
John D Sheehan
Affiliation:
Eastern Health Board, Kildare Mental Health Service, Tus Nua, Kildare, Co Kildare
Rory K Shelley
Affiliation:
St John of God Hospital, Stillorgan, Co Dublin, Ireland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A sixty three year old woman developed an organic psychosis after stopping lorazepam. She had taken a high dosage of the drug for 4 years but had discontinued it gradually in reducing doses over six months. It suggests that serious withdrawal reactions may still occur despite gradual cessation and highlights the importance of total dose ingested as a predictor of withdrawal phenomena.

Keywords

PsychosisWithdrawalBenzodiazepineLorazepam
Type
Clinical & Brief Reports
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , June 1993 , pp. 99 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Hollister, LE, Motzenbecker, FP, Degan, RO. Withdrawal reactions from chlordiazeoxide. Psychopharmacologia 1961; 2: 63–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Roberts, K, Vass, N. Schneiderian first rank symptoms caused by benzodiazepine withdrawal. Br J Psychiatry 1986; 148: 593–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Howe, JG. Lorazepam withdrawal seizures. BMJ 1980; 280: 1163–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Ayd, FJ Jr.Benzodiazepine dependence and withdrawal. JAMA 1979; 242: 1401–2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Dysken, CW, Chan, CH. Diazepam withdrawal psychosis. Am J Psychiatry 1977; 134: 573.Google ScholarPubMed
6.Lader, MH. Benzodiazepine dependence. In: ISI Atlas of Science: Pharmacology. Philadelphia: Institute for Scientific Information, 1987; 299–302.Google Scholar
7.Preskorn, SH, Denner, LJ. Benzodiazepines and withdrawal psychosis. JAMA 1977; 237: 36–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Murphy, SM, Tyrer, P. The essence of benzodiazepine dependence. Oxford University Press, 1988: 157–69.Google Scholar
9.Murphy, SM, Tyrer, P. A double-blind comparison of the effects of gradual withdrawal of lorazepam, diazepam and bromazepam in benzodiazepine dependence. Br J Psychiatry 1991; 158: 511–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed