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1/30. Discontinuation symptoms with nefazodone.

    OBJECTIVE: We report a patient who developed discontinuation symptoms following nefazodone cessation. CLINICAL PICTURE: The patient experienced nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, ataxia, insomnia, marked agitation, headache and flu-like symptoms. TREATMENT: She was reluctant to recommence nefazodone and was symptomatically treated with oxazepam. OUTCOME: The patient recovered completely in 10 days. CONCLUSIONS: Nefazodone discontinuation can result in withdrawal symptoms and therefore needs to be tapered gradually. Those who have experienced discontinuation symptoms with other antidepressants in the past may be at increased risk.
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ranking = 1
keywords = headache
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2/30. Pearls and pitfalls of headache.

    headache is one of the most common complaints confronting neurologists. This article illustrates through case studies both some of the rare and some of the commonly challenging aspects of diagnosis and management of headache. Each case is followed by a brief overview of the topic. The reader should have an appreciation of the importance of historical clues to diagnosis and specific management for atypical headache entities.
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ranking = 6
keywords = headache
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3/30. Gabapentin withdrawal presenting as status epilepticus.

    A 34-year-old male with lumbar disc disease and surgery was placed on gabapentin daily for chronic back pain. He remained on a steady dose of 8000 mg/day for 9 months, almost doubled what is considered therapeutic. He ran out of medication, was unable to refill his prescription for 2 days and presented to the emergency department in status epilepticus. There was no previous history of seizure disorder and he was on no other medications. A medical evaluation for an alternative etiology of his seizures was negative. Although gabapentin withdrawal has been previously reported and usually consists of anxiety, diaphoresis, and palpitations, this is the first reported patient with generalized seizures and status epilepticus secondary to gabapentin withdrawal.
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ranking = 0.010272548592395
keywords = back
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4/30. Withdrawal symptoms in a patient receiving intrathecal morphine via an infusion pump.

    We describe a case of a failed implanted, programmable, intrathecal infusion pump-and its external programmer-leading to morphine withdrawal symptoms, in a patient with failed back syndrome.
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ranking = 0.010272548592395
keywords = back
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5/30. Persisting visual hallucinations and illusions in previously drug-addicted patients.

    BACKGROUND: Tetrahydrocannabinol (cannabis) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are psychomimetic agents that induce impairment of sensory perception. illusions and hallucinations are mostly visual. Most frequently the visual phenomena occur in conjunction with drug abuse. patients AND methods: Three previously drug-addicted patients were examined for either persisting or spontaneously recurrent visual phenomena. Two patients complained of persisting visual illusions (vibrations, dyskinetopsia and impaired depth perception) during more than 12 months after an excessive use of cannabis. The third patient was a multiple drug abuser (LSD for 6 years) and complained of visual hallucinations and palinopsia following heavy ethanol intake, 20 years after stopping the use of any drug. RESULTS: Results from neuro-ophthalmic and neurological examinations were normal for the first two patients. The third patient presented abnormal visual fields with preserved visual acuity; electroencephalography was abnormal, suggesting an underlying toxic encephalopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent visual illusions or hallucinations can occur during several months after an intake of cannabis. Flash-back phenomena are frequent amongst LSD abusers. They rarely occur at long times after the last intake (20 years in the present case); when they do so, precipitating factors are often present (ethanol, medication, anesthesia). Such phenomena reflect the cortical dysfunctions that can be induced by illegal substances.
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ranking = 0.010272548592395
keywords = back
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6/30. Frequent migraine and migraine status without tension-type headaches: an unusual presentation of rebound headaches.

    Rebound headaches usually present as daily or almost daily, prolonged, generalized tension-type headaches with superimposed migraine-like attacks. The latter are more frequent, more intense, and longer than any episodic migraine that the patient might have experienced prior to the development of the chronic daily headaches. Rebound presenting as migraine without tension-type pain has been mentioned in a few previous articles on chronic daily headache, but there have been no previous articles stressing that frequent migraine might relate to the analgesics that are being used. These case histories are presented to illustrate that frequent migraine and migraine status without tension-type headaches may be manifestations of rebound and improve when the offending analgesic agents are stopped. If the clinician fails to recognize this unusual presentation of rebound headache, the patient might be placed on unnecessary and often ineffective medications for prophylaxis instead of stopping the offending pain relief medications.
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ranking = 14
keywords = headache
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7/30. cyproheptadine for intrathecal baclofen withdrawal.

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of cyproheptadine in the management of acute intrathecal baclofen (ITB) withdrawal. DESIGN: Descriptive case series. SETTING: University hospital with a comprehensive in- and outpatient rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS: Four patients (3 with spinal cord injury, 1 with cerebral palsy) with implanted ITB infusion pumps for treatment of severe spasticity, who had ITB withdrawal syndrome because of interruption of ITB infusion. INTERVENTIONS: patients were treated with 4 to 8mg of cyproheptadine by mouth every 6 to 8 hours, 5 to 10mg of diazepam by mouth every 6 to 12 hours, 10 to 20mg of baclofen by mouth every 6 hours, and ITB boluses in some cases. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical signs and symptoms of ITB withdrawal of varying severity were assessed by vital signs (temperature, heart rate), physical examination (reflexes, tone, clonus), and patient report of symptoms (itching, nausea, headache, malaise). RESULTS: The patients in our series improved significantly when the serotonin antagonist cyproheptadine was added to their regimens. fever dropped at least 1.5 degrees C, and heart rate dropped from rates of 120 to 140 to less than 100bpm. Reflexes, tone, and myoclonus also decreased. patients reported dramatic reduction in itching after cyproheptadine. These changes were associated temporally with cyproheptadine dosing. DISCUSSION: Acute ITB withdrawal syndrome occurs frequently in cases of malfunctioning intrathecal infusion pumps or catheters. The syndrome commonly presents with pruritus and increased muscle tone. It can progress rapidly to high fever, altered mental status, seizures, profound muscle rigidity, rhabdomyolysis, brain injury, and death. Current therapy with oral baclofen and benzodiazepines is useful but has variable success, particularly in severe cases. We note that ITB withdrawal is similar to serotonergic syndromes, such as in overdoses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or the popular drug of abuse 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy). We postulate that ITB withdrawal may be a form of serotonergic syndrome that occurs from loss of gamma-aminobutyric acid B receptor-mediated presynaptic inhibition of serotonin. CONCLUSION: cyproheptadine may be a useful adjunct to baclofen and benzodiazepines in the management of acute ITB withdrawal syndrome.
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ranking = 1
keywords = headache
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8/30. Opiate withdrawal syndrome mimicking postoperative intestinal obstruction.

    patients with complicated inflammatory bowel disease commonly undergo repeated surgical procedures, often against a background of chronic opiate use. We describe a case in which a postoperative attempt to withdraw opiate analgesia on two separate occasions led to a clinical syndrome strongly suggestive of intestinal obstruction, the signs and symptoms of which settled rapidly on re-introduction of opiates. Small bowel contrast studies indicated a level of obstruction which not only fluctuated, but occurred at an unusual site for mechanical obstruction. In patients with a history of long-standing opiate use, postoperative opiate withdrawal can cause a significant, functional bowel disorder and should be borne in mind in the differential diagnosis of postoperative intestinal obstruction. patients can be treated effectively with clonidine.
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ranking = 0.010272548592395
keywords = back
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9/30. Medication overuse headache.

    Medication overuse headache may complicate any type of headache and occurs in young people, adults, and even elderly patients.Overuse of acute medications may change intermittent or self-limited headaches into chronic daily headache. Migraineurs seem particularly prone to analgesic rebound headache/ transformed migraine/chronic migraine. Prophylactic therapies are often ineffective in the setting of medication overuse. Recognition of this condition allows appropriate clinical intervention that includes cessation of the offending medications.
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ranking = 9
keywords = headache
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10/30. Barbiturate withdrawal following internet purchase of Fioricet.

    BACKGROUND: The internet enables businesses to advertise their pharmaceutical products and services without medical supervision. The internet also allows for the unsupervised purchase of medications that may have neurologic consequences. OBJECTIVE: To describe acute withdrawal delirium following the abrupt discontinuation of Fioricet. PATIENT: The patient was a 37-year-old woman with a history of depression and migraine headaches but not drug abuse. She developed a florid withdrawal delirium following the discontinuation of a drug she purchased online. The medication, which contained butalbital, was self-administered in escalating doses for the treatment of chronic headaches. Daily doses of up to 750 mg to 1000 mg were reported. RESULTS: The patient was admitted to the hospital for the treatment of unexplained seizures that were followed by several days of an intense withdrawal syndrome. Little improvement was noted after the administration of benzodiazepines and phenothiazine. After parenteral phenobarbital administration, her symptoms resolved. CONCLUSIONS: The withdrawal state from barbiturates is similar to that from ethanol. Tolerance can develop with prolonged abuse, leading to escalating drug doses to achieve the desired effect. The suggested management of both types of withdrawal syndromes is similar, but the relative resistance of the behavioral and autonomic features in patients was remarkable. physicians should be aware of the ease with which medications can be purchased without supervision from internet pharmacies. The magnitude of the number of drugs that are made available through this means creates a proclivity to withdrawal states.
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ranking = 2
keywords = headache
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