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Neuroleptic malignant syndrome during olanzapine and levomepromazine treatment
1Department of Psychogeriatrics, Tampere University Hospital, Finland.
Objective:
To date only five reports of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) related to olanzapine exist. The first case report was published in November 1998.
Method:
We report the case of a 78-year-old woman suffering from chronic schizophrenia who developed a NMS while being treated with olanzapine and levomepromazine. Before this her medication had been unchanged for more than 2 years.
Results:
When treated with olanzapine and levomepromazine, the patient had a fulminant NMS which was complicated with pneumonia. When the neuroleptic drug treatment was discontinued, the patient recovered. However, when this combination was restarted later due to severe agitation and hallucinations, the symptoms of NMS reappeared.
Conclusion:
This case report shows that the neuroleptic malignant syndrome can occur during olanzapine treatment as well as during treatment with conventional neuroleptics. This syndrome may develop even after a long and stable neuroleptic treatment.