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Kleptomania Induced by Venlafaxine
Kumi Sakurada1, Masashi Nibuya1, Kazuo Yamada1
1Division of Psychiatry, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai City, Miyagi, Japan.
Case Reports in Psychiatry
|September 20, 2021
Summary
Antidepressant venlafaxine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, may induce kleptomania. Reducing the venlafaxine dosage resolved the stealing behavior in a patient, suggesting a link between this medication and impulse control disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Kleptomania is an impulse-control disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to steal.
- It is frequently observed alongside Parkinson's disease treatments and in frontotemporal dementia.
- Antidepressants, particularly serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), are increasingly recognized for potential neuropsychiatric side effects.
Observation:
- A 54-year-old female patient developed recurrent stealing behavior after treatment with venlafaxine (225 mg/day) for depression.
- Frontotemporal dementia was excluded, and venlafaxine-induced kleptomania was suspected.
- Stealing symptoms resolved upon gradual dose reduction of venlafaxine to 37.5 mg/day.
Findings:
- This case suggests venlafaxine may induce kleptomania, a rare side effect of antidepressants.
- Potential mechanisms include increased dopaminergic transmission or enhanced serotonergic transmission.
- This is the fourth reported instance of venlafaxine-induced kleptomania.
Implications:
- Clinicians should consider kleptomania as a potential adverse effect of venlafaxine.
- Monitoring for impulse-control disorders is crucial in patients treated with SNRIs.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying antidepressant-induced kleptomania.
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