[Acute choreic syndrome and psychotic state induced by an amphetaminic drug]

A twenty-nine year-old woman, with oral contraceptive medication over 10 years, was admitted with chorea and acute psychosis. Fourty-eight hours earlier she had initiated therapy with amphetamine. The mechanisms of these acute manifestations are discussed: oral contraceptives increase striatal post-synaptic dopaminergic sensitivity, while amphetamines facilitate the dopamine release in striatum.