Research Information System
Acta Medica Mediterranea, vol.30, no.5, pp.1099-1101, 2014 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Background: Lithium is a drug used to treat mood disorders-in particular, bipolar disorder. Due to lithium's narrow therapeutic dosage range, the potential for toxicity associated with its use is very high. Herein we report a patient with lithium intoxication following co-administration of trandolapril and hydrochlorothiazide. Case presentation: A 52-year-old male that had been treated with lithium for bipolar disorder since 1994 was admitted to the intensive care unit for the treatment of a high serum lithium level. Two weeks earlier he began taking trandolapril 2 mg o.p.d. and hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg o.p.d. for hypertension. He then began to experience nausea, vomiting, loss of balance, slurred speech, difficulty walking, hand tremor, and swollen feet in the morning of his presentation to the emergency department. The patient underwent a 4-h hemodialysis treatment, which lowered the serum lithium level. He was discharged on d 5 of hospitalization. Discussion and conclusion: Concomitant use of trandolapril and hydrochlorothiazide may cause the serum lithium level to increase and hemodialysis can be used to treat lithium intoxication.