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Can low-dose propranolol induce a manic syndrome? Case report of an unexpected side effect

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2013

Mahin Eslami Shahrbabaki ,
Fariborz Estilaee  and
Amir Eslami Shahrbabaki
Mahin Eslami Shahrbabaki
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Department, Beheshti Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Kerman, Iran
Fariborz Estilaee*
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Department, Beheshti Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Kerman, Iran
Amir Eslami Shahrbabaki
Affiliation:
Sports Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
*
Fariborz Estilaee, Psychiatry Department, Beheshti Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Kerman, Iran. Tel: +98 341 2116328; Fax: +98 341 2110856; E-mail: farest01@gmail.com
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Abstract

Objectives

Propranolol, the first discovered b-adrenergic receptor antagonist, has been prescribed by physicians in various fields for more than three decades. It has been applied for treating psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, mania and anxiety disorders, as well as for controlling withdrawal symptoms or other side effects.

Methods

We describe the case of an 11-year-old boy with bipolar-I disorder comorbid with panic disorder who developed manic symptoms with a single dose of 10 mg of propranolol.

Results and Conclusion

Although depression is a better-known side effect of b-adrenergic antagonists, clinicians should take mania as a rare side effect into consideration as well.

Keywords

propranololbipolarside effectmania

Information

Type
Case Report
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , June 2013 , pp. 184 - 186
Copyright
Copyright © Scandinavian College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2013 

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