Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0011551 (depersonalization)
 1,117 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The high rate of benzodiazepines (BZD) consumption has been repeatedly confirmed by epidemiological surveys in most major western world countries. In a recent french survey 7% of chronic users of BZD (use in 5/7 days for the last 12 months) were found the general population (17% in the population aged above 65). It has been suggested that the high BZD consumption rate could be related to dependence. The existence of BZD dependence was described in the early sixties with very high dose of chlordiazepoxide but it has become a real concern for the medical community since the late seventies with increasing number of reports of withdrawal symptoms. The extend of the actual rate of withdrawal symptoms at BZD tapering is still very controversial and according to the different studies it varies from 39 to 90%. The between studies difference in parameters such as: the patient populations (psychopathology, treatment duration), the type of tapering employed (duration, nature of the medical and psychological support) and the used operational criteria for withdrawal definition most likely explain this wide variation in the rate of occurrence of withdrawal manifestations. According to the American Psychiatric Association Task Force on Benzodiazepine Dependence, Toxicity and Abuse three type of pathological events can happen after treatment discontinuation: rebound, withdrawal syndrome and recurrence. The rebound consists in the early and transitory reappearance of the anxiety symptoms pre-existing to the treatment but in an exacerbated from; the withdrawal syndrome associates the resurgence of the pre-existing anxiety symptoms and new symptoms as sensory disturbances (metallic taste, hyperosmia, cutaneous exacerbated sensitivity, photophobia...) nausea, headache, motor disturbance in some rare cases depersonalization, paranoid reaction, confusion, convulsion. Rebound or withdrawal syndrome appearance delay varies from hours to few days according mostly to compounds elimination half-life. The relapse develops later with a progressive reapparance of pre-treatment symptoms. In practice recurrence and rebound are often difficult to isolate: recurrence can follow rebound. Different operational criteria of definition for this different entities have been proposed but there is a need for a consensual position. The treatment length, a high daily dose, an alcohol abuse history, a dependent personality and the severity of the psychopathology of the patients have been found to be predictive for the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms. Behavioural therapies (individual or in group) have been proposed with some success for the treatment of benzodiazepine dependence; drug treatment with carbamazepine or imipramine have demonstrated some efficacy. Other drug as buspirone clonidine having anxiolytic properties have not demonstrated efficacy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:[Dependence on benzodiazepines. Clinical and biological aspects]. 791 65

The authors prospectively assessed symptoms induced by the interruption of antidepressants in 16 patients (11 women and 5 men), aged from 33 to 85 years (mean = 52.4 +/- 16.4), treated with antidepressants since at least two weeks. All patients were free of alcohol abuse or dependence disorder and of other dependence to psychoactive substances. None of them presented medical illness. Diagnosis were made by separate evaluations by two authors and confirmed with a semistructered assessment instrument: the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (Lifetime Version). All patients were submitted to a brutal discontinuation of their antidepressant agent. Patients were assessed twice, before the interruption of the antidepressant, and 72 hours later. Effects of antidepressant interruption were assessed by several means. Modification of anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. Symptoms of withdrawal were assessed with Cassano and al.'s scale SESSH including an evaluation of anxiety, agitation, irritability, anergy, difficulty on concentrating, depersonalization, sleep and appetite disorders, muscle pains, nausea, tremor, sweating, altered taste, hyperosmia, paresthesias, photophobia, motor incoordination, dizziness, hyperacousia pain, delirium. Fourteen of the 16 patients (87.5%) presented modifications of their somatic or psychic state 3 days after the interruption of the antidepressant treatment. Most frequent symptoms were: increase in anxiety (31%), increase in irritability (25%), sleep disorders (19%), decrease of anergia and fatigue (19%). Mean scores of anxiety and depression were not significantly modified by the withdrawal. Following TCAs interruption (7 patients) most frequent symptoms were sleep disorders; increase in anxiety, nausea. Among patients withdrawn from SSRIs (6 patients), most frequent symptoms were increase in anxiety, increase in irritability, headache. Patients also presented a decrease of nausea, and of anorexia.
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PMID:[Prospective evaluation of antidepressant discontinuation]. 969 14