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A case in which mirtazapine reduced auditory hallucinations in a patient with Parkinson disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 November 2012

Tomoyuki Nagata*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Shunichiro Shinagawa
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Kenji Tagai
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Kazuhiko Nakayama
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Tomoyuki Nagata, Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8, Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan. Phone: +81 334 331 111; Fax: +81 334 370 228. Email: t.nagata@jikei.ac.jp.

Abstract

A 48-year-old woman with Parkinson disease (PD) suffered from auditory hallucinations (AH). We had treated her with a reduction in antiparkinsonian agents and the use of atypical antipsychotic agents. However, her symptoms did not improve, and her extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) worsened. To lessen her depressive symptoms, treatment with a new-generation antidepressant, mirtazapine (MRZ), was commenced. The patient's AH gradually decreased with no worsening of EPS, and the AH disappeared 4 weeks after the commencement of treatment with MRZ. The present case suggests the effectiveness of MRZ for the treatment of refractory AHs in patients with PD.

Type
Case Report
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2012 

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