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Case Reports
. 2008 Mar;4(1):18-20.
doi: 10.1007/BF03160945.

A fatal case of venlafaxine overdose

George M Bosse  1 , Henry A Spiller, Aaron M Collins
Affiliations
Case Reports

A fatal case of venlafaxine overdose

George M Bosse et al. J Med Toxicol. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: Based on its primary action of serotonin reuptake inhibition, venlafaxine overdose would be expected to result in serotonergic effects.

Case report: A 40 year old male ingested venlafaxine without co-ingestants in a suicide attempt. The patient developed refractory ventricular fibrillation and expired approximately 9 hours post-ingestion. ECG monitoring revealed significant QRS and QTC interval prolongation prior to his demise.

Discussion: A literature review of venlafaxine overdose cases and investigation into its mechanism of action was conducted. The potential for sodium channel blockade and implications for therapy are discussed.

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