Tania Beltran Papsdorf
United States
Case Report
Denovo Epileptiform Encephalopathy in an Elderly Patient as a Result of
Psychotrophic Medication Dose Adjustment
Author(s): Hae W Shin and Tania Beltran PapsdorfHae W Shin and Tania Beltran Papsdorf
Psychotropic medications are often used in various psychiatric and neurological conditions. Potential risks of
seizures or altered mental status are low but have been reported with these medications. However, increased dose
of these medications were not known to predispose to epileptiform encephalopathy. A 79 year old female with a
history of mild dementia, major depressive disorder and anxiety was brought into our tertiary medical center by her
family for a two week history of worsening depression and anxiety, superimposed on acute psychosis after minor
dose adjustment of mirtazapine and donepezil. Neurological evaluation revealed moderate encephalopathy without
any underlying metabolic, infectious or structural cerebral abnormalities. However, an electroencephalogram
showed frequent bifrontally predominant spikes and polyspikes and sl.. View More»
