Psychosis From Anticholinergic Medications Administered at a Smoking Cessation Clinic

Abstract

Anticholinergic medications are used for a variety of reasons, from their effects on the central nervous system to their effects on the gastrointestinal tract. They are used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, vertigo, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and peptic ulcer disease. They have also been used in the treatment of motion sickness. These medications must be used with caution due to their effects on other systems, including the central nervous system. Common central nervous system side effects due to anticholinergic medications include sedation, delirium, amnesia, and in the case of the patient presented in this report, psychosis. A 61-year-old man presented to the emergency department with visual and auditory hallucinations secondary to anticholinergic medications (scopolamine and atropine) he received in a smoking cessation clinic. Previous cases of anticholinergic medication–induced psychosis are also summarized.