Abstract
Objective:
To report apathetic and hypoactive depression caused by olanzapine.
Case Summary:
A 29-year-old white man and a 29-year-old white woman developed apathy, hypoactivity, blunted affect, depressed mood, and other depressive symptoms while taking olanzapine. Both showed a distinctly abnormal appearance. Clinicians attributed these symptoms to psychiatric illness, but the symptoms disappeared rapidly after drug discontinuation or dose decrease.
Discussion:
The only previous report of depression from olanzapine involved a medication interaction with fluoxetine. Another report described olanzapine-induced orbital-frontal syndrome, with childlike oversimplicity. If such symptoms are observed, the discontinuation of olanzapine is recommended.
Conclusions:
These observations suggest additional cautions when olanzapine is used outside of schizophrenia.
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