Atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia associated with stimulant treatment

J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 1999;9(2):125-8. doi: 10.1089/cap.1999.9.125.

Abstract

A 13-year-old African-American female taking sertraline for obsessive compulsive disorder was diagnosed with her first episode of atrioventricular (AV) nodal re-entrant tachycardia five days after beginning Mixed Salts of a Single-Entity Amphetamine Product (Adderall) for treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She received successful cardioversion with 6 mg of intravenous adenosine, but developed a second episode of possible AV nodal re-entrant tachycardia twelve days after Adderall was reinitiated at half the previous dose. The patient had clinically similar cardiac episodes five and six months after treatment was changed to slow-release methylphenidate. Stimulant medication may evoke onset of AV nodal tachyarrhythmias in patients who have the potential to develop them, possibly in combination with a selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Amphetamines / adverse effects*
  • Catheter Ablation
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / adverse effects*
  • Drug Interactions
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Methylphenidate / adverse effects*
  • Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / chemically induced*
  • Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / surgery

Substances

  • Adderall
  • Amphetamines
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants
  • Methylphenidate