Journal Identification = EPD Article Identification = 0805 Date: February 22, 2016 Time: 2:23 pm Clinical commentary with video sequence Epileptic Disord 2016; 18 (1): 83-6 Olanzapine-related repetitive focal seizures with lingual dystonia Francesca Anzellotti, Margherita Capasso, Valerio Frazzini, Marco Onofrj SS Annunziata Hospital of Chieti- Neurology, Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy Received July 20, 2015; Accepted January 09, 2016 ABSTRACT – Olanzapine-related seizures have rarely been reported despite associated proconvulsant risk factors described in the literature: myoclonic status, increased frequency of seizures, tonic-clonic seizures, as well as fatal status epilepticus. We present a psychiatric patient who developed repeti- tive focal motor seizures and lingual dystonia when olanzapine was added for psychomotor agitation and aggressiveness. Olanzapine was immedi- ately suspended and the seizures progressively disappeared. A control EEG showed no paroxysmal discharges. Olanzapine shares some phar- macological similarities with clozapine, a neuroleptic with a high risk of dose-dependent seizures. This adverse effect should be taken into account, and olanzapine should be used with caution if concomitant circumstances decrease the seizure threshold. [Published with video sequence online] Key words: olanzapine, side effect, seizure, focal motor seizure, lingual dystonia, EEG Atypical antipsychotics are known to (Grover et al., 2015; Williams and be associated with EEG abnormali- Park, 2015), whereas olanzapine ties (Centorrino et al., 2002). Olan- has infrequently been associated zapine is an atypical antipsychotic with relevant epileptogenic risk medication with fewer reported although it can lower seizure thresh- side effects than the traditional old (Woolley and Smith, 2001). antipsychotic agents. This drug has Earlier reports of the epilepto- considerable affinity for dopamine, genic risk associated with olan- serotonin, histamine, and adrener- zapine might have been poten- gic and muscarinic receptors (Fulton tially confounded by the presence and Goa, 1997). Structurally, it is of other medical disorders, pre- VIDEOS ONLINE a thienobenzodiazepine derivative, existing seizure disorders, or drug with pharmacological profile simi- withdrawal. We report the first doc- Correspondence: lar to that of clozapine, the first umented case of repetitive focal SS Annunziata Hospital of Chieti, atypical agent developed. Despite motor seizures with lingual dys- Neurology, Via Dei Vestini, their similarities, clozapine has been tonia induced by olanzapine in a Chieti 66023, Italy noted to induce dose-dependent patient with epilepsy and psychiatric <[email protected]> doi:10.1684/epd.2016.0805 seizures in about 5-6% of patients disorder. Epileptic Disord, Vol. 18, No. 1, March 2016 83 Journal Identification = EPD Article Identification = 0805 Date: February 22, 2016 Time: 2:23 pm F. Anzellotti, et al. Case study repetitive episodes of right mouth deviation, eyelid myoclonia, and aphasia. These episodes were briefly A 47-year-old man was brought to the emergency followed by oral and left hand gestural automatisms. department for psychotic episodes consisting of delu- Neurological examination was normal, with the excep- sions, agitation and mood changes. Patient medical tion of dysartria and mild extrapyramidal signs. Several history revealed a diagnosis of paranoid subtype investigations were performed (full blood count, ery- schizophrenia and post-traumatic seizure disorder throcyte sedimentation rate, liver function tests, serum since 16 years old; he fell off a bike with ictal episodes creatinine, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin characterized by nocturnal hypermotor seizures. He time, thyroxine and antithyroid antibodies, folic acid, regularly took topiramate at 300 mg/day and pheno- and vitamin B12) and were normal. The ictal video-EEG barbital at 150 mg/day. He was first hospitalised in a revealed a clear correlation of symptoms with focal non-neurological department where he was treated spikes and polyspike discharges (figure 1). The EEG with olanzapine, 10 mg daily. After five days, he recording showed a left fronto-temporal focus with abruptly developed persistent dysartria with intermit- recruiting polyspikes, followed by generalized spike- tent eyelid myoclonia. As the cerebral tomography wave complexes at 4-5 Hz with phase opposition on (CT), as well as the interictal EEG, did not show any T3 and T4. A generalized frequency reduction of about significant abnormality, these episodes were at first 7-8 Hz was then recorded, and finally a focal epileptic interpreted as pseudoseizures and the patient was activity derived from the left fronto-temporal region treated with olanzapine, 15 mg daily.After two days, the was recorded. Clinically, we observed a right devia- patient was admitted to our neurological department tion of the mouth and eyelid myoclonia for about one due to sudden appearance of lingual dystonia, with minute, followed by gestural automatism of the left AC TM-RF TM-RF Fp2-F8 Fp2-F8 F8-T4 F8-T4 T4-T6 T4-T6 T6-O2 T6-O2 Fp2-F4 Fp2-F4 F4-C4 F4-C4 C4-P4 C4-P4 P4-O2 P4-O2 T4-C4 T4-C4 Fp1-F7 Fp1-F7 F7-T3 F7-T3 T3-T5 T3-T5 T5-O1 T5-O1 Fp1-F3 Fp1-F3 F3-C3 F3-C3 C3-P3 C3-P3 P3-O1 P3-O1 T3-C3 T3-C3 Fz-Cz Fz-Cz Cz-Pz Cz-Pz EKG EKG EOG EOG MK-RF MK-RF B D TM-RF TM-RF Fp2-F8 Fp2-F8 F8-T4 F8-T4 T4-T6 T4-T6 T6-O2 T6-O2 Fp2-F4 Fp2-F4 F4-C4 F4-C4 C4-P4 C4-P4 P4-O2 P4-O2 T4-C4 T4-C4 Fp1-F7 Fp1-F7 F7-T3 F7-T3 T3-T5 T3-T5 T5-O1 T5-O1 Fp1-F3 Fp1-F3 F3-C3 F3-C3 C3-P3 C3-P3 P3-O1 P3-O1 T3-C3 T3-C3 Fz-Cz Fz-Cz Cz-Pz Cz-Pz EKG EKG EOG EOG MK-RF MK-RF Figure 1. EEG recording showed a left fronto-temporal focus with recruiting polyspikes (A), followed by generalized spike-wave complexes at 4-5 Hz with phase opposition on T3 and T4 (B, C); finally a focal theta epileptic activity derived from the left fronto-temporal region was recorded (D). 84 Epileptic Disord, Vol. 18, No. 1, March 2016 Journal Identification = EPD Article Identification = 0805 Date: February 22, 2016 Time: 2:23 pm Olanzapine-related seizures and lingual dystonia hand (video sequence). No loss of consciousness was et al., 2000; Hedges and Jeppson, 2002). During the developed; during the seizure episode, the patient was last few years, two retrospective studies have been able to understand simple commands even if he was conducted which compared EEG effects of typical unable to talk. He was also able to remember the ictal and atypical neuroleptics in the psychiatric population and interictal events after seizure cessation. Although (Centorrino et al., 2002; Amann et al., 2003). Although his medical history documented the appearance of clozapine showed the greatest impact on EEG, both seizures after a head trauma, cranial MRI was nor- groups found that EEG epileptiform abnormality was mal. Due to the close temporal relationship between unusually high with olanzapine (35-38.5%), moderate seizures and olanzapine administration, this medica- with typical antipsychotics, and low with quetiap- tion was immediately interrupted and seizures were ine. Olanzapine has been described to be associated managed with diazepam at 1 mg three times daily. with seizures and status epilepticus; generalized and The patient was started on quetiapine at 50 mg/day, myoclonic seizures have been described with olanza- and the other medications were continued. Within pine in two patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, the next 36 hours, the seizures subsided and a con- namely, Huntington disease and Alzheimer disease trol EEG confirmed the absence of epileptic discharge, (Bonelli, 2003; Camacho et al., 2005). A few reports and psychotic symptoms progressively improved. At associate olanzapine with myoclonus; Camacho et al. discharge, the patient’s behavioural symptoms were (2005) described a case of myoclonic status induced by well controlled and he was seizure-free. olanzapine. This patient developed spontaneous and action-induced myoclonus in the trunk and extrem- ities within 48 hours of starting the drug. The jerks Discussion subsided within 36 hours after olanzapine was sus- pended. Deshauer et al. (2000) described a case of Seizures have been associated with both typical and combined olanzapine/clomipramine treatment result- atypical antipsychotic medications. Olanzapine is a ing in myoclonic jerks in their patients on two very effective antipsychotic with the advantage of occasions which progressed to generalized motor fewer side effects than typical neuroleptics, espe- seizures on one of these two occasions. Woolley and cially with regard to extrapyramidal symptoms. The Smith (2001) described an epileptic woman with para- main adverse reactions are somnolence, weight gain, noid psychosis whose seizure frequency increased glucose intolerance, and asymptomatic transaminase when switched from zuclopenthixol to olanzapine. elevation (Beasley et al., 1997). Like other antipsychotic Even though one report describes a dramatic case agents, it may lower the seizure threshold, provoking ending in fatal status epilepticus (Wyderski et al., epileptic activity. According to Lilly Research Labora- 1999), the remaining literature reports cases where tories, olanzapine showed a 0.9% (22/2,500) seizure seizure activity could be controlled either by olanza- incidence in premarketing testing. Olanzapine is a pine discontinuation or by concurrent antiepileptic thiobenzodiazepine derivative and shares pharma- drugs. Although there were confounding factors in cological properties with clozapine (Schuld et al., some