Tardive seizure and antibiotics: case reports and review of the literature

J ECT. 2008 Dec;24(4):275-6. doi: 10.1097/YCT.0b013e31816ba986.

Abstract

Tardive seizure is a serious adverse reaction of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, it was rarely reported in ECT sessions for psychiatric patients who needed concurrent antibiotic treatments. We present 2 cases of patients with schizophrenia who manifested a catatonic syndrome and were indicated for ECT, along with antibiotic therapies for infectious diseases with piperacillin and cefotiam, respectively. The beta-lactam antibiotics are reported to induce convulsions caused by the suppression of inhibitory GABAergic functions. In addition, there is a report on prolonged ECT seizure related to ciprofloxacin, which has an epileptogenic property with a similar action to beta-lactam antibiotics. Thus, tardive seizures in our cases are thought to be related to piperacillin and cefotiam.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / adverse effects*
  • Antipsychotic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Electroconvulsive Therapy / adverse effects*
  • Electroencephalography
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome / complications
  • Piperacillin / adverse effects
  • Piperacillin / therapeutic use
  • Pneumonia, Aspiration / drug therapy
  • Pneumonia, Aspiration / etiology
  • Risperidone / therapeutic use
  • Schizophrenia, Catatonic / drug therapy
  • Schizophrenia, Catatonic / therapy
  • Schizophrenia, Paranoid / complications
  • Schizophrenia, Paranoid / therapy
  • Seizures / chemically induced*
  • Seizures / etiology*
  • Urinary Tract Infections / complications
  • Urinary Tract Infections / drug therapy
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antipsychotic Agents
  • Risperidone
  • Piperacillin