Thioridazine, Diarrhoea and Torsades De Pointe

Torsade de pointes induced by psychotropic drugs and the prevalence of its risk factors

“…We reviewed 45 case reports of 70 patients with TdP induced by PDs (4–9, 12, 16, 17, 20–24, 34–64). Five case reports on TdP following PD overdose in suicide attempts (65–69) and four case reports on monomorphic ventricular tachycardia following PD ingestion (70–73) were excluded.…”

“…In some cases the physicians ignored hypokalemia or did not attempt to fix it prior to PD initiation (43, 48). In one case, hypokalemia followed diarrhea (36). Finally, one patient had potassium levels in the lower limit of normal range before PD initiation, and hypokalemia was found right after the arrhythmia accrued following PD initiation (59).…”

Thioridazine and sudden unexplained death in psychiatric in-patients

“…This effect is likely to be independent of the drug's dopamine receptor blocking effect because it occurs with antipsychotic drugs such as sertindole that have low potency for dopamine receptors, as well as with a wide range of drugs that do not block dopamine receptors (Thomas, 1994). Torsades de pointes induced by thioridazine has been reported frequently in the context of both overdose (Kiriike et al , 1987) and therapeutic administration (Denvir et al , 1998). A previous study linked sudden death with thioridazine, although this did not adjust for age (Mehtonen et al , 1991).…”

Managing cardiovascular disease risk in patients treated with antipsychotics: a multidisciplinary approach

“…The earliest reports of sudden cardiac death related to antipsychotic use date back to the mid-1960s15 but the cause of these deaths remained unclear 16,17. The connection between antipsychotic medication, arrhythmias, and resultant sudden cardiac death gained greater attention in the late 1990s 18,19…”

“… 16 , 17 The connection between antipsychotic medication, arrhythmias, and resultant sudden cardiac death gained greater attention in the late 1990s. 18 , 19 …”