When a seizure is not a real seizure!

Soheila Talebi; Farzaneh Ghobadi; Sameer Chaudhari; Ely Gracia; Ola Olatunde; Gerald Pekler; Ferdinand Visco; Getaw Worku Hassen

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2015.07.077

When a seizure is not a real seizure!

Am J Emerg Med. 2016 Apr;34(4):757.e3-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2015.07.077. Epub 2015 Aug 7.

Authors

Soheila Talebi¹, Farzaneh Ghobadi², Sameer Chaudhari³, Ely Gracia¹, Ola Olatunde¹, Gerald Pekler⁴, Ferdinand Visco⁴, Getaw Worku Hassen⁵

Affiliations

¹ New York Medical College, Metropolitan Hospital, Medicine Department, New York, NY.
² New York Medical College, Metropolitan Hospital, Emergency Department, New York, NY.
³ Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Cardiology Department, New York, NY.
⁴ New York Medical College, Metropolitan Hospital, Cardiology Department, New York, NY.
⁵ New York Medical College, Metropolitan Hospital, Emergency Department, New York, NY. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 26409502
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2015.07.077

Abstract

We report here 2 cases of methadone induced Torsades de Pointes with a clinical presentation mimicking convulsive seizures in a substance abuser. These cases highlight the importance of being aware of methadone-induced Torsades de Pointes and the occasional atypical clinical presentations of this condition.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Diagnosis, Differential
Electrocardiography
Female
Humans
Male
Methadone / adverse effects*
Middle Aged
Opiate Substitution Treatment / adverse effects*
Seizures / diagnosis*
Torsades de Pointes / chemically induced*
Torsades de Pointes / diagnosis*

Substances

Methadone