Acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome

Lithium, despite being an indispensable agent in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, has a narrow therapeutic index and needs to be carefully administered. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare but potentially fatal complication due to central dopaminergic blockade. This case report ill...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lai, Yin Ye, Mohamed Mokhtar, Normaizuwana, Samsudin, Intan Nureslyna, Thambiah, Subashini C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: China Medical University 2024
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/114626/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/114626/1/114626.pdf
_version_ 1848866548316372992
author Lai, Yin Ye
Mohamed Mokhtar, Normaizuwana
Samsudin, Intan Nureslyna
Thambiah, Subashini C.
author_facet Lai, Yin Ye
Mohamed Mokhtar, Normaizuwana
Samsudin, Intan Nureslyna
Thambiah, Subashini C.
author_sort Lai, Yin Ye
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Lithium, despite being an indispensable agent in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, has a narrow therapeutic index and needs to be carefully administered. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare but potentially fatal complication due to central dopaminergic blockade. This case report illustrates the challenges in lithium therapy particularly related to the development of NMS when further risk factors such as polypharmacy and dehydration are present. We report a case of a 50-year-old man with underlying bipolar affective disorder who was previously able to tolerate olanzapine and lithium well, however developed chronic lithium toxicity due to diminished lithium elimination in acute kidney injury following a two-week history of viral acute gastroenteritis. He also developed NMS which could either be triggered independently by olanzapine; lithium toxicity; or attributed by a synergistic combination from lithium and olanzapine which led to an enhanced neurotoxicity in an already unstable dopaminergic pathway. Fluid therapy and supportive care allowed the patient to recover, and he was discharged well with a lower potency neuroleptic with slow dose titration.
first_indexed 2025-11-15T14:22:21Z
format Article
id upm-114626
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
institution_category Local University
language English
last_indexed 2025-11-15T14:22:21Z
publishDate 2024
publisher China Medical University
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling upm-1146262025-01-21T04:41:39Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/114626/ Acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome Lai, Yin Ye Mohamed Mokhtar, Normaizuwana Samsudin, Intan Nureslyna Thambiah, Subashini C. Lithium, despite being an indispensable agent in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, has a narrow therapeutic index and needs to be carefully administered. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare but potentially fatal complication due to central dopaminergic blockade. This case report illustrates the challenges in lithium therapy particularly related to the development of NMS when further risk factors such as polypharmacy and dehydration are present. We report a case of a 50-year-old man with underlying bipolar affective disorder who was previously able to tolerate olanzapine and lithium well, however developed chronic lithium toxicity due to diminished lithium elimination in acute kidney injury following a two-week history of viral acute gastroenteritis. He also developed NMS which could either be triggered independently by olanzapine; lithium toxicity; or attributed by a synergistic combination from lithium and olanzapine which led to an enhanced neurotoxicity in an already unstable dopaminergic pathway. Fluid therapy and supportive care allowed the patient to recover, and he was discharged well with a lower potency neuroleptic with slow dose titration. China Medical University 2024-09-01 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_4 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/114626/1/114626.pdf Lai, Yin Ye and Mohamed Mokhtar, Normaizuwana and Samsudin, Intan Nureslyna and Thambiah, Subashini C. (2024) Acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome. BioMedicine (Taiwan), 14 (3). art. no. 6. pp. 49-52. ISSN 2211-8020; eISSN: 2211-8039 https://www.biomedicinej.com/biomedicine/vol14/iss3/6/ 10.37796/2211-8039.1459
spellingShingle Lai, Yin Ye
Mohamed Mokhtar, Normaizuwana
Samsudin, Intan Nureslyna
Thambiah, Subashini C.
Acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome
title Acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome
title_full Acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome
title_fullStr Acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome
title_full_unstemmed Acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome
title_short Acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome
title_sort acute kidney injury induced lithium toxicity with concomitant neuroleptic malignant syndrome
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/114626/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/114626/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/114626/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/114626/1/114626.pdf