Emergent Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome Misdiagnosed as Delirium in the ICU

Table 2

Signs and symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.

	SSRI	Atypical antidepressant	Tricyclic antidepressant	MAOI
General
Flu-like symptoms	+	+	+	–
Headache	+	+	+	+
Lethargy	+	+	+	-
Gastrointestinal
Abdominal cramping	+	–	+	–
Abdominal pain	+	–	+	–
Appetite disturbance	+	+	+	–
Diarrhea	+		+	–
Nausea/vomiting	+	+	+	–
Sleep
Insomnia	+	+	+	+
Nightmares	+	+	+	+
Balance
Ataxia	+	–	+	–
Dizziness	+	+	+	–
Lightheadedness	+	–	+	–
Vertigo	+	+	+	–
Sensory
Blurred vision	+	–	–	–
“Electric shock” sensations	+	+	–	–
Numbness	+	–	–	–
Paresthesia	+	+	–	–
Movement
Akathisia	+	+	+	–
Myoclonic jerks	–	–	–	+
Parkinsonism	+	–	+	–
Tremor	+	–	+	–
Affective
Aggression/irritability	+	–	–	+
Agitation	+	–	+	+
Anxiety	+	+	+	–
Low mood	+	+	+	+
Psychosis
Catatonia	–	–	–	+
Delirium	–	–	–	+
Delusions	–	–	–	+
Hallucinations	–	–	–	+

Note: symptom categories are listed by rate of incidence.
SSRI = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; MAOI = monoamine oxidase inhibitor: + = occur in withdrawal from this medication; – = do not occur in withdrawal from this medication. Table 2 is reproduced from Warner et al., 2006, under the Creative Commons Attribution License/public domain.