Among 49 cases of sudden death associated with psychotropic drugs, phenothiazines were involved in 46 cases, with thioridazine being the only antipsychotic associated with 15 cases.
Observational (n=49)
Is the use of antipsychotic or antidepressant drugs, particularly phenothiazines like thioridazine, associated with sudden unexpected death?
Phenothiazines, particularly thioridazine, are disproportionately associated with sudden unexpected death in psychiatric patients, likely due to their arrhythmogenic effects.
Phenothiazines have repeatedly been found to be associated with cases of sudden death, but the issue of causality has remained controversial. A survey of medicolegal autopsies performed in Finland over a 3-year period revealed that sudden unexpected deaths of 31 women (mean age 44 years, range 25-69) and 18 men (mean age 40 years, range 26-62) were associated with either the use of antipsychotic or antidepressant drugs. Therapeutic use of phenothiazines was documented in all but 3 of these 49 cases and thioridazine was involved in over half of them. Thus, whereas thioridazine was the only antipsychotic drug associated with 15 cases, only 5 cases were associated with any of the other antipsychotic or antidepressant drugs. The differences between the subgroups of psychotropic drugs remained clear after adjustment according to the respective data on drug use in the population. Although there are several uncontrolled confounding factors, the overrepresentation of phenothiazines, especially thioridazine, among psychiatric patients who died suddenly is striking and, taken together with their well-established arrhythmogenic effects, warrants further attention.
Mehtonen et al. (Mon,) conducted a observational in Sudden unexpected death (n=49). Phenothiazines (especially thioridazine) vs. Other antipsychotic or antidepressant drugs was evaluated on Sudden unexpected death. Among 49 cases of sudden death associated with psychotropic drugs, phenothiazines were involved in 46 cases, with thioridazine being the only antipsychotic associated with 15 cases.