Antidepressants and marijuana don’t mix
Case studies published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry(1996; 36:45-48) indicate that the combination of marijuana and tricyclic antidepressants can produce delirium and tachycardia.
The warning came in a description of four cases in which male adolescents treated with tricyclic antidepressants for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder had clinically significant adverse effects immediately after smoking marijuana. Timothy E. Wilens MD, of Harvard and colleagues report that cognitive changes, delirium, and elevated heart rate observed in the four cases are consistent with reactions to toxic doses of marijuana.
Wilens advises that patients being treated pharmacologically for psychiatric disorders such as ADHD and their families be counseled about the drug interaction risks.
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