Reactions 451 - 15 May 1993

Carbamazepine

Hyponatraemia in a patient with diabetes insipidus:case report

Hyponatraemia was identified in a 51-year-old man who hadreceived carbamazepine 400 mg/day for 8 years for thetreatment of lower back pain and headache. His plasmasodium levels returned to normal when carbamazepine waswithdrawn, but fell again with carbamazepine rechallenge. Healso complained of severe headache and lethargy duringrechallenge. Subsequently, the patient was diagnosed withpartial central diabetes insipidus based on his response towater restriction and administration of nasal desmopressin.

Author comment: On the basis of the rechallenge test,carbamazepine was thought to be responsible for thehyponatraemia in this patient. ‘It is known thatchlorpromazine can cause hyponatremia even in patients withcentral diabetes insipidus, but there has been no previousreport of carbamazepine doing so.’Kamiyama T, et al. Carbamazepine-induced hyponatremia in a patient with partialcentral diabetes insipidus. Nephron 64: 142-145, May 1993 - Japan 800197321

1

Reactions 15 May 1993 No. 4510114-9954/10/0451-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved