Facial edema after olanzapine addition to sertraline: a case report

Abstract

Although facial edema due to drugs is common especially with calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and several hormonal drugs they can rarely occur with new generation antipsychotics. There are case reports with olanzapine especially as peripheral edema. In literature two relatively young cases who developed facial edema with olanzapine have been reported. We present a 72 year old female patient with major depression who developed facial edema after addition of olanzapine 2.5 mg/day to sertraline. Olanzapine treatment in the elderly should be carefully decided because even small doses of olanzapine may increase risk of edema.