Hypothermia as a Medication Side Effect

Abstract

In humans, the body temperature stabilizes in the range of 36.5-37.3 °C; below 35 °C is defined as hypothermia. The use of olanzapine, an antipsychotic drug, is one of the least reported drugs in the etiology of hypothermia. A 67-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency department. Her body temperature was measured 27.8 °C. No cold exposure was found on the first evaluation by the ambulance crew. It was learned that she used olanzapine 10 mg and had taken her first dose 8 h ago. The patient’s hypothermia was evaluated because of olanzapine use. Body temperature regulation disorders due to antipsychotic drug use are mostly defined as hyperthermia. It has been reported that antipsychotic drugs may very rarely play a role in the etiology of hypothermia and hyperthermia. Olanzapine is used for treating psychotic diseases by acting via an antagonist mechanism on 5-HT2A/C and dopamine D2 receptors located in the hypothalamic region. The hypothalamus is thought to play a crucial role in central thermoregulation and providing the therapeutic efficacy of antipsychotic drugs. Antipsychotics may also cause hypothermia by blocking peripheral b2 receptors. These common mechanisms explain the cause of hypothermia in this study due to olanzapine use. Olanzapine use should be considered in cases of unexplained hypothermia in the emergency department. Routine body temperature monitoring should be considered in patients who are administered antipsychotic drugs with hypothermia in the side-effect profile, such as olanzapine.

Keywords

• hypothermia
• side effect
• antipsychotic drug
• olanzapine