Torsade de Pointes Due to Methadone
Authors: Evan O. Mokwe, Opara Ositadinma
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters19 August 2003Torsade de Pointes Due to MethadoneEvan O. Mokwe, MD and Opara Ositadinma, MDEvan O. Mokwe, MDWayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201 (Mokwe, Ositadinma)Search for more papers by this author and Opara Ositadinma, MDWayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201 (Mokwe, Ositadinma)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-139-4-200308190-00021-w2 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Krantz and colleagues (1) did an exceptional job in analyzing a possible association between very high doses of methadone and torsades de pointes. We report the case of a 41-year-old woman admitted to the hospital for syncope. During initial evaluation in the emergency department, the patient was found to have torsades de pointes. The QTc interval was found to be 550 milliseconds (2). The patient had no family history of arrhythmias. Potassium level was 3.6 mmol/L, and magnesium level was 0.62 mmol/L. A urine drug screening test was positive for methadone. The patient eventually had echocardiography, which ...References1. Krantz MJ, Lewkowiez L, Hays H, Woodroffe MA, Robertson AD, Mehler PS. Torsade de pointes associated with very-high-dose methadone. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:501-4. [PMID: 12230351] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Viskin S. Long QT syndromes and torsade de pointes. Lancet. 1999;354:1625-33. [PMID: 10560690] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Deamer RL, Wilson DR, Clark DS, Prichard JG. Torsades de pointes associated with high dose levomethadyl acetate (ORLAAM). J Addict Dis. 2001;20:7-14. [PMID: 11760927] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201 (Mokwe, Ositadinma) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoTorsade de Pointes Associated with Very-High-Dose Methadone Mori J. Krantz , Laurent Lewkowiez , Helen Hays , Mary Ann Woodroffe , Alastair D. Robertson , and Philip S. Mehler Torsade de Pointes Due to Methadone Montserrat Sala , Ignasi Anguera , and Manuel Cervantes Metrics Cited byMagnetocardiographic identification of prolonged fetal corrected QT interval in women receiving treatment for opioid use disorderRevue des cas d’allongements du QTC et de torsades de pointe chez des patients traités par méthadoneMethadone-associated Q-T interval prolongation and torsades de pointesCardiotoxicity of Oral Methadone as an Analgesic–-Recommendations for Safe UseA Community-Based Evaluation of Sudden Death Associated with Therapeutic Levels of MethadoneMethadone-associated long QT syndrome: improving pharmacotherapy for dependence on illegal opioids and lessons learned for pharmacologyMethadone-associated Torsades de Pointes (polymorphic ventricular tachycardia) in opioid-dependent patientsEffect of Buprenorphine and Antiretroviral Agents on the QT Interval in Opioid-Dependent PatientsSubstance misuse 19 August 2003Volume 139, Issue 4Page: W-64KeywordsArrhythmiaCoronary arteriesDrug screeningEchocardiographyEmergency departmentHeart diseasesMagnesiumPotassiumSyncopeUrine ePublished: 19 August 2003 Issue Published: 19 August 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...