Use of atypical antipsychotics and risk of hypertension: A case report and review literature

Atypical antipsychotics is being considered in the treatment of “negative” symptoms of psychoses, such as schizophrenia. In this case report, we presented a case of a patient with psychiatric disorder who developed hypertension soon after starting using atypical antipsychotic. A 53-year-old woman had reported having episodes of tachycardia, nausea, headache and high blood pressure. At the time of the doctor’s appointment, the blood pressure was 210/110 mmHg. According to the patient, she made use of simvastatin for dyslipidemia and started taking aripiprazole, an antipsychotic for approximately 40 days before the symptoms. The initial treatment was 20 mg of olmesartan, and examinations were requested. After 2 months, the patient returned with the examinations: altered serum lipids and the other results were normal. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring showed an average of 24 h of 150/100 mmHg. Blood pressure was measured at the doctor’s office; in regular use of 20 mg of olmesartan, it was 156/92 mmHg. The dosage of olmesartan was increased to 40 mg and 1.5 mg of indapamide was initiated. The patient returned after 20 days with a blood pressure of 146/90 mmHg. After approval from the psychiatrist, the Aripiprazole was stopped, and the patient returned 15 days later with blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg. The ambulatory blood pressure monitoring control showed an average of 24 h of 130/78 mmHg. The Dopamine receptors play a role in the regulation of the blood pressure and the alterations in this system can lead to hypertension. D1, D3 and D4 receptors interact with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, while D2 and D5 interact with the sympathetic nervous system in the regulation of PA. The case reported and the literature review bring to light the discussion of the use of atypical antipsychotics and its adverse events. If necessary, the use of these drugs should be followed by careful monitoring of blood pressure.