ABSTRACT
The medications prescribed by physicians for the treatment of a specific disease or condition may occasionally cause an effect opposite to the expected one. For instance, benzodiazepines, which are given for sedation, can paradoxically induce reactions of anxiety, hostility or rage.1 Antipsychotic agents have been reported to induce dose-related sudden and dramatic exacerbations of psychosis, albeit rarely.2
Such paradoxical effects are not limited to the central nervous system (CNS). Virtually any arrhythmia can be induced by antiarrhythmic drugs.3 Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are administered to treat seizures; however, as is the case with the above-mentioned drugs, there are reports of anticonvulsants either exacerbating seizures or inducing new ones.4-30 The mechanisms that are involved are not always clearly defined, and there is little certainty concerning the true extent of the problem, since authors frequently report interesting anecdotal cases, and reports of AED efficacy studies rarely mention aggravation of seizures in response to therapy.
