Uneventful Recovery From a Suicide Attempt with Tetrabenazine:  A Case Report

Ece Bayram, Fatma Nazlı Mercan, Muhittin Cenk Akbostancı

Department Of Neurology, Ankara University Faculty Of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Keywords: Huntington’s Disease, tetrabenazine, suicide

Abstract

Huntington's disease patients suffer from involuntary

choreiform movements, dementia, psychiatric disorders and behavioral

abnormalities. Suicidality is very frequent in this disease being the third most

common cause of death. Tetrabenazine is a drug to treat chorea in

Huntington's disease and depression being one of the common side effects of

tetrabenazine may increase suicidality rate in this disease. We hereby report a

case in which the patient had a suicide attempt taking tetrabenazine and

recovered after treatment.