A Case Report: Irbesartan and Naltrexone Treatment of Polydipsia in a Patient with Schizophrenia.

Dong, Hyun Seok; Kim, Seung Hyun; Park, So Young

doi:2015.18.2.86

Korean J Schizophr Res > Volume 18(2); 2015 > Article

Case Report

Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research 2015;18(2):86-90.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.16946/kjsr.2015.18.2.86 Published online October 31, 2015.

A Case Report: Irbesartan and Naltrexone Treatment of Polydipsia in a Patient with Schizophrenia.

Hyun Seok Dong, Seung Hyun Kim, So Young Park

¹Department of Psychiatry, Korea University College of Medicine, Ansan Hospital, Ansan, Korea.
²Department of Psychiatry, Korea University College of Medicine, Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea. gurokim@gmail.com

Abstract

Polydipsia in schizophrenic patients is not uncommon, but a frequently underdiagnosed condition. The etiology of polydipsia remains unclear, and its complications can be life-threatening, while often being difficult to manage it. We report a case of a successfully treated chronic schizophrenic patient with polydipsia. The patient was male, 47-year-old, suffering 27-years of residual schizophrenia who had been consuming more than 10 L of water per day, and is complicated by hyponatremia. He was treated with irbesarten 300 mg and naltrexone 50 mg in the setting of closed ward. He consumed less than 3.5 L of water per day and serum sodium levels seemed to be stable following discharge from the closed ward. We suggest that irbesartan and naltrexone may have beneficial effects for treating polydipsia, and future prospective and well-controlled studies are to be performed.

Key Words: Polydipsia · Schizophrenia · Irbesartan · Naltrexone