Serotonin syndrome and rhabdomyolysis in venlafaxine poisoning: a case report.

Newer, more selective, antidepressant agents are increasingly being used as first-line treatment. However, clinical experience in patients after a deliberate overdose is limited. We present a case of venlafaxine intoxication complicated by a late rise in creatine kinase, seizures and serotonin syndrome. Rhabdomyolysis prolonged the hospital stay in our patient but had no other serious consequences. Physicians should be aware of this late phenomenon in patients with venlafaxine poisoning.