Peripheral Edema as an Adverse Drug Reaction to Mirtazapine in an Oral Cavity Cancer Patient Receiving Palliative Care at Tertiary Care Centre: A Case Report.

Abstract

Mirtazapine is a selective serotonergic antidepressant that functions by blocking adrenergic alpha2-autoreceptors and heteroreceptors and inhibiting 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors. It is a noradrenergic drug. Mirtazapine has anxiolytic or sleep-quality-improving effects, aggravates appetite-stimulation, and has stomach emptying functions. When treating poly-symptoms such as appetite loss, anxiety, depression, nausea, and sleeplessness off-label, mirtazapine is being used more and more. A not so common side effect of mirtazapine medication is peripheral edema. The ensuing case study will demonstrate how peripheral edema is an uncommon mirtazapine adverse effect. Peripheral edema was observed in a patient with advanced oral cavity cancer three days after starting a daily dose of 15 mg of mirtazapine for polysymptomatology. The peripheral edema completely resolved after stopping mirtazapine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first instance of a patient with advanced oral cavity cancer experiencing peripheral edema as a result of receiving mirtazapine medication. Our study will assist medical professionals in identifying the potential use of mirtazapine in situations where peripheral edema develops quickly, facilitating its quick clearance.