TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Jannini, Tommaso B.
AU  -  Di Lorenzo, Giorgio
AU  -  Mariano, Antonella
AU  -  Santini, Riccardo
AU  -  Ciocca, Giacomo
AU  -  Jannini, Emmanuele A.
AU  -  Siracusano, Alberto
AU  -  Niolu, Cinzia
T1  -  Buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®) withdrawal may facilitate antipsychotic-induced priapism. A case report
PY  -  2022
Y1  -  2022-09-01
DO  -  10.1708/3893.38747
JO  -  Rivista di Psichiatria
JA  -  Riv Psichiatr
VL  -  57
IS  -  5
SP  -  246
EP  -  250
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2038-2502
Y2  -  2026/05/04
UR  -  http://dx.doi.org/10.1708/3893.38747
N2  -  Summary. Introduction. Priapism is defined as a prolonged penile erection in absence of sexual arousal, leading also to serious sexual and urological problems such as erectile dysfunction and penile fibrosis. Amongst many different etiologies, priapism may be caused by a wide range of antipsychotic medications, mainly due to the α1-adrenergic receptor antagonism. On the other hand, only a couple of cases of opioid compounds have been linked to the onset of priapism, with evidence coming only from methadone and buprenorphine. Here we describe the case of a patient treated with antipsychotics who developed priapism four times following rapid discontinuation of buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®). Case presentation. S.C. is a 30-year-old Caucasian man suffering from chronic buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®) abuse, borderline personality disorder, antisocial traits, and multiple suicide attempts. During the acute and the first part of post-acute Suboxone® withdrawal, four episodes of priapism developed while he was treated with clotiapine, clozapine, and chlorpromazine. However, after the last episode of priapism, despite he was either on haloperidol or zuclopenthixol and chlorpromazine, no other urological event occurred during the following 6 months of observation. Conclusions. As opioids may have dampened the patient’s sexual function due to chronic consumption, a rapid drug suspension coupled with an antipsychotic therapy might have created the conditions to facilitate the occurrence of close clustered priapism events.
ER  -