ABSTRACT
The emergence of phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5 inhibitors gave rise to the solution for erectile dysfunction, starting with the development of sildenafil. Although their efficacy in treating erectile dysfunction has been shown, the side effects of PDE5 inhibitors, especially sildenafil, must be taken into consideration. A 64-year-old man received 100 mg of sildenafil and experienced blue vision in both eyes; however, after a day or so, his symptoms improved. The symptoms disappeared when he stopped administering sildenafil, but reappeared when the medication was re-administered. Therefore, he discontinued sildenafil treatment and was prescribed udenafil instead. After that, visual adverse events no longer occurred. Causality assessment showed that in this case, sildenafil-induced cyanopsia was “certain” under the World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Center (WHO-UMC) criteria and Korean causality assessment algorithm (Ver.2), and was “probable” according to the Naranjo scale. In addition, sildenafil also led to abnormal visual reactions in other cases. Sildenafil can also inhibit PDE6, which is present in retinal cells, unlike other PDE5 inhibitors. Thus, visual adverse reactions, such as blue vision, are the unique results of sildenafil, and other PDE5 inhibitors may be used to prevent them.
ABSTRACT
The emergence of phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5 inhibitors gave rise to the solution for erectile dysfunction, starting with the development of sildenafil. Although their efficacy in treating erectile dysfunction has been shown, the side effects of PDE5 inhibitors, especially sildenafil, must be taken into consideration. A 64-year-old man received 100 mg of sildenafil and experienced blue vision in both eyes; however, after a day or so, his symptoms improved. The symptoms disappeared when he stopped administering sildenafil, but reappeared when the medication was re-administered. Therefore, he discontinued sildenafil treatment and was prescribed udenafil instead. After that, visual adverse events no longer occurred. Causality assessment showed that in this case, sildenafil-induced cyanopsia was “certain” under the World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Center (WHO-UMC) criteria and Korean causality assessment algorithm (Ver.2), and was “probable” according to the Naranjo scale. In addition, sildenafil also led to abnormal visual reactions in other cases. Sildenafil can also inhibit PDE6, which is present in retinal cells, unlike other PDE5 inhibitors. Thus, visual adverse reactions, such as blue vision, are the unique results of sildenafil, and other PDE5 inhibitors may be used to prevent them.
ABSTRACT
Levosulpiride is one of the most frequently prescribed medicines in Korea. An adverse drug reaction (ADR) after taking levosulpiride was reported at a community pharmacy in Korea. A 31-year-old woman reported the symptoms of lactation and amenorrhea after taking levosulpiride; an evaluation of whether these symptoms were caused by the medication was therefore necessary. Several tools can be used to determine if the ADR resulted from the administered drug or other factors, including the World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) criteria, the Naranjo scale, and the Korean causality assessment algorithm (Ver. 2). The causality was evaluated as “possible” by the WHO-UMC and Naranjo scales, but as “probable” by the Korean causality assessment algorithm (Ver. 2). In conclusion, the information provided did not indicate definite causality and there were slight differences in the results obtained from each assessment method.