Serotonin syndrome due to coadministration of linezolid and venlafaxine

Linezolid is an oxazolidinone antibiotic with non-selective, reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) action. It has been reported to interact with selective serotonin reuptake inhibi-tors (SSRIs) and other sympathomimetic drugs resulting in sero-tonin syndrome. We report the first published case of serotonin syndrome due to interaction of linezolid and venlafaxine. An 85-year-old man was referred for management of a chronically infected total hip joint prosthesis. He had a past his-tory of Parkinson’s disease, ischaemic heart disease, atrial fibril-lation, diabetes, previous stroke and a permanent pacemaker. The hip prosthesis was removed and surgical specimens isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. Intravenous antibiotics were given for 6 weeks. Following clo-sure of the wound, oral therapy was commenced with cipro