Question:medium
Serotonin syndrome may be precipitated by all of the following medications, except:
Serotonin syndrome may be precipitated by all of the following medications, except:
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One drug blocks serotonin receptors instead of boosting them.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Chlorpromazine
- Pentazocine
- Buspirone
- Meperidine
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Sort each drug by what it does to serotonin signalling. Anything that adds serotonergic tone can trigger the syndrome; anything that blocks serotonin receptors cannot.
Buspirone is an outright 5-HT1A agonist, so it raises serotonin activity and qualifies as a trigger. Meperidine inhibits serotonin reuptake and is one of the most cited culprits, particularly alongside MAOIs. Pentazocine carries minor serotonergic effects and has been implicated as well.
Chlorpromazine moves in the opposite direction. As a phenothiazine it antagonises serotonin (and dopamine) receptors, lowering rather than raising serotonergic transmission. Receptor blockers of this kind are part of the treatment of serotonin syndrome, not a cause of it.
Therefore the one agent that cannot set off the syndrome is the receptor-blocking antipsychotic.
\[\boxed{\text{Chlorpromazine}}\]
Buspirone is an outright 5-HT1A agonist, so it raises serotonin activity and qualifies as a trigger. Meperidine inhibits serotonin reuptake and is one of the most cited culprits, particularly alongside MAOIs. Pentazocine carries minor serotonergic effects and has been implicated as well.
Chlorpromazine moves in the opposite direction. As a phenothiazine it antagonises serotonin (and dopamine) receptors, lowering rather than raising serotonergic transmission. Receptor blockers of this kind are part of the treatment of serotonin syndrome, not a cause of it.
Therefore the one agent that cannot set off the syndrome is the receptor-blocking antipsychotic.
\[\boxed{\text{Chlorpromazine}}\]
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