Woman, 44, develops bizarre symptoms after starting an SSRI — and it happened every 15 minutes

A 44-year-old woman in rural Rwanda began yawning repeatedly after starting escitalopram, an SSRI antidepressant, for severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her case highlights that excessive yawning can be a medication side effect, which may otherwise be mistaken for a sign of a neurological or other urgent medical problem.

Within days of starting a standard 10 mg dose, she was yawning six times every 15 minutes, despite not feeling sleepy or dizzy and having no other neurological symptoms. Her sleep and mood improved, so doctors continued the medicine with monitoring; after two weeks, the yawning had substantially decreased. The case authors say tolerable side effects may not always require stopping an effective antidepressant.