Signs of Tardive Dyskinesia
Tardive dyskinesia is an involuntary movement disorder that is almost always caused by the use of medications which include Reglan or metoclopramide. The disease is characterized by random, involuntary movements that can appear after prolonged treatment with certain drugs, ranging from several months to several years.
What are the symptoms of tardive dyskinesia?
Typical symptoms associated with tardive dyskinesia include sticking out the tongue, smacking the lips, leg or ankle movements, grimacing or chewing, rocking back and forth, pelvic thrusting, irregular breathing or making humming or grunting sounds.
These signs of tardive dyskinesia may resemble the symptoms of other conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, neurodegenerative brain diseases, blepharospasm or mouth and facial movements among the elderly. Conditions such as these must be ruled out by a doctor before a tardive dyskinesia diagnosis can be made.
What causes tardive dyskinesia?
Tardive dyskinesia is almost always caused by the prolonged use of certain medications, including some antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs such as Thorazine or Haldol, or drug to treat gastrointestinal problems, such as Reglan or metoclopramide. Elderly patients, post-menopausal women and those with alcohol or substance abuse problems may be at an increased risk of developing the disease.
According to a recent study, about 20% of patients who took Reglan or metoclopramide for longer than three months developed tardive dyskinesia. Other studies have found that these two drugs are the most frequent causes of involuntary movement disorders such as tardive dyskinesia.
As a result of these findings, the Food and Drug Administration added a black-box warning to the labels of Reglan and metoclopramide in February 2009, warning of the risk of tardive dyskinesia in patients who are treated with the drugs for several months.
Although tardive dyskinesia symptoms may be reversed by stopping treatment with Reglan, metoclopramide or other drugs, the involuntary movements associated with the disease may become permanent or worsen. There is currently no definitive treatment for patients with tardive dyskinesia.