What is tardive dyskinesia and what causes it?
There are many drugs, such as levodopa and dopamine agonists, and some central nervous system stimulants, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, H2 receptor antagonists, hormones, antiarrhythmics, and calcium channel blockers such as cinnarizine and flunarizine, that can affect motor behavior and cause movement disorders. This review will focus only on those movement disorders resulting from exposure to DRBD (neuroleptics). Two major categories of NIMD have been recognized: A. acute (present during the early phase of neuroleptic exposure, usually transient) and B. chronic (persistent movement disorder usually occurring during or after a protracted course of neuroleptic therapy, hence the term “tardive” meaning “late-onset”). Subtypes of NIMD are differentiated within these categories according to clinical phenomenology. Such differentiation is important not only because the various disorders probably result from different mechanisms, but also they may require different therapies. The term “
