Tardive dyskinesia
For advice on monitoring for and preventing antipsychotic adverse effects, see Overview of antipsychotic adverse effects.
Tardive dyskinesia is a chronic movement disorder characterised by repetitive involuntary choreiform movements, particularly of the tongue, lips and mouth, but may include any part of the body. Tardive dyskinesia occurs after chronic use of some antipsychotics—see Approximate relative frequency of common adverse effects of antipsychotics for approximate relative frequencies of extrapyramidal adverse effects.
To treat antipsychotic-induced tardive dyskinesia, options include:
- stopping or reducing the dose of other dopamine antagonists (eg metoclopramide)
- reducing the antipsychotic dose
- switching to an antipsychotic less likely to cause extrapyramidal adverse effects, if the above measures are ineffective or impractical.
If specific treatment of tardive dyskinesia is required, seek specialist advice (eg psychiatrist, neurologist).