Tardive dyskinesia is a condition that makes you repeat a few bodily movements in an involuntary manner. These movements include sticking out your tongue, smacking your lips often or grimacing frequently; you may also witness quicker moments of your legs / hands or convoluted movements of toes and fingers. This condition is labelled as one of the iatrogenic disorders triggered by use of a few antipsychotic meds for a longer span of time. But do you know of 50 drugs that cause tardive dyskinesia? It is useful to know more about such drugs.
Tardive dyskinesia is often mistaken as a neurological problem or a mental disorder. Intake of neuroleptic meds for treatment may only worsen your condition. Each spell of tardive dyskinesia is painful as your body is urged to make involuntary movements. At an acute level, people with this iatrogenic condition may find it hard to sit on stand still.
Abnormal involuntary scale – in short, AIMS – is administered to assess the various signs of tardive dyskinesia. It is considered a good practice to take this test prior to taking psychotropic meds. Your caregiver may advise you to take AIMS regularly to assess the severity of this condition over a period of time.
50 drugs that cause tardive dyskinesia
Drugs belonging to certain categories are likely to cause tardive dyskinesia. Dugs of a genre called atypical antipsychotic drugs – used as first-line treatment for bipolar disorder and mental conditions like schizophrenia. Meds belonging to genre include
1 – Clozapine
2 – Quetiapine
3 – Lurasidone
4 – Risperidone
5 – Olanzapine
Meds forming part of typical antipsychotics (also called the first-gen version of antipsychotic meds) may also trigger tardive dyskinesia. This iatrogenic condition may be triggered by the use of drugs like
6 – Fluphenazine
7 – Perphenazine
8 – Haloperidol
9 – Thioridazine
10 – Chlorpromazine
Not stopping with the above, a few meds of the antidepressant genre – if taken for a longer span of time – may cause tardive dyskinesia. Meds of this genre which cause this iatrogenic condition are of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors – SSRI – subgenre. Drugs such as the following are more likely to cause involuntary movements of hands and feet:
11 – Citalopram
12 – Paroxetine
13 – Fluoxetine
14 – Escitalopram
15 – Sertraline
Medications that fall under the anti-nausea group may also cause this neurological condition. Meds of this sub-genre capable of starting spells of tardive dyskinesia include –
16 – Droperidol
17 – Domperidone
18 – Metoclopramide
19 – Promethazine
20 – Prochlorperazine
Besides anti-nausea, antipsychotics as well as antidepressants and meds of a genre called psychotropic drugs can also start episodes of tardive dyskinesia. These include medications like the following –
21 – Buspirone
22 – Lithium
Barbiturates like
23 – Allobarbital
24 – Primidone
25 – Thiopental
26 – Secobarbital
27 – Phenobarbital
28 – Alphenal
29 – Aprobarbital
30 – Amobarbital
Benzodiazepines such as
31 – Alprazolam
32 – Bromazepam
33 – Chlordiazepoxide
34 – Cinalezapem
35 – Clonazepam
36 – Diazepam
37 – Ketazolam
38 – Lorazepam
39 – Midazolam
Tranquilisers like
40 – Gabapentin
41 – Tizanidine
42 – Baclofen
Apart from the above, long-term use of the following meds can lead to tardive dyskinesia –
43 – Fentanyl
44 – Hydrocodone
45 – Oxycodone
46 – Tramadol
47 – Alfentanil
48 – Propoxyphene
49 – Meperidine
50 – Opium
Prior to starting any of these meds, it is a good practice to talk to your treating doctor about the side effects – especially of risks associated with the onset of tardive dyskinesia.
Upon sensing a few initial signs like constant movement of your oral parts like tongue, changes noticed in your posture(s), blinking your eyes too often, uncontrollable movements of facial organs, repeated movements of hands or legs, etc., you are advised to talk to your caregiving team without much delay.
Your doctor may reduce the dosage strength, administer a few changes to your daily habits to keep stress out, and also help you take part in therapeutic sessions. There are instances wherein safer alternatives of meds are administered.
Disclaimer
Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.
Education: Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Florida. Experience: 5 years as a pharmacist and medical writer, creating content on medication management and pharmaceutical news for healthcare blogs and patient education sites.
