Shown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by pretty_paints on February 20, 2005, at 10:19:59
Hi,
Can anyone explain to me the difference between all the movement disorders associated with the use of AP's??
What exactly is tardive dyskinesia?
What is EPS?
What is akathisia and restlessness?
I have akathisia and intense restlessness (both in mind and body). My hands shake a little, and I feel clumsy and keep hitting things over or falling up the stairs (yes really, im such a doofus).
I'm always jiggling my hands, or tapping my foot, or making sort of contractions with all my muscles, in a jerky way. I find it hard to sit/lie still or do anything detailed.
These are not uncontrollable movements, so I don't think they are TD.
Maybe they are EPS, whatever that is.
Does anyone know exactly what the difference is between these terms??
Thanks!
Posted by Minnie-Haha on February 20, 2005, at 13:08:56
In reply to Movement disorders of Antipsychotics!, posted by pretty_paints on February 20, 2005, at 10:19:59
I've found this web site to be pretty helpful and it will answer at least some of your questions. Try clicking on the "Glossary" tab and then pick "Tardive dyskinesia/Dystonia" from the drop-down definitions menu for starters...
Posted by Sebastian on February 20, 2005, at 16:23:21
In reply to Movement disorders of Antipsychotics!, posted by pretty_paints on February 20, 2005, at 10:19:59
TD=a repetative motion that you can not stop. Like swallowing over and over and over and over.
Akathesia=can't site still always need to be doing somthing, but stopable with work.
EPS=Movement disorders from AP's, like listed above.
Posted by Phillipa on February 20, 2005, at 17:50:45
In reply to Re: Movement disorders of Antipsychotics!, posted by Sebastian on February 20, 2005, at 16:23:21
Are you bored? I wiggle my foot constantly when I am. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by med_empowered on February 20, 2005, at 23:14:49
In reply to Re: Movement disorders of Antipsychotics!, posted by Phillipa on February 20, 2005, at 17:50:45
hey! Tardive Dyskinesia is a SERIOUS problem...it usually starts with mild, uncontrollable facial movements...it sometimes stops completely, sometimes progresses to serious TD, which can be disabling. Sad fact: Thorazine was introduced as a psychiatric drug for schizophrenia in 1954 (it was first used for nausea, vomiting, and as a pre-operative sedative). In 1957, the first reports of what would later be termed "tardive dyskinesia" popped up in the professional literature. Over the years, medical professionals, espcially the staff of mental hospitals, became familiar with the "Thorazine shuffle" as it was called...psychiatrists in the US continued to use large doses of antipsychotics (several times as much typically used in Europe) and the APA regarded TD as a "minor problem". Then, people who had developed TD started suing their doctors and congress held hearings on the use on anti-psychotics in the Soviet Union (to torture and control radicals they labelled as "mentally ill") and on the elderly (they were used to control "senile agitation"), and on juvenile delinquents and other prisoners (the non-mentally ill ones; they called the drugs "zombie juice"). Basically, they found out these drugs caused serious movement disorders AND were being widely used to control people, not cure disease. It wasn't until 1980 that the American Psychiatric Association finally formed a task-force to study TD. Their data (which many, many people believe was highly flawed) found a prevalence rate of "only" 20% in long-term use...it seemed to develop at a rate of (I believe) 4-5%/year. The atypicals, on the other hand, have been touted as significantly less likely to cause TD. Problem? The manufacturer's studies didn't look for TD. In clinical practice, TD is believed to be highly under-diagnosed. That said, newer drugs are believed to cause TD at a rate of 1%/year...but this is flawed. Women and the elderly appear to be at much higher risk, with elderly women at the highest risk of all. Previous research shows that, for some reason, patients who have bipolar, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophrenia and mood-disorder(s) such as depression are at a higher risk than those who have schizophrenia and no mood-disorders. Data also shows that those with TD also often have COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT greater than those without TD...there also seems to be a relationship between the severity of the TD and the severity of the cognitive impairment. Anway, my advice would be to try to find a treatment BESIDES anti-psychotics.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.