Tardive Dyskinesia is a rare condition affecting the nervous system, often caused by long-term use of some psychiatric drugs that treat common conditions like bipolar and Alzheimer’s disease. Although there are fewer than 200,000 cases per year in the U.S., many still know little information on this condition yet there are 8 types of specific tardive dyskinesias that even more people have never heard of.
According to Medscape.com, here are 8 specific tardive dyskinesias resulting from long-term use of dopamine antagonists that may occur concurrently and even last for years if not a lifetime:
Tardive Akathisia is manifested by repetitive tapping, squirming, and marching movements. It occurs as the dose of the dopamine antagonist is decreased after long-term treatment. People with akathisia complain of inner restlessness and the inability to remain still. Unlike other movement disorders, akathisia can be diagnosed solely on the basis of the patient’s subjective symptoms in the absence of any objective signs.
Tardive Blepharospasm is defined as the presence of repetitive sustained contractions of the orbicularis oculi that have lasted for at least 1 month and that developed during or within 3 months of the
