Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) Information Sheet



|Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) Information Sheet |

|Please Read This Information Carefully |

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|Medication Prescribed:       |

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|This sheet tells you about a side effect of the above medication. If any of this causes you special concern, please check with your doctor. |

|What is Tardive Dyskinesia (TD)? |

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|Tardive Dyskinesia is a side effect of neuroleptic medication. It may also occur with amoxapine (Ascendin), Metoclopramide (Reglan) or |

|amitryptilline (Elavil). TD may be temporary or persistent. In some cases it may be irreversible. TD consists of abnormal involuntary |

|muscle movements. These can occur in the face, mouth, tongue, trunk, and/or arms and legs. Some examples of these movements are: |

|●Grimacing ●Tics ●Frequent Blinking ●Chewing ●Lip Smacking ●Tongue Thrusting ●Sucking ●Puckering ●Twisting or jerky movements |

|of the arms, legs, and/or trunk |

|How Often Does TD Occur? |

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|Persistent TD in the first three months of treatment is very rare. Most of the time (95%), persistent TD does not occur in the first one to |

|two years. While severe cases can occur in the first two years, the chances of this are about 6 in 1000 (0.6%). Persistent TD occurs in |

|about 10% to 25% of people who take neuroleptics for a number of years. This figure is about 40% for older people. |

|How Severe is TD? |

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|Most of the time (90%) TD is mild. That is, it is not obvious to people or troublesome to the person. About 10% of the time, TD is moderate |

|to severe. That is, it can be cosmetically unpleasant or interfere with daily living skills. In a few cases, it can be very dangerous |

|through breathing problems, great weight loss, and other signs. |

|Do Some People Get TD More Than Others? |

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|It is still not clear why one person develops TD while another does not. The following are thought to place a person more at risk. However, |

|none of these can predict if a specific person will get TD. |

|●Age (over 40) ●Severe movements early in treatment of which are not helped by other medication |

|●A greater length of time or a greater amount of medication taken over the years |

|●An affective or mood component to the illness |

|Is There a Treatment for TD? |

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|At this time there is no established treatment for TD. If the neuroleptic is stopped, about 50% of cases will go away within several months. |

|Other cases improve or go away over several years. However, about half the cases will be persistent or irreversible even if the neuroleptics |

|are stopped. There are several other treatments which the doctor can try, but none can be guaranteed to work for a specific person. |

|What Should I do? |

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|There are three things to do. First, carefully consider the benefits of this medication. Think if it has helped or can help you. These |

|medications have helped hundreds of thousands of people live better lives. While TD is a problem of the neuroleptics, please consider any |

|problems which may occur if the medication is not taken. Second, immediately tell the doctor or nurse if you see any unusual movements. They|

|have been trained to do an examination to look for these movements. Although regular exams are done, any help from you is important. Third, |

|be alert to any muscle changes if the dose is lowered or the medication is stopped. Many times TD movements are not seen until the dose is |

|lowered. Tell the doctor or nurse of any changes. |

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