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Movement disorders and depression due to flunarizine and cinnarizine
Author(s) -
Micheli Federico E.,
Pardal Manuel M. Fernandez,
Giannaula Rolando,
Gatto Mabel,
Parera Ignacio Casas,
Paradiso Guillermo,
Torres Marta,
Pikielny Ralph,
Pardal Julio Fernandez
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
movement disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.352
H-Index - 198
eISSN - 1531-8257
pISSN - 0885-3185
DOI - 10.1002/mds.870040205
Subject(s) - flunarizine , cinnarizine , movement disorders , depression (economics) , medicine , psychiatry , anesthesia , economics , disease , macroeconomics , calcium
Over the last few years, cases of movement disorders induced by flunarizine and cinnarizine have been increasingly reported. We describe a series of 101 patients, whose ages ranged from 37 to 84 years (mean 69.1), developing abnormal movements frequently associated with depression, secondary to treatment with either or both drugs. Symptoms closely resembled those induced by neuroleptic drugs and remitted on drug discontinuance in all but five cases after 5–22 months' follow‐up. Whether or not such undesirable side effects are attributable to calcium antagonism and/or dopamine receptor blockade, long‐term treatment with flunarizine or cinnarizine should be discouraged, particularly in the elderly.