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Tardive tremor
Author(s) -
Stacy Mark,
Jankovic Joseph
Publication year - 1992
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.870070110
Subject(s) - tetrabenazine , tardive dyskinesia , akathisia , dystonia , movement disorders , myoclonus , chorea , essential tremor , psychology , stereotypy , medicine , tics , physical medicine and rehabilitation , neuroscience , dopamine , psychiatry , antipsychotic , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , amphetamine , disease
A variety of hyperkinetic movement disorders has been associated with the use of neuroleptics (dopamine receptor blocking drugs), but tardive tremor has not been previously documented. We describe five patients in whom tremor occurred after chronic treatment with neuroleptics, was aggravated by and persisted after neuroleptic withdrawal, and improved after treatment with the dopamine depleting drug tetrabenazine. This involuntary oscillatory movement, with a frequency range of 3–5 Hz, was most prominent during maintenance of a posture, but was also present at rest and during a goal‐directed movement. The tremor was accompanied by other tardive movement disorders, including akathisia, chorea, dystonia, myoclonus, and stereotypy. There was no family history or other explanation for tremor in these patients. We suggest that this hitherto unreported movement disorder is best termed “tardive tremor”.