Drug-induced movement disorders

Abstract

Introduction: Drug-induced movement disorders (DIMDs) can be elicited by several kinds of pharmaceutical agents. The major groups of offending drugs include antidepressants, antipsychotics, antiepileptics, antimicrobials, antiarrhythmics, mood stabilisers and gastrointestinal drugs among others.

Areas covered: This paper reviews literature covering each movement disorder induced by commercially available pharmaceuticals. Considering the magnitude of the topic, only the most prominent examples of offending agents were reported in each paragraph paying a special attention to the brief description of the pathomechanism and therapeutic options if available.

Expert opinion: As the treatment of some DIMDs is quite challenging, a preventive approach is preferable. Accordingly, the use of the offending agents should be strictly limited to appropriate indications and they should be applied in as low doses and as short duration as the patient’s condition allows. As most of DIMDs are related to an unspecific adverse action of medications in the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, future research should focus on better characterisation of the neurochemical profile of the affected functional systems, in addition to the development of drugs with higher selectivity and better side-effect profile.

Keywords:

• basal ganglia
• drug-induced side-effects
• movement disorders
• tardive syndromes

Declaration of interest

This work was supported by the projects TÁMOP-4.2.2.A-11/1/KONV-2012-0052, MTA-SZTE Neuroscience Research Group and Hungarian Brain Research Program – Grant No. KTIA_NAP_13-A_III/9. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organisation or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Notes

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