Posted by Elizabeth on July 15, 2001, at 17:03:05
In reply to Re: Thorazine and brain damage, posted by Else on July 14, 2001, at 5:54:19
> Long-term use of most APs can cause brain damage (tardive diskinesia).
TD is irreversible in some cases, but more often than not it goes away, or at least improves after a while, if you go off the offending drug. It's a common but incorrect belief that it's always permanent.
Also, you might be surprised to learn that in studies of neuroleptics, some patients who were on placebo got movement disorders. Also, some people
It's possible that people with schizophrenia may be at increased risk;
> From what I read, it happens mostly to elderly women who have been taking these drugs for many years.Older women are more at risk, yes. And the risk increases the longer you take the drug.
It used to be that psych hospitals were full of people with bizarre movement disorders. Today when an antipsychotic is needed they mostly use the atypicals (Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel, Geodon, etc.), and extrapyramidal symptoms are much less common. Atypical APs do have the potential to cause EPS or TD, but the risk is much lower than the risk from older drugs such as Thorazine and Haldol.
BTW, sometimes antipsychotics are good for short-term use in mania.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:69927
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010714/msgs/70218.html