Posted by dandjsell on July 10, 2006, at 9:56:32
In reply to Re: Zyprexa caused tardive diskinesia in son, posted by SLS on July 10, 2006, at 9:34:50
> > Has anyone had a similar experience. we were told for 6 months it was a nervous tic and was normal. Once we stopped the medication he had been taking for 3 yrs, the tic has almost disappeared.
>
> Hi.
>
> Can you describe these nervous tics?
>
> Did they appear 6 months ago? If so, then I guess they qualify as being tardive tics, and removing Zyprexa was probably the right move.
>
> Tardive dyskinesia does not usually appear until someone has been taking a neuroleptic antipsychotic for several years, although it can show up infrequently after three months or so. If the tics began at the same time Zyprexa was introduced, it is unlikely they were manifestations of tardive dyskinesia. They might very well have been one of the other types of EPS (extrapyramidal symptoms) that these drugs are known to produce. True TD normally doesn't resolve once the drug is discontinued. It is usually, but not always, irreversible. It is a happy situation that your son's tics have resolved, whatever the cause. Interestingly, Zyprexa is sometimes prescribed to treat tic disorders, including Tourettes.
>
> Is there any further need for your son to take an antipsychotic? If so, Seroquel might be worth investigating. It is thought to have a lower risk of producing EPS. There is also Clozaril, which also has the lower risk of producing tardive dyskinisia, but requires biweekly blood tests to monitor for agranulocytosis, a conditon in which the body fails to produce an adequate number of white blood cells. Clozaril is the most potent of the neuroleptic antipsychotics.
>
>
> - Scott
>My son has taken Zyprexa for 3 years. he is 13 now. 6 months ago he started to involuntarily move his head to the right40 degrees and back up twice every 10 seconds or so. It was appalling and scary. we took him to every childrens hospitol in the area. Nevertheless, it was dismissed as normal and we were told it would go away. He also was violent, aggitated, hyperactive, and out of control. The doctors said that these were all symptoms of his Aspergurs disorder.
We went to Myrtle Beach with our children a month ago, and kept forgetting to give him his medication. (10mg of Zyprexa 2x a day). His attitude changed, and the incedance of these "nervous tics" were lessened. I asked the doctor if I could remove Zyprexa and surprisingly he only has 3 episodes of the involuntary head movements a day. to boot, his attitude and demeanor are the best they have been in years!!!!! He doesn't try to kill his brothers, or threaten suicide, he can sit still longer, and go places without freaking everyone in sight out. Our relationship with him has dramatically improved in a few weeks. I am so disappointed in the years we missed with our boy.
poster:dandjsell
thread:665664
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060709/msgs/665681.html