Pharmacological treatments of tardive dyskinesia in the 1980s

Abstract

The studies of tardive dyskinesia treatment published in the 1980s were generally superior to earlier work in terms of methods (more double-blind trials using standardized rating scales), but relatively small sample sizes and short durations of studies were still the main deficiencies. The results continue to suggest an absence of an overall satisfactory treatment. Individual patients seem to respond to different drugs such as noradrenergic antagonists and GABAergic agents. Withdrawal of neuroleptics and antiparkinsonian agents is a useful strategy. Future work should concentrate on defining clinicopharmacological subtypes of tardive dyskinesia.