High incidence of tardive dyskinesia in older outpatients on low doses of neuroleptics

Psychopharmacol Bull. 1992;28(1):87-92.

Abstract

We are conducting a prospective study of tardive dyskinesia (TD) in psychiatric patients over age 45, a large proportion of whom have had less than 1 month of total lifetime neuroleptic exposure. Patients are treated with the lowest effective dose of either haloperidol (usually 1-3 mg daily) or thioridazine (usually 25-75 mg daily). Patients are reexamined 1 month and 3 months after initial assessment and then at 3-month intervals. To date, a total of 68 patients (mean age 69.5 years) have been evaluated. Survival analysis showed a 27 percent cumulative incidence of TD (the 95% confidence interval being 14% to 40%) with 6 months of neuroleptic treatment in the study. The TD and non-TD patients did not differ on demographic and baseline clinical measures. Instrumental assessment showed that a greater proportion of TD patients had subclinical evidence of dyskinesia prior to the institution of neuroleptics, compared with non-TD patients.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / epidemiology*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Haloperidol / adverse effects*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Thioridazine / adverse effects*

Substances

  • Haloperidol
  • Thioridazine