Citation

Micheli FE, Pardal MM, Giannaula R, Gatto M, Parera I, Paradiso G, Torres M, Pikielny R, Pardal J. Mov. Disord. 1989; 4(2): 139-146.

Affiliation

Neurology Department, Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Movement Disorders Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/mds.870040205

PMID

2733706

Abstract

Over the last few years, cases of movement disorders induced by flunarizine and cinnarizine have been increasingly reported. We describe a series of 101 patients, whose ages ranged from 37 to 84 years (mean 69.1), developing abnormal movements frequently associated with depression, secondary to treatment with either or both drugs. Symptoms closely resembled those induced by neuroleptic drugs and remitted on drug discontinuance in all but five cases after 5-22 months' follow-up. Whether or not such undesirable side effects are attributable to calcium antagonism and/or dopamine receptor blockade, long-term treatment with flunarizine or cinnarizine should be discouraged, particularly in the elderly.

Language: en