Citation

Paleacu D. Neuropsychiatr. Dis. Treat. 2007; 3(5): 545-551.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Dove Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Tetrabenazine (TBZ), a catecholamine-depleting agent initially developed for the treatment of schizophrenia, when tested for other indications, has proven to be more useful for the treatment of a variety of hyperkinetic: movement disorders. These disorders include neurological diseases characterized by abnormal involuntary movements such as chorea associated with Huntington's disease, tics in Tourette's syndrome, dyskinesias and dystonias in tardive dyskinesia, also primary dystonias and myoclonus. This review will include and discuss stud- ies published during the period of 1960-2006 regarding the clinical efficacy and tolerability of TBZ in Huntington's disease (HD). It will also review the chemistry, pharmacokinetics and dynamics of the drug and its mechanism of action compared to that of reserpine, the only similar compound. This review emphasizes the advantage of TBZ over dopamine-depleting compounds used in the treatment of chorea and reveals its clinical efficacy and side effects. © 2007 Dove Medical Press Limited. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

human; suicide; insomnia; depression; schizophrenia; drug overdose; review; vomiting; drug metabolism; hallucination; headache; somnolence; paranoia; panic; myoclonus; drowsiness; drug mechanism; gastrointestinal symptom; orthostatic hypotension; drug structure; nonhuman; confusion; placebo; drug efficacy; tardive dyskinesia; diarrhea; drug tolerability; nausea; tremor; drug withdrawal; hypotension; akathisia; dysphagia; neurologic disease; side effect; dystonia; parkinsonism; drug absorption; drug half life; Gilles de la Tourette syndrome; drug indication; paresthesia; nervousness; pneumonia; Huntington's disease; dizziness; catecholamine; memory disorder; reserpine; tic; drug bioavailability; dyskinesia; Huntington chorea; drug dose titration; blurred vision; gait disorder; hyperkinesia; tetrabenazine; involuntary movement; weakness; sore throat; Tetrabenazine; balance disorder; Chorea; chorea; drug dose escalation