Posted by lostforwards on November 27, 2004, at 16:59:35
In reply to AP Use, posted by JACJ on November 25, 2004, at 7:08:42
Your chances of developing TD increase with your total lifetime dose. That's what I've heard.
From my experience and some reading:If you're concerned, you can do a few tests. One would be to check your tongue. Stick it out and look at it in a mirror: check for high frequency twitching( my desc.) or other large slower movements. You may want to move your fingers very quickly while looking at it in the mirror.
If movements start to appear, or if they get worse, then I'd say it's a side-effect.Just as a test you can drink a lot of coffee and see if any movements get worse.
A symptom of tardive dyskinesia is eyebrow arching. Mine didn't arch, but it did twitch. You know what I noticed though? When I winked the other eyebrow, it would arch. This didn't happen the other way around.
Another person I was talking to reported that one of their pupils was smaller or larger than the other. I'm not sure if this is an extension of the eyebrow thing.
You also want to look out for subtle things like crossing one of your legs when you sit down. If you didn't normally do this before and it just happened to appear with the use of the drug, be suspicious.
Sterotypies and postural TD are often not talked about.
Finally, check for the movements in the evenings. Mine are usually worst at this time of day. Interestingly enough, when I was untreated the evenings were also the times I felt best.
I believe the antipsychotics mask supersensitivity by keeping dopamine levels low. A good length drug holiday is a good test.
I've had various symptoms in the extreme when I was on the medication, and some of them went away after discontinuing use of the drug.
It is possible to have dyskinesia or dystonia that may go away. If it persists or develops after a few months off the AP then it's more likely a permanent side-effect.
poster:lostforwards
thread:420078
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041123/msgs/420998.html