Treating Patients With Long-term Tardive Dyskinesia
In this occasional feature, members of the Psych Congress Steering Committee and faculty answer questions asked by attendees at Psych Congress meetings.
QUESTION: Is there benefit in treating a patient with a VMAT2 inhibitor if they have already had severe tardive dyskinesia for several years?
ANSWER: We are fortunate to have two FDA-approved medications, Ingrezza (valbenazine) and Austedo (deutetrabenazine), for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia. Both of these medications are VMAT2 inhibitors. Based on rigorously conducted, double-blind studies, it is quite clear that even patients who have severe tardive dyskinesia for multiple decades do respond to these medications. So I would recommend that you not let the severity of tardive dyskinesia or the duration of tardive dyskinesia be a reason to withhold a trial of one of these two VMAT2 inhibitors.
— Psych Congress cochair Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Midland
MORE QUESTIONS ANSWERED:
Does Tardive Dyskinesia Severity Impact the Effectiveness of Treatments?
Can TD Occur in Patients Who Never Took Typical Antipsychotics?
Do TD Medications Decrease the Effectiveness of Antipsychotics?
