Dyskinesia
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dyskinesia overview causes treatment Merck Manual
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Dyskinesia means abnormal, involuntary movements. It is a descriptive term, not one single diagnosis.
Common forms include:
- Tardive dyskinesia: repetitive lip-smacking, chewing, tongue movements, blinking, facial grimacing, or limb/trunk movements, often after prolonged use of dopamine-blocking medicines such as antipsychotics or metoclopramide.
- Levodopa-induced dyskinesia: writhing or dance-like movements that can occur in Parkinson disease, often when levodopa effect is strongest.
- Chorea/athetosis: irregular flowing, fidgety or twisting movements due to neurological, metabolic, autoimmune, genetic, or drug-related causes.
Tardive dyskinesia commonly affects the tongue, face, and jaw, but may involve limbs and trunk. Older age, greater cumulative antipsychotic exposure, and early extrapyramidal adverse effects increase risk. Kaplan & Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, p. 13051. The Merck movement-disorders overview also lists medications and neurologic/metabolic conditions among possible causes.
What to do: Do not abruptly stop a prescribed antipsychotic or Parkinson medicine. Arrange a prompt review with the prescribing clinician or a neurologist, including a full medication review. New sudden abnormal movements with weakness, facial droop, speech difficulty, severe confusion, or loss of consciousness need emergency assessment.
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