Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia: a statistical meta-analysis.
Tardive dyskinesia is an involuntary movement disorder developing following treatment with neuroleptics. As many as 50% of chronic psychotic patients develop this disabling condition. No treatment has been found effective for tardive dyskinesia. This study was undertaken to meta-analyze the effects of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) reported in the last decade. All studies published since 1987, focusing on vitamin E and tardive dyskinesia are reviewed. Double-blind studies are analyzed using measures of effect and variance as described by secondary analysis of magnitude of effects in pooled data. A total of 223 patients received vitamin E treatment (400-1600 IU/day) for tardive dyskinesia, in 12 studies. A significant subgroup (28.3%) showed a modest improvement. Vitamin E was well tolerated, and only rarely did side effects occur-of no clinical significance. Vitamin E is a safe, well-tolerated compound that may provide some beneficial effects in patients suffering from neuroleptic-induced tardive dyskinesia.
Abarbanel Mental Health Center, Bat-Yam, Israel.
Y
Y
Barak
M
M
Swartz
E
E
Shamir
D
D
Stein
A
A
Weizman
D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D014810:Vitamin E