Incidence of tardive dyskinesia in early stages of low-dose treatment with typical neuroleptics in older patients.
OBJECTIVE
The authors studied the risk of tardive dyskinesia for older patients in the early stages of treatment with typical neuroleptics.


METHODS
They examined the cumulative incidence of tardive dyskinesia 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the institution of neuroleptic therapy among 307 psychiatric outpatients over age 45. The patients' median dose was 68.4 mg/day of chlorpromazine equivalent.


RESULTS
In the patients who had never received neuroleptics at baseline (N = 87), the mean cumulative incidence of tardive dyskinesia was 3.4% and 5.9% at 1 and 3 months, respectively. There was no significant difference in the 12-month cumulative incidence of tardive dyskinesia among patients who had been neuroleptic-naive at baseline (22.3%) and the 89 patients who had received neuroleptics before baseline for 1-30 days (24.6%); however, the 131 patients who had received neuroleptics before baseline for more than 30 days tended to have a greater cumulative 12-month incidence of tardive dyskinesia (36.9%).


CONCLUSIONS
The risk of tardive dyskinesia in older outpatients is high, even with relatively short treatment with low doses of conventional neuroleptics.
Jeste
D V
DV
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego VA Medical Center 92161, USA. djeste@ucsd.edu
Lacro
J P
JP
Palmer
B
B
Rockwell
E
E
Harris
M J
MJ
Caligiuri
M P
MP
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology