Palatal tremor after lithium and carbamazepine use: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Palatal tremor, characterized by rhythmic contractions of the soft palate, can occur secondary to pathology in the dentato-rubro-olivary pathway, or in the absence of such structural lesions. Its pathogenesis is only partially understood. We describe a case of probable drug-induced palatal tremor.


METHODS
A 27-year-old Indian man had taken carbamazepine and lithium for 7 years for the treatment of a manic episode. He presented with a one-year history of bilateral rhythmic oscillations of his soft palate and tremors of his tongue. There were no other abnormalities detected from his examination or after detailed investigation.


CONCLUSIONS
Palatal tremors may result from medication used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Mahasuar
Rajnarayan
R
Department of Psychiatry, Christian Medical College, Vellore 632002, India. sanju@cmcvellore.ac.in.
Kuruvilla
Anju
A
Jacob
Ks
K