Side effects of medication

Some of the drugs used to treat schizophrenia cause severe and distressing side effects, especially some of the older anti-psychotic drugs. The most troublesome effects relate to the neuromuscular system causing extra pyramidal signs and symptoms. The latter include Parkinson like symptoms causing:

• muscle stiffness,
• rigidity and,
• tremor interfering with limb movements,
• abnormal movements(dystonia) and physical restlessness (akathisia).

These effects can be alleviated by counteracting drugs such as procyclidine, orphenadrine and benztropine.

Tardive dyskinesia- rhythmic, involuntary movements of the tongue, face, jaw and trunk occur with long term treatment using high dose medication.

These movements may be uncontrollable, persistent and distressing. In 5 - 20% of cases tardive dyskinesia may become permanent even if the offending drug is discontinued. In general the more severe and distressing side effects are likely to be seen in those who have had severe disease for a number of years. In addition some drugs cause sedation, low mood and weight gain.

Drugs used to treat side effects

A number of drugs, commonly including:

• Procyclidine
• Orphenadrine
• Benztropine
• are prescribed to alleviate side effects caused by the anti-psychotic agents. These drugs are not classified as psychoactive agents.