Conditions and symptoms
What Is Tardive Dyskinesia? A Medicine Warning Explained
Tardive dyskinesia · say it: TAR-div dis-kih-NEE-zhuhAlso written: TD, tardive dyskinesias
Short answer
Tardive dyskinesia is a movement problem with repeated, uncontrolled movements, often of the face, linked to long-term use of some medicines.
What it means
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) causes repeated movements a person cannot control, such as lip smacking, chewing, sticking out the tongue, grimacing or blinking, and sometimes movements of the arms, legs or trunk. 'Tardive' means late: it usually develops after months or years of treatment.
Labels for antipsychotic medicines, and for some anti-sickness medicines such as metoclopramide, warn about it because these medicines block dopamine, and long-term use can lead to TD in some people. The risk is linked to how long the medicine is taken and the total amount. The warning is telling you and your doctor to watch for early signs, because noticing it early gives more options.
Tardive dyskinesia is different from parkinsonism (stiffness, slowness and tremor) and from acute dystonia (sudden muscle spasms soon after starting a medicine), which are other movement side effects of the same medicines.
Where you may see it
- The 'Warnings' section of antipsychotic labels
- Metoclopramide boxed warning
- Psychiatry and neurology clinic letters
📄 How it looks on a report
Tardive dyskinesia, a syndrome of potentially irreversible, involuntary, dyskinetic movements, may develop in patients treated with antipsychotic drugs.
🙅 What it does not mean
- It does not mean you should stop your medicine suddenly; talk to your prescriber.
- Not everyone on these medicines gets it.
- Every twitch or tremor is not TD; your doctor can tell the difference.
🎯 Check yourself
Which of these is the right meaning of “Tardive dyskinesia”?
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Tardive dyskinesia”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Aripiprazole
an atypical antipsychotic medicine
- Metoclopramide
A stomach and gut medicine. The label describes it as affecting how the stomach and intestines move. The label does not give an FDA drug class.
- Quetiapine
An atypical antipsychotic medicine
- Risperidone
an atypical antipsychotic medicine
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Tardive dyskinesia” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
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