Tardive dyskinesia in older patients

Neuroleptic-induced tardive dyskinesia, which often appears in middle-aged and older adults early in the course of treatment with low doses of convent ional antipsychotics, is 5 to 6 times more prevalent in elderly than in you nger patients. In addition to age, other risk factors for tardive dyskinesi a include early extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), cumulative amounts of neurol eptics, duration of neuroleptic treatment, and history of alcohol abuse and /or dependence. The atypical antipsychotics, which have a low liability for EPS, are likely to also have low potential for tardive dyskinesia, despite the paucity of controlled studies. Starting and maintenance doses of the a typical antipsychotics should generally be lower in older than in younger a dults.