What is Tardive Dyskinesia?

Dyskinesia is one of two major classifications of movement disorders. The other major classification of movement disorders are dystonias. Dyskinesias are involuntary, often hyperkinetic movements of various types that have no purpose and are not fully controllable by the patient. Some are random, some rhythmic, most are very odd looking and socially stigmatizing. They can affect the smooth movement of a joint resulting in jerky articulation. Gyrations of any body part and abrupt and seemingly violent movements of a limb are also common.

Tardive simply means late onset of the dyskinesia symptoms. Late onset symptoms can appear after months of trouble free treatment or when the drug is withdrawn or the dose is lowered. Symptoms often appear after discontinuing the drug because the drug may mask the toxic symptoms it is producing. Tardive reactions are more likely to be persistent or permanent than early onset symptoms. Symptoms that persist for six to twelve months are considered to be permanent although they may diminish slightly over the course of several years.

Involuntary movements associated with Tardive Dyskinesia are generally not present during sleep, though some specific movement symptoms are more troublesome during resting. Often patients can suppress Tardive Dyskinesia symptoms for a short period of time with intense concentration.

Tardive Dyskinesia can mimic disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Tourette's Syndrome, Huntington's Chorea, tics, cerebral palsy, stroke and hyperactivity. Sadly the symptoms associated with Tardive Dyskinesia are often mistaken for psychiatric disturbances and patients are often shunned.

Treatment of Tardive Dyskinesia is more complicated that treatment of early onset movement symptoms. Consultation with a movement disorders specialist may be helpful in creating a treatment plan.

If you or a loved one is suffering from Tardive Dyskinesia after long-term (more than 3 months) use of Reglan, contact the Allen Law Firm today to discuss your legal options.

No MDL for Reglan Lawsuits

In June 2009 the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation denied a request to consolidate Reglan lawsuits in one federal district. The panel issued their order on June 3, 2009 stating that the centralization of 11 different Reglan lawsuits before one judge for pretrial coordination was not appropriate at this time.

The lawsuits filed against the makers of Reglan and the generic, Metoclopramide, claim that the manufacturers failed to adequately warn about the potential tardive dyskinesia side effects of Reglan associated with long term use.

In February 2009, the FDA required the addition of a "black box" warning about the risk of Tardive Dyskinesia associated with long-term or high dose Reglan use.

The panel was persuaded by the drug makers' assertions that consolidated proceedings were not necessary. The drug makers pointed to 20 years of Reglan litigation that includes over 70 lawsuits. According to the manufacturers about 80% of the lawsuits filed have been resolved.