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Published on: December 13, 2017
Postural induced-tremor in psychiatry.
Beatriz Arbaizar1, Inés Gómez-Acebo, Javier Llorca
1Unit of Mental Health, Laredo Hospital, Laredo, Spain.
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
|December 11, 2008
Summary
Psychiatric medications like lithium and antidepressants can cause disabling postural tremors. Treatment strategies involve medications such as beta-blockers and gabapentin, with careful consideration of their efficacy and side effects.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Neurology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Postural tremor is a common movement disorder encountered in psychiatric practice.
- It presents diagnostic challenges for clinicians.
- Classifications include physiological, essential, drug-induced, and Parkinson's disease-related tremors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical characteristics of postural tremors induced by psychiatric medications.
- To discuss pharmacological treatment strategies for disabling drug-induced tremors.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on drug-induced postural tremors in psychiatry.
- Description of clinical features associated with specific causative agents.
- Evaluation of therapeutic options, including dosages and side effects.
Main Results:
- Common psychiatric drugs implicated include lithium, valproic acid, lamotrigine, antidepressants, and neuroleptics.
- The study details the specific tremor characteristics for each drug class.
- Effective treatments identified are beta-blockers, primidone, gabapentin, topiramate, and benzodiazepines.
Conclusions:
- Drug-induced postural tremor is a significant side effect of various psychiatric medications.
- Understanding drug-specific tremor patterns aids diagnosis.
- A range of pharmacological interventions can effectively manage disabling tremors, requiring individualized treatment approaches.
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