[Therapeutic use of tetrabenazine]

Tetrabenazine is a benzoquinolizine with a high antidopaminergic potential due to a monoamine depletion effect that acts equally on the three main neurotransmitters (dopamine, noradrenalin and serotonin). This potential explains why this group of pharmaceutical agents has been used for years to treat different types of hyperkinetic syndromes. In the lines that follow, we examine both the pharmacokinetic and the pharmacodynamic characteristics of tetrabenazine.

A thorough review is performed of the literature on the main indications established over the years for the therapeutic utilisation of tetrabenazine, the most important hyperkinetic syndromes of which include: tardive dyskinesias, athetosis, ballism, dystonias (primary, tardive, etc.), tics or Tourette syndrome, and finally the semiological group consisting of choreas (Huntington's disease, Sydenham's chorea and other paediatric choreas).

Tetrabenazine appears to be an excellent pharmacological agent for use in a number of pathologies that are accompanied by hyperkinesias; it is well tolerated and has few complications or side effects deriving from its administration.