Drug-Induced Movement Disorders

In general, phenothiazines and levodopa have appeared to exert opposite effects. In view of this, the similarities between a late syndrome of abnormal movements seen in some patients treated with phenothiazines over a long period and the abnormal movements associated with levodopa therapy of parkinsonism are puzzling. The levodopa-induced disorders respond to reduction in dosage, but the cost of this improvement may be worsening of the parkinsonism. Some of the neuroleptic-induced disorders have been slowly reversible or unresponsive to treatment.