Extra Pyramidal Side Effects

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If you have landed here then most probably you are looking for information regarding extra pyramidal side effects.  Before explaining the symptoms and side effects let us firstly explain what is extra pyramidal system.

Definition: Extra pyramidal side effects are the symptoms which occur in persons after taking anti psychotic medications. They are more commonly caused by the so-called typical anti psychotics but can also occur in all of them.

Below we are listing some of the extra pyramidal side effects:

  • Tremor
  1. Rhythmic purposeless quivering movements
  2. ‡ Numbness or pricking sensations in the skin
  3. ‡ Epileptic seizures are a risk
  • Akathisia
  1. A subjective feeling of objective signs of muscle unrest, particularly in the lower extremities
  2. ‡ Difficulty remaining seated, agitation, restlessness
  3. ‡ Difficult to recognize and may be misdiagnosed with a psychiatric disorder
  4. ‡ Can be treated with antiparkinsonian agents in addition to benzodiazepines
  • Dystonia
  1. Tonic muscular contractions localized to one or several muscle groups, particularly in the eyes, mouth, throat or neck
  2. ‡ Eye manifestations include spasm of extra ocular muscles (oculogyric crisis)
  3. ‡ Neck manifestations include torticollis
  4. ‡ Back manifestations include opisthotonus
  5. ‡ Pharyngeal muscle spasm or laryngospasm can be life-threatening
  6. ‡ Can treat with diphenhydramine or benztropine (Cogentin) which are anti-parkinsonian agents
  • Rigidity
  1. Increased muscle tone of a uniform general nature
  2. ‡ Observed as a uniform, steady resistance to passive movements of the limbs
Treatment of these symptoms depends upon the medication that induced them.




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