Mental illness was once a subject not often discussed among Black Americans, but in recent years, conversations are more open, and people are more comfortable explaining what is happening to them and how their medication makes them feel.
One byproduct of mental illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe depression that is not well known amongst patients until it happens is Tardive Dyskinesia (TD). It is the involuntary and abnormal movements of the jaw, lips, and tongue. Classic symptoms include facial grimacing, sticking out the tongue, sucking, or fish-like movements of the mouth. In some cases, the arms and/or legs may also be affected by involuntary rapid, jerking movements, or slow, writhing movements as defined by the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
These symptoms are brought on by prolonged use of antipsychotic drugs known as neuroleptics that block dopamine receptors, which are chemicals in the brain that cause movement. Tardive Dyskinesia will not occur in all who take antipsychotic drugs, but those that do, it can be life-changing.
The older neuroleptics also known as first-generation neuroleptics or ‘typical’ neuroleptics are more likely to produce Tardive Dyskinesia than the newer neuroleptics.
The newer, second-generation neuroleptics or ‘atypical’ neuroleptics have shown to be less likely to produce Tardive Dyskinesia in patients and show a TD rate of 13.1 percent for longtime users versus 32.4 percent for users of first-generation neuroleptics.
There are a few drugs designed to treat digestive conditions as well as psychosis that are associated with Tardive Dyskinesia.
What’s even less known is Tardive Dyskinesia is more likely to occur in Africans and Black Americans than Caucasians as presented in a paper on psychiatryonline.org. It describes how a greater number of Black Americans are slow to metabolize antipsychotic drugs than Caucasians and, therefore, are prescribed higher doses of these drugs. Because of these increased doses of medication, this may be associated with the increase in Tardive Dyskinesia in Africans and Black Americans.
Other factors that put you at a higher risk of developing TD besides being African and Black American are:
All is not lost if you develop Tardive Dyskinesia. It is not life-threatening, although it may affect how you conduct your life. It is important to contact your physician immediately if you suspect signs of TD. Although there is no cure, symptoms vary in patients and there are new, more effective neuroleptics combined with new, FDA-approved treatments that are encouraging for those with this condition.
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