Difference Between Tardive Dyskinesia and Dystonia

July 2023 · 3 minute read

The key difference between tardive dyskinesia and dystonia is that the tardive dyskinesia is always secondary to the long-term use of neuroleptics, but dystonia may be due to various other causes. Further, dystonia is the abnormal muscle tone resulting in muscle spasms or abnormal postures. Whereas, tardive dyskinesia refers to uncontrollable mouthing and lip-smacking grimaces that develop following the long-term use of neuroleptics.

Both of these conditions are abnormal movement disorders; dystonias include a variety of movement disorders that occur due to various reasons while tardive dyskinesia is only a subgroup of primary dystonias.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Tardive Dyskinesia 
3. What is Dystonia
4. Side by Side Comparison – Tardive Dyskinesia vs Dystonia in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Tardive Dyskinesia?

Tardive dyskinesia refers to uncontrollable mouthing and lip-smacking grimaces that develop following the long-term use of neuroleptics. These drugs are usually prescribed to treat psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia. There is a worsening of these movements when the drug is abruptly stopped, or the dose is reduced. Stopping the use of the drug cannot guarantee the complete disappearance of tardive dyskinesia. The use of atypical neuroleptics is associated with a lesser incidence of these abnormal movements.

Drugs that Cause Tardive Dyskinesia

Difference Between Tardive Dyskinesia and Dystonia

Any condition that impairs the hepatic enzyme activity and menopausal changes increase the risk of getting these adverse drug effects. Drugs such as valbenazine can treat tardive dyskinesia.

What is Dystonia?

Dystonia is abnormal muscle tone resulting in muscle spasms or abnormal postures.

There are few broad categories of dystonia as

Primary Dystonias

Primary dystonias can appear in age group but are commoner among elderly people.

What is the Difference Between Tardive Dyskinesia and Dystonia?

Tardive dyskinesia refers to uncontrollable mouthing and lip-smacking grimaces that develop following the long-term use of neuroleptics. Dystonia refers to abnormal muscle tone resulting in muscle spasms or abnormal postures.

Tardive dyskinesia is always caused by the long-term use of neuroleptics. However, various factors such as different drugs, neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic damages to central nervous system can cause dystonia. Moreover, dystonias include a variety of movement disorders that occur due to various reasons while tardive dyskinesia is only a subgroup of primary dystonias.

Difference Between Tardive Dyskinesia and Dystonia in Tabular Form

Summary – Tardive Dyskinesia vs Dystonia

The basic difference between tardive dyskinesia and dystonia stems from their cause; the former is always a result of long-term use of neuroleptics while the latter has various causes such as different drugs, neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic damages to CNS. Tardive dyskinesia is a subgroup of primary dystonias.

Reference:

1. Kumar, Parveen J., and Michael L. Clark. Kumar & Clark clinical medicine. Edinburgh: W.B. Saunders, 2009.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1885550” (CC0) via Pixabay

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