Deanol in tardive dyskinesia

K. L. Davis, P. A. Berger, L. E. Hollister

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Attempts to treat tardive dyskinesia by reducing dopaminergic activity have not been especially fruitful. Increasing cholinergic activity by administration of physostigmine produces a transient but definite improvement. In order to exploit this phenomenon in a clinically useful way, dimethylaminoethanol (deanol) was proposed as a precursor for acetylcholine, and several studies have reported beneficial effects from such treatment, usually in doses not exceeding 1500 mg/day. The authors treated four patients suffering from tardive dyskinesia with deanol. These patients received up to 1600-2000 mg/day for 21 to 56 days, with no improvement in the frequency or intensity of their movements as compared with pre drug movement frequency. One patient with tardive dyskinesia of only 2 weeks' duration experienced a complete disappearance of all movements shortly after beginning treatment with deanol in a dose of 1 g/day. This remission persisted throughout a 21-day placebo period and the syndrome has not recurred to date.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)807
Number of pages1
JournalAmerican Journal of Psychiatry
Volume134
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1977
Externally publishedYes

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