Date created: | Last Updated:

Category: Project

Description: Medication-induced dystonia (MID) is a movement disorder (MD), characterized by involuntary sustained or intermittent muscle contractions, causing abnormal, often repetitive, movements, postures, or both. It can be a frightening and painful experience and even lead to a life-threatening situation. However, MID is often poorly recognized, due to a lack of knowledge among healthcare professionals. Although MID is commonly associated with the use of dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs), particularly high-potency antipsychotics and certain antiemetics, it also occurs with many other kinds of psychotropic medication (e.g. antidepressants, lithium), as well as with medications widely used in clinical practice, such as antibiotics, antivirals, antiallergics, and antitussives. However, until now, no extensive systematic review on the epidemiology and phenomenology of MID across all potentially relevant medication groups has been conducted. The primary objective of this systematic-narrative review is to identify published evidence-based literature on the epidemiology and phenomenology of MID in children and adults without pre-existing MDs, with the aim of better informing healthcare providers about this (potentially life-threatening) treatment-related adverse event.