Can Tardive Dyskinesia Be Reversed?

Studies look at if new medication may help. No study can promise a result. Finding out whether the new medicine works is the reason the study exists.

In many studies some participants receive a placebo, an inactive pill with no medicine in it. That is how researchers tell whether the new drug is doing the work rather than time or attention. The study team will explain your chance of receiving one before you agree to anything.

People who have or think they have TD. Either tried other methods or none at all. Want access to new approaches before they are available in pharmacies.

Watched closely. That is not the same as safe. The drug is still being tested, so nobody can promise zero side effects. You will see the side effects from earlier studies before you decide, and you can quit at any time.

Yes, and the amounts above are estimates. The exact amount is set by each study, and the team will confirm it with you before you agree to anything. It is paid for your time and your travel. Being paid is not a reason on its own to join a study.

Yes, Cleveland is home to a nationally recognized TD research center, Insight Clinical Trials, led by Dr. Mark Stillman, in Independence, OH. Their clinic has consistently good reviews from past participants for a warm and welcoming environment and a very knowledgeable doctor and team. Most of their participants are those who have completed studies with them before.

Yes. Insight provides rides through Lyft for Healthcare for volunteers and their caregiver, to their office in Independence.

Click the link below to fill out a contact us form for Insight Clinical Trials. This does not commit you to participating, it just lets their team know to reach out to you to explain the study they have and their process more.

Partially in some patients. In the trial that led to its approval, 40% of patients on Ingrezza 80 mg cut their movements in half by week six. On Austedo, 33% to 35% of patients did the same by week twelve.

In the Ingrezza trial, 8.7% of the patients on a placebo cut their movements in half. In the Austedo trial it was 12%. The gap between the two columns is the part that belongs to the medicine, and it is why the placebo group is worth knowing about.

Strong. These medications have gone through the very challenging process of FDA clinical trials with hundreds to thousands of research participants assisting in their approval.

People who have or think they have TD. Either tried other methods or none at all. You will need to talk to your physician about getting a prescription.

Ingrezza and Austedo have shown only mild to moderate side effects in the studies that led to their approval. They are not the same list. On Ingrezza the most common was sleepiness, in about 11 out of 100 people next to 4 out of 100 on a placebo. On Austedo it was cold symptoms and trouble sleeping, each in about 4 out of 100. Both carry a boxed warning about depression and suicidal thoughts in people who have Huntington’s disease, so your doctor will watch for that.

Most people with insurance pay far less than the cash price, and both drug makers run patient support programs that help with the cost. Ask your doctor or the manufacturer about those before you rule this out.

Some research indicates it can help reduce some movements in some patients.

In a 12 week study of 157 people, 51% of those taking ginkgo had their movement score drop by at least 30%, next to 5% of those on a placebo. Read that bar carefully. A 30% drop is a lower bar than the 50% drop used to measure the medications above, so the two sets of numbers are not measuring the same thing.

Mild. This information is based on one research study. It is NOT approved for treatment of TD in the United States.

People who have or think they have TD. Either tried other methods or none at all. You will need to consult with your doctor before taking it.

Ginkgo is generally well tolerated, but it is a supplement, not a prescription, so it is not held to the same manufacturing standards. It can also interact with blood thinners and other medications. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist first.

Sometimes the movements improve or go away after a medication change, but they can also last. In one specialist clinic study of 108 people with tardive movement disorders, 14 of them, about 13%, had complete recovery. Read the rest of that number carefully. Most of those 14 were also receiving other treatment. Only 3 of the 108, about 2.8%, recovered from stopping the medicine alone.

Limited for predicting full recovery. Stopping a medication does not guarantee that TD will go away.

People whose prescribing doctor decides a medication change is appropriate. Some people need to continue their medication to stay well.

A medication change needs a plan. Stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms or bring back the condition the medicine was treating. The movements may also temporarily worsen.