Extrapyramidal Reaction

Extrapyramidal Reaction General Information

The human organism’s extrapyramidal system is a part of the patient’s brain, commonly characterized as a complex neural network. It is integrated in the individual’s motor system; in other words, the extrapyramidal system is known to play an important part in the coordination of the body’s movements. The clinical term “extrapyramidal” is employed in such cases in order emphasize on the fact that this neural network does not travel through the medulla’s “pyramids”. While the “extrapyramidal network” indirectly controls the body movements (through regulation and modulation), the corticobulbar and corticospinal tracts (the pyramidal systems / tracts) are known to directly innervate the patient’s motor neurons, leading to voluntary movements. 

If a patient is diagnosed with the presence of an Extrapyramidal Reaction, he or she is experiencing a disturbance of this neural network. This clinical disorder is known to generally be due by intensive therapy with antipsychotic remedies or due to an improper use of such a medical product. Antipsychotic drugs are medications that can only be purchased with a doctor’s prescription. Such drugs can be employed in the therapy of psychotic medical conditions (such as schizophrenia, psychotic depression, schizoaffective disorder, and so on).

If a patient has followed an intense treatment trial with an antipsychotic medical product, or if he or she has accidentally overdosed with such a clinical remedy, they may experience this medical condition (commonly referred to as Extrapyramidal Reaction). The presence of this disorder may trigger two types of clinical symptoms: dystonias (movement clinical disturbances) and dyskinesias (medical conditions that lead to an abnormal muscular tension). In some cases, the patients may develop the tardive form of this medical condition (when the symptoms of this disorder appear after several years of intense therapy with a certain antipsychotic medical product).

Extrapyramidal Reaction Symptoms

The presence of an Extrapyramidal Reaction is known to trigger a set of unpleasant clinical manifestations that are strongly related to the functions of the patient’s extrapyramidal system. Such a medical condition is known to lead to the development of various medical symptoms, including akathisia (in such cases, the individual is unable to stay still) and akinesia (patients who present this severe clinical symptom are not able to initiate movement).

Dyskinesias are known to be quite common in the case of patients who are suffering from an Extrapyramidal Reaction. The presence of this severe medical sign is known to include various purposeless, involuntary, repetitive facial and / or body movements. The most common of them include: movements of the limbs, eye blinking, finger movements, lip smacking, fly-catching tongue movements, and so on. Dystonia is also common in the case of extrapyramidal affections. The presence of this symptom is known to trigger unusually strong muscular contractions which lead to abnormal twisting of the limbs and / or other body parts. This condition is known to lead to the developing of severe pain, which can affect almost any part of the patient’s organism, including his or her eyes.

These are not all the clinical manifestations that may be present in the case of an extrapyramidal clinical affection. In some cases, the patients may develop symptoms that are similar to those caused by Parkinson’s disease (walking difficulties, for example), while other patients may present uncontrollable vocal tics. In the case of patients who have been diagnosed with the presence of tardive Extrapyramidal Reaction, their disturbing clinical manifestations may be permanent (even if the patient ceases his or her therapy with the antipsychotic remedy, they may still experience their symptoms).

Extrapyramidal Reaction Treatment

All individuals should know that they can be offered professional medical help for their condition (Extrapyramidal Reaction). Their chances of recovery are known to increase if their clinical disorder is diagnosed in its early stages. For this reason, it is very important that all individuals who undergo long-term or intense treatment trials with any antipsychotic medical remedies to undergo regular clinical evaluations, in order to manage the drug’s side effects. If you develop any of the medical symptoms that we have listed in the previous chapter during your treatment with any antipsychotic medical product, you should immediately seek professional medical care. Your physician can easily manage your Extrapyramidal Reaction symptoms by changing your medication or prescribing you the intake of another clinical remedy (for example Cogentin) that should be able to help manage your symptoms.

If the patient’s extrapyramidal disorder is due to the intake of an typical antipsychotic medical remedy, his or her health care provider will advise him to stop the intake of that certain drug and start using an atypical antipsychotic medication (such as Clozapine, Risperidone, Olanzapine, Quetiapine, Ziprasidone, Aripiprazole, and so on). Such medical products are known to present an alternative way of achieving their purpose, being associated with fewer complications of the extrapyramidal system. However, if the individual is diagnosed with the tardive form of this disorder (if his or her Extrapyramidal Reaction has developed after years of intensive therapy with an antipsychotic remedy), he or she may have problems in dealing with their symptoms. In such cases, the therapy with the antipsychotic medication must be immediately stopped and the patient will have to be prescribed a supportive (symptomatic) treatment trial. However, in some cases, the presence of the Extrapyramidal Reaction symptoms is permanent.