tardive dyskinesia and Vitamins

Found this article published in the American Journal of Psychiatry online.

The authors conducted a study to examine the effects of Vitamin B-6 in treating schizophrenia patients with tardive dyskinesia. The patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental group, who receive Vitamin B-6, or the control group, who receives the placebo.

The symptom severity was measured using Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale. Results seems to suggest the beneficial effect of Vitamin B-6 at the dosage of 300 mg per day in treating the tardive dyskinesia conditions. It was suggested that the observed effects might have something to do with the antioxidant and free radical scavenger activities of vitamin B6 although the authors aren't not quite sure how it works exactly....

In case you wonder, many free radicals have been found to be associated with the development of psychopathologic symptoms and movement disorders. I guess it is the free radical scavenger activities that ate up them free radicals runnin around in our systems. In addition, I can't quite tell you whether there were other studies replicating similar results since I haven't gotten the chance to do more research on the topic...

In addition, somewhere out there I read that Vitamin E might also be helpful in treatment tardive dyskinesia although I haven't had the chance to review the original articles yet....

The moral of the lesson... gotta make sure I take my vitamin Bs and E from now on.... whether the theory holds true or not in my scenario...

In addition, the following page provides a list of food high on Vitamin E.... and Vitaim B...

So... after I read about them research studies, I took a trip down to buy me some Almonds since it is on discount at Rite Aid this week... Almonds are supposed to be one of the greatest source for vitamin E... secon to Wheat Germ only...

(This writing is cross-posted in my Disability in Ratology Blog)