Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T06:38:45.090Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Physiological Characteristics of Tremor after Chronic Lithium Therapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Peter Tyrer ,
Ian Lee  and
Carol Trotter
Peter Tyrer
Affiliation:
Mapperley Hospital, Porchester Road, Nottingham NG3 6AA
Ian Lee
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton
Carol Trotter
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Twenty-three patients taking lithium carbonate alone in therapeutic dosage for a mean period of 43 months (range 6–108 months) and 23 control subjects matched for age and sex had the frequency and amplitude of postural tremor measured and extrapyramidal symptoms assessed by standard techniques. Patients on lithium had a significantly lower peak frequency of tremor than control subjects (P <0.05) and significantly greater extrapyramidal symptoms (P <0.01), indicating that tremor appearing after chronic lithium therapy is likely to be an extrapyramidal symptom. Such symptoms are common long-term adverse effects of lithium carbonate.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 139 , Issue 1 , July 1981 , pp. 59 - 61
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Asnis, G. M. Asnis, D. Dunner, D. L. & Fieve, R. R. (1979) Cogwheel rigidity during lithium therapy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 1225–1226.Google ScholarPubMed
Branchey, M. H. Charles, J. & Simpson, G. M. (1976) Extrapyramidal side effects in lithium maintenance therapy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 133, 444–445.Google ScholarPubMed
Collins, P. Lee, I. & Tyrer, P. (1979) Finger tremor and extrapyramidal side effects of neuroleptic drugs. British Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 488–493.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Forn, J. (1975) Lithium and cyclic AMP. In Lithium Research and Therapy (ed. Johnson, F. N.), pp 485–497. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Friedman, E. & Gershon, S. (1973) Effect of lithium on brain dopamine. Nature, 243, 520–521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnels, B. Wallin, L. & Walinder, J. (1976) Extrapyramidal side effects of lithium treatment. British Medical Journal, ii, 642.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kane, J. Rifkin, A. Quitkin, F. & Klein, D. F. (1978) Extrapyramidal side effects of lithium treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 851–853.Google ScholarPubMed
Kebabian, J. W. & Calne, D. B. (1979) Multiple receptors for dopamine. Nature, 277, 93–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lippold, O. C. J. (1970) Oscillation in the stretch reflex arc and the origin of the rhythmical 8–12 c/s component of physiological tremor. Journal of Physiology, 206, 359–382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackay, A. V. P. Sheppard, G. P. Saha, B. K. Motley, B. Johnson, A. L. & Marsden, C. D. (1980) Failure of lithium treatment in established tardive dyskinesia. Psychological Medicine, 10, 583–587.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marsden, C. D. Meadows, J. C. Lange, G. W. & Watson, R. S. (1969) Variations in human physiological finger tremor, with particular reference to changes with age. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 27, 169–178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marshall, J. (1961) The effect of ageing upon physiological tremor. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 24, 14–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pert, A. Rosenblatt, J. E. Sivitt, C. Pert, C. B. & Bunney, W. E. (1978) Long-term treatment with lithium prevents the development of dopamine receptor supersensitivity. Science, 201, 171–173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schachter, M. Bédard, P. Debono, A. G. Jenner, P. Marsden, C. D. Price, P. Parkes, J. D. Kennan, J. Smith, B. Rosenthaler, J. Horowski, R. & Dorow, R. (1980) The role of D–1 and D–2 receptors. Nature, 286, 157–159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schou, M. Baastrup, P. C. Grof, P. Weis, P. & Angst, J. (1970) Pharmacological and clinical problems of lithium prophylaxis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 116, 615–619.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shopsin, B. & Gershon, S. (1975) Cogwheel rigidity related to lithium maintenance. American Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 536–538.Google ScholarPubMed
Simpson, G. M. & Angus, J. W. S. (1970) Drug induced extrapyramidal disorders—a rating scale for extrapyramidal side effects. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Supplement 212, 11–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutton, G. G. & Sykes, K. (1967) The variation of hand tremor with force in healthy subjects. Journal of Physiology, 191, 699–711.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tyrer, P. Alexander, M. S. Regan, A. & Lee, I. (1980) An extrapyramidal syndrome after lithium therapy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 191–194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tyrer, P. & Lader, M. H. (1974) Physiological response to propranolol and diazepam in chronic anxiety. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1, 387–390.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vestergaard, P. Amdisen, A. & Schou, M. (1980) Clinically significant side effects of lithium treatment. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 62, 193–200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.