A case of aripiprazole and tardive dyskinesia

This is a case report of a 24-year-old African lady, who developed symptoms of tardive dyskinesia (TD) following 9 months of treatment with aripiprazole 15 mg. She has no family history of mental illness, not used illicit substances and has a medical diagnosis of idiopathic hypertension which is well controlled. The patient has an 18-month history of paranoid schizophrenia with three psychotic episodes, one severe enough to warrant admission. Upon discontinuation of aripiprazole and switch to quetiapine, the symptoms of TD disappeared rapidly. A PubMed search revealed one previous case report of aripiprazole and TD. The authors recommend maintaining vigilance regarding all possible side-effects irrespective of the type of antipsychotic being used.