Tetrabenazine chemical structure
Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Tetrabenazine

Tetrabenazine (marketed under the trade names Nitoman® in Canada and Xenazine® in New Zealand and some parts of Europe - also available in the USA as an orphan drug) is a dopamine-depleting drug that is closely related to the antipsychotics and works similarly, though its action is subtly different and it is not necessarily considered an antipsychotic itself. more...

Home
Diseases
Medicines
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
Oxytetracycline
Phentermine
Tacrine
Tacrolimus
Tagamet
Talbutal
Talohexal
Talwin
Tambocor
Tamiflu
Tamoxifen
Tamsulosin
Tao
Tarka
Taurine
Taxol
Taxotere
Tazarotene
Tazobactam
Tazorac
Tegretol
Teicoplanin
Telmisartan
Temazepam
Temocillin
Temodar
Temodar
Temozolomide
Tenex
Teniposide
Tenoretic
Tenormin
Tenuate
Terazosin
Terbinafine
Terbutaline
Terconazole
Terfenadine
Teriparatide
Terlipressin
Tessalon
Testosterone
Tetrabenazine
Tetracaine
Tetracycline
Tetramethrin
Thalidomide
Theo-24
Theobid
Theochron
Theoclear
Theolair
Theophyl
Theophyl
Theostat 80
Theovent
Thiamine
Thiomersal
Thiopental sodium
Thioridazine
Thorazine
Thyroglobulin
Tiagabine
Tianeptine
Tiazac
Ticarcillin
Ticlopidine
Tikosyn
Tiletamine
Timolol
Timoptic
Tinidazole
Tioconazole
Tirapazamine
Tizanidine
TobraDex
Tobramycin
Tofranil
Tolazamide
Tolazoline
Tolbutamide
Tolcapone
Tolnaftate
Tolterodine
Tomoxetine
Topamax
Topicort
Topiramate
Tora
Toradol
Toremifene
Tracleer
Tramadol
Trandate
Tranexamic acid
Tranxene
Tranylcypromine
Trastuzumab
Trazodone
Trenbolone
Trental
Trest
Tretinoin
Triacetin
Triad
Triamcinolone
Triamcinolone hexacetonide
Triamterene
Triazolam
Triclabendazole
Triclosan
Tricor
Trifluoperazine
Trilafon
Trileptal
Trimetazidine
Trimethoprim
Trimipramine
Trimox
Triprolidine
Triptorelin
Tritec
Trizivir
Troglitazone
Tromantadine
Trovafloxacin
Tubocurarine chloride
Tussionex
Tylenol
Tyrosine
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Common uses

Tetrabenazine is used as a treatment, but not a cure for hyperkinetic movement disorders such as:

  • Huntington's Disease - specificially the chorea associated with it
  • Tourette's Syndrome and other tic disorders
  • Tardive dyskinesia, a serious and sometimes irreversible side effect of long-term use of many antipsychotics, mainly typical antipsychotics

Side Effects

Because tetrabenazine is closely related to the antipsychotics, many of its side effects are similar. Some of these include:

  • Depression - the most common side effect, reported in roughly 15% of those who take the medication
  • Dizziness/drowsiness
  • Akathisia (aka "restless pacing" - an inability to keep still, with intense anxiety when forced to do so)

Unlike many of the antipychotics, tetrabenazine is not known to cause Tardive dyskinesia, and in fact can be an effective treatment for the antipsychotic-induced movement disorder.

Warnings

  • Because of the relatively high incidence of depression, it has been recommended that people with a history of depression avoid taking tetrabenazine. Research into this is ongoing however, and this warning may be dropped in the future.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


Pivotal Phase III Data of Tetrabenazine for the Treatment of Chorea Associated with Huntington's Disease to Be Presented at American Neurological Association
From Business Wire, 9/30/04

WASHINGTON -- Additional Long-Term Safety and Efficacy Data for Investigational Therapy to Be Presented

Prestwick Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a CNS specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that lead investigators from the Huntington Study Group will present results from a pivotal Phase III trial of tetrabenazine for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington's Disease (HD) during a satellite symposium held in conjunction with the American Neurological Association 129th annual meeting in Toronto, Ontario, October 2-6.

Chorea can be a debilitating feature of a number of neurological diseases, most notably HD. The condition is characterized by excessive, involuntary and repetitive movements, which may involve the face, limbs or the entire body. There is no approved treatment for chorea associated with HD in the United States.

Tetrabenazine is a first-of-its-kind, dopamine depletor currently available in some European markets and Australia as XENAZINE(TM), and in Canada as NITOMAN(R) for the treatment of hyperkinetic movement disorders. Although currently an investigational drug in the U.S., tetrabenazine has demonstrated a profound effect on chorea, with 80 percent of patients having marked to good improvement. Side effects can include drowsiness, insomnia, akathisia, and depression. In countries where approved for use, tetrabenazine is considered by neurologists as first-line treatment for chorea.

Tetrabenazine study results to be presented at the 18th Annual Symposia on Etiology, Pathogenesis, and Treatment of Parkinson's Disease and Other Movement Disorders at the ANA meeting include:

--A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study of Tetrabenazine in Patients with Huntington's Disease: presented by Frederick J. Marshall, MD, on Sunday, October 3 from 2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. in the Grand West Ballroom at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

--Safety and Efficacy of Tetrabenazine for the Treatment of Huntington's Disease and Other Choreas: presented by Joseph Jankovic, MD, on Sunday, October 3 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Grand West Ballroom of the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

Approximately 30,000 Americans suffer from HD, and 150,000 are at immediate risk for developing the disease, according to the Huntington Study Group of the University of Rochester, NY.

Prestwick anticipates filing a New Drug Application (NDA) for Tetrabenazine with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the near future for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington's Disease. The NDA filing will be supported, in large part, by data from the Phase III data presented at the movement disorders symposium. The company was granted fast track and orphan drug status by the FDA.

ABOUT THE SYMPOSIA

Conducted in association with the ANA, the 18th Annual Symposia on Etiology, Pathogenesis, and Treatment of Parkinson's Disease and Other Movement Disorders is organized by the Parkinson Study Group, Huntington Study Group, Dystonia Study Group, Myoclonus Study Group, Tourette's Syndrome Study Group, Cooperative Ataxia Group and the Movement Disorder Society. All abstracts presented at the peer-reviewed, full-day program have been published in the September issue of Movement Disorders.

About the Huntington Study Group

The study "A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study of Tetrabenazine in Patients with Huntington's Disease", called "TETRA-HD", was organized and conducted by the Huntington Study Group (HSG), a non-profit, cooperative group of Huntington's disease experts from medical centers in North America, Europe and Australia who are dedicated to improving treatment for persons affected by Huntington's disease. For more information, call the HSG at 800-487-7671, or visit their web sites at www.Huntington-Study-Group.org and www.HuntingtonProject.org.

ABOUT PRESTWICK PHARMACEUTICALS

Prestwick Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company that focuses on treatments for CNS disorders. The company has multiple product candidates in clinical development for Huntington's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and schizophrenia.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

Return to Tetrabenazine
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay