By Dr. Nicole Sundene, Natural Psychiatry
“Are there any holistic treatments for Tardive Dyskinesia?” ~April, Scottsdale, AZ
Tardive Dyskinesia is a very complicated psychiatric condition that can occur after taking certain anti-psychotic medications such as Haldol, Respiridone, Olanzapine and so forth.
Before we dive in to the natural, herbal, holistic, and hormonal treatments I have used successfully to treat my patients with Tardive Dyskinesia, I want to first be perfectly honest and state that this is a very stubborn condition that sometimes does not improve. While I would not bother writing this article if none of my patients improved and waste everyone’s time reading it….I do need to be perfectly honest and set the expectation that you may do the following researched holistic treatments for Tardive Dyskinesia and still see little to no improvement especially the longer the patient has been on antipsychotic drugs. Recovering from these drugs will take time and patience as well as a care team.
HOW CAN I BE SUCCESSFUL TREATING TARDIVE DYSKINESIA NATURALLY?
My most successful patients with Tardive Dyskinesia have had an excellent support team from their family. Most have had husbands or wives that have helped me facilitate their treatment plan. Trying to power through this condition on one’s own is very challenging and I highly recommend asking a friend or family member for help in order to be successful with natural psychiatry.
HOW LONG UNTIL MY ANTISPSYCHOTIC DRUG IS OUT OF MY SYSTEM?
The Dopamine receptors may continue to remain clogged and metabolites from the break down of Haldol can be neurotoxic. As a Biochemist there are a multitude of horrific pathways all going on at once that are just NOT GOOD and we need to shut down inflammation and calm the patient while their nervous system is under attack from bad metabolites from bad drugs as well as persistent blocking of dopamine receptors despite no longer taking the medications. As a result of the dopamine receptors being blocked they also become hypersensitized to dopamine so any medications that boost dopamine if given too high will likely just make the patient worse in the early stages of this condition.
Resetting the receptors can take weeks to months for the receptors to go back to normal. Long acting Haldol injections have a half life of three weeks. Most Haldol pills are out of the system within a few days but the metabolites damaging the nervous system can take weeks to months to be detoxified from the system.
WHAT ARE THE BEST EXERCISES FOR TARDIVE DYSKINESIA?
When Tardive Dyskinesia causes inactivity, it can make TD much worse per the research studies so if you or your loved one are not moving much its important to emphasize movement and consider a fitness tracker or apple watch to confirm activity is sufficient. Studies show that activities like swimming, yoga, and walking are very helpful for Tardive Dyskinesia. Exercise moves the lymphatic system which is how medications are delivered to the liver for detoxification so lacking movement especially exercises that cause sweating with this condition is only making it worse
Research studies demonstrate that meditation can also help deal with stressful side effects of Tardive Dyskinesia as well as the common social embarrassment associated with the uncontrollable movements or inability to move with this disorder.
For patients that are unable to move on their own occupational therapy, physical therapy, massage therapy and acupuncture are reasonable alternatives also shown to be helpful in TD.
HERBAL MEDICINE FOR TARDIVE DYSKINESIA?
Ginkgo biloba and rosemary help improve circulation to the brain. California Poppy and Ashwaghanda work well for calming the angry, frustrated TD patient. There are a lot of different herbal medicines that can be helpful. Working with a Naturopathic Doctor that specializes in Natural Psychiatry is imperative when treating this complex condition.
WHAT NUTRITION DO I NEED TO RECOVER FROM TARDIVE DYSKINESIA?
Omega-3’s: Increasing Omega-3 in the diet to reduce inflammation to the brain with supplements and foods like chia, walnuts, flax and my Memory Salmon Recipe are also important for repairing the mylen sheath around damaged nerve cells. Think of the myelin sheath as the plastic protective coating over an electrical chord that has become chewed up from the damage of the antipsychotic metabolites directly killing nerve cells and damaging them. In addition to lots of Omega 3's that are easiest given to a TD patient in a liquid lemon flavored form, I also emphasize the foods in my Depression Diet for brain health and recovery.
B-6 especially is important but best given in a complex form as I personally do not see the point in prescribing B-vitamins without the rest of the family. This is somewhat akin to one member of the “Jackson Five” showing up for a concert. B-vitamins all work best together.
B-12 chewables and shots are sometimes more potent when dealing with stubborn neurological situations from my seventeen years of experience and ten years in geriatrics dealing with this Psychiatric condition. While this can occasionally happen to misdiagnosed young adults, I do see it happen to seniors after too many years on Haldol, Risperidone, and Lithium. Once you have developed TD you need to talk to your doctor about stopping these drugs unless the risks of going off are worse than the Tardive Dyskinesia which in a severe state mimics Parkinson’s Disease and/or patients can become Catatonic and nonresponsive. Such as severe schizophrenic states…however its worth a 2nd opinion from another psychiatrist as we have newer drugs now that are less likely to cause these types of side effects.
When using B-12 be sure it is either methylcobalmin or hydroxycobalmin and not the chemical garbage that is worthless for this complex product from the hospital aka: cyanocobalmin. The body is inherently lazy and will NOT convert the synthetic to a therapeutic enough dose to heal nerve damage. So if this is the only shot you can obtain you are likely better off with chewables. Patients with MTHFR mutations and Tardive Dyskinesia will need lower doses of B-12 to start with or it may cause worsened agitation.
PROTEIN AND BRANCHED CHAIN AMINO ACIDS: The most important thing we can do for our TD patients is manage their blood sugar and be sure to give them a high protein diet and additional “Branched Chain Amino Acids” what this does is insure that we have enough amino acids on hand to make the neurotransmitters as well as repair damage to the nervous system which requires protein, B-12 and omega-3.
Tyrosine and Phenylalanine are the precursor amino acids to make dopamine which also requires b vitamins. Instead of giving these amino acids and risking further agitation of the sensitized dopamine receptors it is best to first start with boosting nutrition with protein shakes and BCAA's prior to implementing Amino Acid therapies that I commonly used in my Holistic Psychiatry practice. Pushing the TD patients too hard too fast will usually result in psychotic type of behavior that looks like they are schizophrenic again or delusional. This is why it is important to work with a skilled Naturopathic Doctor that understands the big picture of Tardive Dyskinesia and that it is more of a marathon than a sprint.
Since I am impatient and patience is NOT my virtue I put this out there because I don't want people to give up until they have tried treatment for at least 6-12 months. This condition is very serious somewhat like MS which means we need to have a realistic timeline for improvement. Yes some of my patients have immediately responded to my holistic protocols while most needed around six months of time.
BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL: Both Hypoglycemia and Diabetes are huge mental health and inflammation triggers. Having low or high blood sugar can trigger Schizophrenia, Catanoia, and Psychosis. High blood sugar kills nerve cells so managing prediabetes and Diabetes is of utmost importance with this condition.
Diabetes causes neurological damage in general so reducing processed sugars and increasing whole foods the patient will eat is best. From my experience this is the most challenging part of treatment as most patients with TD tend to soft foods and drinks that are carb heavy and not protein heavy as they should be eating for their mental health and recovery.
If we just need to get calories in them then I give a protein shake and Branched Chain Amino’s and don’t worry about the diet until they are better as most are not well enough to eat healthy meals and need supplemental protein shakes.
DOPAMINE BOOSTERS: When beginning dopamine boosting treatments in the hypersensitive dopamine receptor TD patient I generally begin with nutritional support and amino acids that help the body simply make dopamine instead of artificially boosting it. Using the cofactors to make dopamine is usually the least offensive approach to start with. Giving dopamine to patients with TD has been shown to be beneficial but it is also a slippery slope that may make them act psychotic if given too much. In the beginning of treatment less is more and it is best to err on the side of caution rather than traumatize the highly sensitized dopamine receptors with too much dopamine too soon. We need to wait for the sensitivity of the receptors to go down before implementing dopamine boosting treatments or in my experience it just makes the patient worse if not looking totally schizophrenic and scares the family so badly they take the patient back to the hospital where they give them more antipsychotics.
HOLISTIC SUPPLEMENTS FOR TARDIVE DYSKINESIA
I put all my TD patients on high doses of CoQ10 in the Ubiquinol form of at least 200mg but can go up to 600mg if the nerve damage is severe. Then liposomal glutathione to clear out brain fog and inflammation in the nervous system.
There are a lot of treatments in Naturopathic Psychiatry, therefore it is important to work with someone skilled in TD so that they do not make it worse. The first line of defense should be to open up liver detox pathways to rid neurotoxic metabolites from the system and implement antioxidant rich treatments known to be beneficial to healing a damaged nervous system.
Keep in mind a lot of natural treatments such as herbs, supplements and certain mental health meds do not always mix well so it is imperative to not self treat and work with a skilled Naturopathic Doctor that specializes in Holistic Psychiatry. This blog is just for informational purposes and to provide hope for the hopeless.
Generally I give a spectrum of healing things for the nervous system such as Vitamin E, Resveratrol (antioxidant in grapes), Omega-3, Ginkgo, (ginkgo interacts with a lot of meds do not use without an ND prescribing this) Phosphytidyl choline, and Melatonin (works as a brain antioxidant at night and helps with sleep higher doses of melatonin for a brain antioxidant effect such as 10-25mg should be used under the supervision of your Naturopathic Doctor.)
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF TARDIVE DYSKINESIA
TD symptoms are generally unwanted and repetitive in nature. These involuntary movements begin after taking antipsychotic drugs. Facial movements like tics, abnormal frowning, puckering the lips, smacking and constant eye blinking are all very common with TD. Rocking, swaying, jerking, tapping feet, waving arms, repeating the same unnecessary movement are all common physical symptoms.
Speech problems can occur as well such as slurred speech, inability to speak (mutism) and involuntary vocalizations or basically shouting random things or repeating random things that don’t make any sense. Some patients with TD have excessive sweating, restlessness/pacing, and trouble swallowing. Soft and liquid foods may need to be given when choking is of concern.
CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MY TARDIVE DYSKINESIA?
Yes and no. Yes, I have helped many patients in my Natural Psychiatry practice recover from TD, or I would not waste my time educating the public about how Naturopathy can benefit this stubborn condition. But to be perfectly honest, No… I cannot always help all patients with their TD. Some of my hardest working patients have not achieved complete resolution and may only somewhat improve.
Whereas some patients popped a few vitamins and supplements for a month and were immediately back to normal. Everyone heals and repairs at different rates and the severity of the Tardive Dyskinesia also should be taken into account. The more severe the longer it will realistically take.
However, I believe that when looking to treat TD that Naturopathy is the best way to go because the body is already severely damaged by the antipsychotics and we have to repair the damage from the metabolites of the antipsychotics that cause someone to look like they are helpless, weak and have severe Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Neuropathy, or Multiple Sclerosis.
Simply visit my SCHEDULE page to get started with my Holistic Psychiatry process which involves perfecting your hormones, nutrition, herbs and supplements. Please keep in mind with something this complicated I will be working as a team with your Psychiatrist unless you are in the category of patient that was wrongfully given this medication and are not Schizophrenic or Bipolar and simply need help from recovering from medication damage.
We will need the psychiatrist to prescribe benzodiazepines (generally Valium, Ativan, etc) to treat the TD in the interim while we are working to help the nervous system heal and repair. Sometimes the only way out of TD when patients are suddenly taken off an antipsychotic or giving it wrongfully is to put the patient back on a different type of antipsychotic less known to cause TD like the newer generation drugs and then taper it down from there so that the dopamine receptors are not blocked and hypersensitized at the same time.
Tardive Dyskinesia unfortunately does happen to teenagers that take drugs like PCP, LSD, and mushrooms, and end up at the hospital.
CASE STUDY TARDIVE DYSKINESIA: PATIENT WRONGFULLY GIVEN HALDOL AT ER
I once had a teen boy patient smoke bath salts he did not know were laced with PCP and ended up at the ER and in psych. He was too high and scared to tell them the truth that he took bath salts he did not know at the time were laced with PCP and that he was only 16…so he refused to tell them his name or age for fear they would call his mom. Due to his size they treated him like an adult and gave him high doses of antipsychotics and valium because of how violent he was acting.
At the time he thought it was better the psychiatrist think he is an adult than making his mom mad and letting her find out the stupid thing he did smoking bath salts. Instead, the antipsychotic treatments at the psych hospital caused him unneeded permanent nerve damage. When his drug test came through positive for PCP they hospital realized they were not treating the right thing, and he was not schizophrenic and instead gave him Ativan to calm him down until he could talk again coherently.
The ER often automatically assumes kids on certain drugs are crazy and immediately refers them to psych drug test or not. Psych then gives them antipsychotics for the babbling and crazy talk and that makes them worse. The worst cases of Tardive Dyskinesia I have seen were when they did not need the drug and it was wrongly prescribed.
If you need help rehabbing from a rehab facility I am happy to help! I understand, and have seen my patients sadly mistreated over the years and TD does occasionally get the best of people. I have seen this in my Holistic Psychiatry practice over the years and do believe that Naturopathy is the best approach for this frustrating condition as there is nothing a conventional MD psychiatrist has to help heal the nervous system, and the only medication they generally prescribe to counteract the effects of antipsychotics ie: Haldol, Risperidone, and Lithium are to prescribe high doses of Ativan or Valium to control the Tardive Dyskinesia.
Sadly it took me six months to undo the damage of his TD from just 2 days of Haldol. So please keep in mind that this is a process for some patients. Lack of patience is oftentimes why patients fail with Naturopathy. Some of my patients take the supplements and immediately improve.
Therefore, there is hope…. I don’t want this to sound hopeless, I just want to be perfectly honest so people understand that this is going to take work, support, and patience to recover from. Sometimes I am just too brutally honest but this is already a frustrating condition and I want people to understand the risks and benefits of trying natural medicine for Tardive Dyskinesia.
Recovering from Tardive Dyskinesia is a several months long process we will need to go through together so I can identify your hormonal, neurotransmitter, and nutritional weak spots and try to understand why this happened in the first place as it does not happen to everyone so there are usually a few little things off in the patient’s hormonal and nutritional blood work that I work to optimize as we also work to heal the damaged nervous system.
Visit my SCHEDULE page to get started with my Holistic Psychiatry process.
Dr. Nicole Sundene
(480) 837-0900
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is considered a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 22 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones she presents to women the best integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 27 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones and Naturopathy!
