Tardive dyskinesia
Supplements studied for tardive dyskinesia.
Overview
Several supplements have been studied for tardive dyskinesia in people taking antipsychotic drugs, with some showing medium-level evidence. Vitamin E may slow symptom worsening rather than improve symptoms outright, especially at higher doses when symptoms began within five years. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) reduced movement symptoms by 30–60% over three weeks in studies of adults and children. Ginkgo extract (EGb 761) at 80 mg three times daily for 12 weeks also reduced symptoms in one trial.
Melatonin and Lecithin carry low ratings. Melatonin showed mixed results across small studies, and lecithin did not outperform placebo. See the heatmap and evidence reviews below for evidence across five supplements.
Effect graph
Relevant supplements
Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.
| Vitamin E | ★★★★★ | Medium |
| Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) | ★★★★★ | Medium |
| Ginkgo | ★★★★★ | Medium |
| Melatonin | ★★★★★ | Very Low / None |
| Lecithin | ★★★★★ | Very Low / None |
Studies
Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.
5 supplements for , and rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.
Vitamin EView supplement →
Consider purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- Vitamin E taken by mouth might help slow worsening of tardive dyskinesia in people taking antipsychotic drugs.
- Some small studies show it can improve movement symptoms, especially with higher doses and if symptoms started less than 5 years ago.
- Different types of vitamin E have been tested.
- A review found it doesn’t improve symptoms compared to placebo but may stop them from getting worse.
- More research is needed.
Browse 8 studies·2 meta-analyses
MetaVitamin E for antipsychotic-induced tardive dyskinesia2018n=264
In a meta-analysis of 264 participants, there was no evidence of a difference in the incidence of any adverse effects (9 RCTs, N = 205, RR 1.21, 95% CI 0.35 to 4.15, very low-quality evidence), extrapyramidal adverse effects (1 RCT, N = 104, MD 1.10, 95% CI -1.02 to 3.22, very low-quality evidence), or acceptability of treatment...
- Effect
- Benefit
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 264
RCTThe effect of vitamin E addition to acute neuroleptic treatment on the emergence of extrapyramidal side effects in schizophrenic patients: an open label study1999n=20
In an RCT of 20 participants, 600 IU/day, the addition of vitamin E to neuroleptic agents was associated with a trend (p = 0.08) towards prevention of the emergence of NIP compared to neuroleptic treatment alone.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Dose
- 600 IU/day
- Population
- Schizophrenic patients
- Participants
- 20
RCTLong-term treatment effects of vitamin E for tardive dyskinesia1998n=40
In an RCT of 40 participants, 1600 IU/day, for 36 weeks, these findings are in direct contrast to those of VA Cooperative Study #394, a much larger, long-term, multi-site study, conducted by many of the same investigators, in which Vitamin E was not superior to placebo.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 36 weeks
- Dose
- 1600 IU/day
- Population
- Patients with tardive dyskinesia
- Participants
- 40
MetaVitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia: a statistical meta-analysis1998n=223
In a meta-analysis of 223 participants, 1600 IU/day, vitamin E is a safe, well-tolerated compound that may provide some beneficial effects in patients suffering from neuroleptic-induced tardive dyskinesia.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Dose
- 1600 IU/day
- Population
- Patients with tardive dyskinesia
- Participants
- 223
RCTVitamin E in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia: a preliminary study over 7 months at different doses1998n=20
In an RCT of 20 participants, 1600 mg/day, for 7 months, in addition, there may be a dose related therapeutic effect of Vitamin E in tardive dyskinesia.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 7 months
- Dose
- 1600 mg/day
- Population
- Patients
- Participants
- 20
RCTA double-blind placebo-controlled study of vitamin E treatment of tardive dyskinesia1996n=35
In an RCT of 35 participants, 800 IU/day, for 5 years, vitamin E appears to be effective in reducing the severity of TD, especially in patients who have had TD for 5 years or less.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 5 years
- Dose
- 800 IU/day
- Population
- Parkinson's disease patients
- Participants
- 35
RCTEffectiveness of vitamin E for treatment of long-term tardive dyskinesia1994n=11
In an RCT of 11 participants, for 12 weeks, patients receiving vitamin E showed a significant reduction in their AIMS scale score, but patients receiving placebo showed no significant change.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Population
- Patients
- Participants
- 11
RCTVitamin E in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia: a double-blind placebo-controlled study1992n=27
In an RCT of 27 participants, for 6 weeks, vitamin E showed no differences from placebo in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 6 weeks
- Population
- Patients
- Participants
- 27
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)View supplement →
Consider purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- Taking BCAAs may reduce tardive dyskinesia (TD) symptoms caused by some antipsychotic medications or drugs.
- Studies in both adults and children have found that taking a BCAA supplement three times a day for 3 weeks reduced TD symptoms by 30 to 60% compared to placebo.
- Treatment was safe.
Browse 3 studies
Clinical trialBranched chain amino acid treatment of tardive dyskinesia in children and adolescents2004n=6
A 2-week pilot in 6 children and adolescents with tardive dyskinesia found BCAA treatment reduced TD symptoms 40–65% in five of six participants.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 2 weeks
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 6
- Ages
- 10.5–16.5
RCTEfficacy of the branched-chain amino acids in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia in men2003n=18
An RCT of 36 men with tardive dyskinesia found high-dose BCAA (222 mg/kg three times daily) for 3 weeks reduced TD symptoms 30–60% versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 3 weeks
- Dose
- 222 mg/kg
- Population
- Men
- Participants
- 18
Branched chain amino acids decrease tardive dyskinesia symptoms1999
A 2-week trial of nine men with tardive dyskinesia found thrice-daily BCAA significantly reduced TD symptom frequency, with six of nine showing ≥58% improvement.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 2 weeks
- Population
- Men
GinkgoView supplement →
Reconsider purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- Taking ginkgo extract (EGb 761) 80 mg three times a day for 12 weeks can reduce movement disorder symptoms called tardive dyskinesia in schizophrenia patients taking antipsychotic medicines.
Browse 1 study
RCTBrain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and its Val66Met gene polymorphism predict tardive dyskinesia treatment response to Ginkgo biloba2012n=563
In a 12-week RCT of 563 schizophrenia patients with tardive dyskinesia, EGb 761 240 mg/day did not reduce TD severity despite raising serum BDNF in Val/Val carriers.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Dose
- 240 mg/day
- Population
- Schizophrenia patients
- Participants
- 563
MelatoninView supplement →
Do not purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- It’s still uncertain whether melatonin helps with tardive dyskinesia.
- One small study found that taking 10 mg daily for 6 weeks reduced symptoms by about 25–30%.
- But other studies using doses between 2–20 mg for up to 12 weeks did not show any improvement compared with a placebo.
Browse 3 studies
RCTEffectiveness of melatonin in tardive dyskinesia2011n=7
In tardive dyskinesia patients, melatonin reduced dyskinesia severity versus placebo in a randomized double-blind trial.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Dose
- 20 mg/day
- Population
- ALL patients
- Participants
- 7
RCTMelatonin treatment for tardive dyskinesia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study2001n=22
In schizophrenia patients with tardive dyskinesia, melatonin 10 mg for 6 weeks reduced abnormal movements versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 6 weeks
- Dose
- 10 mg/day
- Population
- Schizophrenia patients with tardive dyskinesia
- Participants
- 22
RCTIs melatonin treatment effective for tardive dyskinesia?2000n=11
In 19 elderly schizophrenia patients with tardive dyskinesia, melatonin did not significantly improve dyskinesia versus placebo over 6 weeks.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 4 weeks
- Dose
- 2 mg/day
- Population
- ALL patients
- Participants
- 11
- Avg age
- 74±9.5
LecithinView supplement →
Do not purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- In two small studies, taking lecithin by mouth for 2 months, either alone or with lithium, did not reduce symptoms better than a placebo.
Browse 2 studies
RCTA crossover study of lecithin treatment of tardive dyskinesia1990n=21
In 21 tardive dyskinesia patients, lecithin 20 g/day for 8 weeks had negligible clinical benefit versus placebo in a crossover trial.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Dose
- 20 g/day
- Population
- Patients with tardive dyskinesia
- Participants
- 21
Controlled trialLithium and lecithin in tardive dyskinesia: an update1986n=9
In 18 psychiatric inpatients with tardive dyskinesia, lithium plus lecithin did not improve TD beyond lithium alone over 5 weeks.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 5 weeks
- Participants
- 9
Evidence visualised
Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.
| Supplement | DEX | Studies | Meta-analyses | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin E | ★★★★★72% | 8 | 2 | 47% |
| Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) | ★★★★★60% | 3 | 0 | 18% |
| Melatonin | ★★★★★36% | 3 | 0 | 18% |
| Lecithin | ★★★★★32% | 2 | 0 | 12% |
| Ginkgo | ★★★★★56% | 1 | 0 | 6% |