Aripiprazole-Induced Parkinsonism: Report of Two Cases

Abstract

Aripiprazole is one of the recently introduced atypical antipsychotics used in the treatment of psychosis related to schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and Parkinson's disease. Well-documented side effects associated with the use of aripiprazole include insomnia, anxiety, headache, nausea, vomiting, and somnolence. Aripiprazole is associated with infrequent extrapyramidal side effects. Parkinsonism is caused by some drugs that block dopamine receptors. The sign of drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) has a subacute onset and the clinical picture is usually dominated by akinetic-rigid symptoms. The symptoms of parkinsonism generally disappear within a few months after cessation of the drug. Aripiprazole, a dopamine system stabilizer, has fewer extrapyramidal side effects than typical antipsychotics. In this paper, we present two cases of aripiprazole-induced parkinsonism.