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Susan's story
Susan shares her experience about realizing her involuntary movements were TD and recognizing the impact they were having on her life. View her full story or select a specific milestone from the chapters in the dropdown menu.
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Becoming Aware of TD
Titration Benefits
Reaching Your Dose
View transcript
Strangely enough, I did not recognize it. My daughter, who lived with me at the time—it was two of us living together. She said, “Mom, stop doing that. It’s bothering me.” And I said, “Doing what?”
She said, “That thing with your tongue and your lips.”
A couple of years later, I was a peer support specialist, which is a mental health professional, and got a new supervisor who was a psychologist, and she said, “You know, you could do something about that TD, tardive dyskinesia.” And then, I put two and two together.
My doctor told me that the medication was something that he was comfortable with…that it was a medication we’d have to titrate up, which means starting a medication at a lower dose and build up.
If you’re not familiar with titration, sometimes medications have to slowly be introduced into your system. You’re gradually putting more and more medication into your system until you hit the value that your provider wants you to have.
Once I reached the correct dosage for me, I felt I reached a goal. I don’t see the mouth tics the way I used to.
I can be out in the public—I do a lot of public speaking. I’m involved greatly in things like art groups and karate groups. Now that my involuntary movements are under control, it makes it a lot easier to be involved in things that I want to be in my control.
AUSTEDO XR is a prescription medicine used to treat tardive dyskinesia in adults. AUSTEDO XR can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with Huntington’s disease. Pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, or have suicidal thoughts. Don’t take if you have liver problems, are taking reserpine, tetrabenazine, or valbenazine. AUSTEDO XR may cause irregular or fast heartbeat, or abnormal movements. Seek help for fever, stiff muscles, problems thinking, or sweating. Common side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat, insomnia and sleepiness.
APPROVED USES
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat:
the involuntary movements (chorea) of Huntington’s disease. AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO do not cure the cause of the involuntary movements, and it does not treat other symptoms of Huntington’s disease, such as problems with thinking or emotions.
movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
It is not known if AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO are safe and effective in children.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Individual results may vary.
Please see the Important Safety Information at the end of this video.
Once my involuntary movements were under control, I felt like I can live again. I can go outside again. I can be a part of the world again.
“Hello, my name is Sherland. I’m from Roxboro, North Carolina. I’m a published author. I edit novels. I am a great lover of literature and nature.”
Dear Sherland,
When this first started, you weren’t aware something was wrong… until your daughter asked why you were so fidgety. She told you that your mouth twitched when you talked and your fingers and feet constantly moved. When you realized you couldn’t control these movements, you grew self-conscious. TD transformed you from someone who loved conversing with strangers, to a timid individual who avoided family and friends because everyone asked when you had a stroke, not if you had a stroke, but when […]. TD left you feeling despondent and lonely.
My doctors told me that my involuntary movements…were side effects caused by my mental health medication. When I first found out that I had tardive dyskinesia, I did as much research as I could about it. It felt good to know that I had a name to put with what I was experiencing. And I felt like I wasn’t alone because other people were going through the same thing. The doctor told me when he recommended AUSTEDO, ‘I’ve heard of this treatment that I think might help you.’ AUSTEDO has allowed me to continue taking my mental health medication, because it’s really important. I suffer from major depression and bipolar. Before, I was just feeling hopeless. And after about two or three weeks I would say, I just started getting back out there because I had something to look forward to. I started seeing real progress with the involuntary movements. I have to say that it really made a difference in my life. I have confidence. I would tell them that there is a treatment, and it’s called AUSTEDO. And that you don’t have to feel hopeless like I did. You don’t have to struggle like I did. You can go to your doctor. You have a name, TD, to put with the symptoms. Ask about AUSTEDO and be proactive with your own health, because if you’re not, then who else will be? There’s no guarantees in life—but this is a good treatment plan for me.
APPROVED USES
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat:
• the involuntary movements (chorea) of Huntington’s disease. AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO do not cure the cause of the involuntary movements, and it does not treat other symptoms of Huntington’s disease, such as problems with thinking or emotions.
• movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
It is not known if AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO are safe and effective in children.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Individual results may vary.
Please see the Important Safety Information at the end of this video.
Rebecca Allen: I mostly remember feeling movements in my face, but not until it was brought to my attention…but when somebody had mentioned I was making movements in my face, I did realize it and became very conscious of it.
Rebecca Allen: Hi, my name’s Rebecca, and I’m from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Dr Jesse: I’m Dr Jane Jesse. I’m a psychiatrist in Pennsylvania. I’ve worked with Rebecca now for the last six years.
Rebecca Allen: When I first met Dr Jesse and Dr Jesse had told me about tardive dyskinesia, I had no knowledge of that condition.
Dr Jesse: When I first met Rebecca, I noticed that she had movements in her face and in her hands. She did complain about the shakiness in her hands. But she also had some jaw-clenching movements within her face. And after that, realizing what medications she’d been on in the past, I realized what we were dealing with was tardive dyskinesia.
Rebecca Allen: I noticed that I was having difficulty doing simple things like preparing food, using a knife, counting change, buttoning, zippering clothing. Those things became more challenging. The movements in my hands, I could not keep my hands still. So I had difficulty, even if I tried consciously.
Dr Jesse: Oftentimes I find myself – I’m the one asking them about their movements first. And they’ll say, “Nobody’s ever asked me about this.” My rule of thumb when I treat patients is that I treat them like I’d want my friends or my family treated. And so I speak with the patients about tardive dyskinesia, and then I offer treatment.
Rebecca Allen: Dr Jesse told me there was a medication that could help me with these involuntary movements I was experiencing and I was willing to try it. And I am very happy that I did because I did see improvement.
Dr Jesse: In the beginning, I was not convinced. I was thinking it was going to be yet another medication…and then I saw the difference. AUSTEDO helped Rebecca in a number of different body areas. I saw a lot of the shakiness in the hands just sort of calm down.
Rebecca Allen: Once I started treatment with AUSTEDO, I did notice that the tasks weren’t as difficult as they were before. I did notice that I felt less movement and I was very happy with the results. Now I’m able to actually function at a higher level. I was able to return to the workforce and I’m feeling as though I’m accomplishing something.
Dr Jesse: I’ve seen improvement in Rebecca’s abnormal movements after she’s been on AUSTEDO.
Rebecca Allen: If you have an uneasy feeling, you should bring it to your doctor’s attention because I’m glad I did and I’ve seen improvement.
Dr Jesse: If a patient is seeing this video and they’re uncertain if they’ve got tardive dyskinesia, they should definitely talk to their healthcare provider about it. If they don’t get enough information or the right answer, then to keep looking for another doctor who takes their story seriously.
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat adults with movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Individual results may vary.
Please see the Important Safety Information at the end of this video.
Living with bipolar disorder was exhausting…I had rapid cycling and so I really didn’t know from one day to the next, what my day was gonna be like…
It took a long time to come to the right medications ... And when I say a long time, years…it’s much better now…
When I first started having the movements and they got more severe…I went to my initial doctor … he said that it was side effects of other medications that I was on…
I actually thought I had restless leg syndrome because I couldn't quit moving my legs.
… at one point, I even moved out of our bedroom. I took the guest bed because I couldn't quit twitching at night. … I had to put my foot over the side of the bed to shake it, because I just couldn't quit. …It was horrible.
… I had a lot of blinking …. it was like a full facial squint. And … sometimes I would have to hold it for seconds at a time. I twisted my mouth and then I also had… probably fairly often, this rocking thing that I had to do. I had to rock all the time…
Then it actually got worse. It went to hip thrusting thing and that was when everybody else started noticing. And it was embarrassing. The whole family suffered, it wasn't just me, ... It affected everybody.
… my son was in from Atlanta and so I took the three boys out to breakfast. And we were at a restaurant and the booth shared the seat with the booth behind it. And I was rocking and swaying ... There was nothing that I could do about it. And the lady behind us asked me to stop.
….I was afraid to tell even my family like… how severe it affected me. … they could see the physical things. You know, no matter what I tried to do, … I could not pull this together. I almost had to quit my job. … I rocked and swayed and then I was so self‐conscious of having to talk to people. My anxiety was off the chart and … I came really close to having to just not be able to do anything. So when my symptoms were kind of at the worst, my sister said that this is unacceptable, but she, gave me an overview of what my life looked like to her and to what everybody else was seeing, that I really wasn't letting myself think about. And, you know, the thing that she said was … "This is an unacceptable way to live, but let's get it figured out."
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat adults with movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Individual results may vary.
Please see the Important Safety Information at the end of this video.
Okay. So about the time that I … actually got diagnosed … with TD … my symptoms included a lot of facial twitches. I had a lot of blinking …. it was like a full facial squint. And … sometimes I would have to hold it for seconds at a time. I twisted my mouth and then I also had… probably fairly often, this rocking thing that I had to do. I had to rock all the time.
…when I first saw my doctor … he zoned in right away on my … facial … twitches. And he asked me if I knew about it. And I said, "Yes." And … he started asking me to do some things to take like some … physical tests …
… he evaluated the movements in my mouth and I know my tongue, and … with my fingers, and…some other things like that. But… it was … really comforting to know that he had a checklist. Like, he spotted this in me, he asked me about it, he took in what I had to say, and then he had a checklist of things … that he just checked off. I mean, that may sound weird, but honestly, that … that was very comforting to me.
…and he said that I have tardive dyskinesia.
I was… unsure what that meant for me and how, ….if it progressed what that was gonna look like. But, you know, I trusted him because first of all, he's the first person that said, "This is something.”
… sometimes when you can put a name on something, and identify it, then it gives you hope that if you know what it is, that's the first step to fixing it. We had several more appointments and, um, he started educating me about exactly what it is, and … how he can treat it… what stuck in my mind was that it's progressive and if you don't treat it, you're not gonna get better.
You know … it was great to know that this was…a disease and that there was treatment. But at the same time, I had to have… a little time to sit with that to decide that was gonna take a chance and try to make it better.
…when my doctor started talking to me about AUSTEDO … It wasn’t just about, ‘Okay here’s a medication that I think can help,’ it was really about ‘I see what’s happening to you and let me walk you through this. Let me hold your hand through this.’ And that was really the turning point for me.
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat adults with movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Individual results may vary.
Please see the Important Safety Information at the end of this video.
…when my doctor was telling me the benefits of AUSTEDO,…
…he was very reassuring…And…we would spend a lot of time talking about what my symptoms really were, how much they affected me. And in talking through that with him, I became, number one, more comfortable to talk about what I was exactly having and …to know that…he was experienced with this and to trust that…there was…something out there that could be beneficial to me. And he shared that with me in such a way that I could trust him and was ready to try it.
…he felt like it would…treat the symptoms that I was having…that, any side effects that I might have would be minimal.
…Now that my movements are being managed, I am able to do some of the things that I love…every day.
…one of our things that we did all the time…is go out to eat. We love to go out to eat….we’ll do, like a dive one week, or…we’ll go get dressed up and go someplace really fancy and, you know, all these things…I don’t have to worry about being able to do that at all anymore. I’m not self-conscious about that. I love to go.
These are the things that, you know, are kind of our favorite things to do as a couple…that we have always done together, that I’m now able to do again. And…it’s not just like, I’m able to go and I hope nobody notices or I’ll go for him because he wants to go. It’s…something that, you know, I enjoy again, and we have fun at.
So if I could share with someone that was having some involuntary movements like I was…I would share with them that to talk to their doctor and be very honest and…be very open with what is going on…you may have to have that conversation several times, you may have to have that conversation several different ways, but…don’t give up and follow…what’s really right for your body and how…out of whack that might seem for you. Some people, you know, it might not be until it gets really severe that they think “Okay, I, I, you know, this is happening to me and I really need to reach out.
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat adults with movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Individual results may vary.
Please see the Important Safety Information at the end of this video.
So, tardive dyskinesia is an abnormal involuntary movement, which can look like twitching, jerky or simply the person just simply looking antsy.
… when patients come in with what looks like tardive dyskinesia, they tend to report the impact of these movements in three different ways. One can be obviously physical. Two can be how it impacts their day-to-day activities. And number three, how it impacts their social interactions. So, about one in four patients whose treated with antipsychotics develops Tardive Dyskinesia...
And now that we’re treating a much larger population of patients with second generation antipsychotics, it’s important to be aware of that. The way the tardive dyskinesia impacts people varies greatly.
…there’s almost this general sense that people don’t necessarily want to take notice of the fact that they’re having a particular movement. And oftentimes, either a family friend, or a family member, or an acquaintance will actually point out the movement, and that’ll cause embarrassment. So, patients have these involuntary movements, they can’t suppress them. They can’t stop them. And those movements can be anywhere in the body.
… my patients talk to me about how …tardive dyskinesia affects them and that they’ll tell me that, you know, sometimes it can cause embarrassment. … sometimes they socially isolate which means that they don’t wanna go out. Some people are quite dismissive of it because perhaps in the past they’ve been told that they couldn’t do anything about it. Now, they’re just thinking, well, I’ve gotta live with this. That’s changed. And that’s a very important message for people to be aware of.
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat adults with movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Individual results may vary.
Please see the Important Safety Information at the end of this video.
“When diagnosing the patient with Tardive Dyskinesia, we’ll do a history and physical.”
… we’ll do a past medical history, do you have any history of, you know, major depression, bipolar disorder, gastroparesis or, you know, diabetes, and then what medications have you been put on? Have you been put on any medicines that block dopamine? “We look at how many years they’ve been exposed to anti-psychotics. We look at how old they are, what was their base-line psychiatric illness? All of the factors which would be risk factors for developing tardive dyskinesia, we gauge that.” “… many times they’ll say that they’re restless. They can’t sit still. They just don’t feel comfortable in their skin. They’re always moving around. When they’re trying to fall asleep, they’re always sort of going back and forth. Their legs are always moving. Uh, and so they just sort of feel restless. Um, and so many times the family members will just say, “Gosh, they’re just kind of twitchy all the time. You know? They’re always twitching and, and jerking and that sort of thing.”
“… primarily it affects the face and the mouth area, but can affect, any muscle in your body. Primarily, uh, your upper extremities like your hands. Um, it can affect your lower extremities like your feet, and it can affect your torso and up into your neck.” “Once we’ve got a good solid history, which is pointing towards tardive dyskinesia, we do a physical exam. And many practitioners simply examine the patient to look for abnormal movements. But there are also scales available, which are validated for us to gauge for the severity of tardive dyskinesia.”
“…I examine the patient using the abnormal involuntary movement scale, uh, where I rate them as a series of seven areas that I look at and rate them from zero being no movement, to four being very severe movement. And then I total that up, and that gives the score.”
“…Somebody might have minimal or mild symptoms according to a scale like the abnormal involuntary movements scale…but that could be highly disabling for that individual. If it’s affecting their interpersonal life, their occupation, their domestic setting, it’s oftentimes going to evoke embarrassment and avoidance.”
“Now what is important for patients to understand is, it does not matter to your provider what the final tally score is. What matters is, how disabling it is for the patient.”
“…when people’s quality of life goes down, it’s like you and I, we want as solid of an experience of life as we possibly get. And I believe in the golden rule. When you place yourself in someone else’s shoes and you see what’s happening with them based on the fact that they have a clinical diagnosis of something, it’s important to let them know that they can do something about that.”
“We know that from both statistics and from surveys, that it can be … physically … disabling. So why would you leave a disorder as such untreated, which can potentially impact the person in multiple ways.There’s a great degree of heterogeneity, which means variability among people, but it’s kind of nice knowing that we have agents that can help us with a really bad problem that we’ve lived with for many years without really having a solution for it. Before, uh, we would treat patients with antipsychotics and we’d say that you have the possibility of having involuntary movements as a- a part of this treatment. And in the past, we would always say, well we have to just live with it. .... Today, we don’t have to make that trade off. We can treat the involuntary movements, or the tardive dyskinesia, should they arise.”
“… when someone suspects that they’ve got a problem, the best move is always seeking out one’s doctor, if that doctor knows what they’re doing, even if they don’t know what’s going on, they’re gonna seek out a second opinion or seek out a movement disorder specialist or somebody that they know clearly feels comfortable diagnosing and treating individuals with involuntary movements. So I’d say that’s a first step, seeking out the appropriate attention and help and then maybe being led down the path of finding the right medicine for them.”
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat adults with movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Individual results may vary.
Please see the Important Safety Information at the end of this video.
…when talking to my patients about AUSTEDO, I tell them that this is a option of medication, or a prescribed medication, that can be given for tardive dyskinesia, that can be used in combination with their antipsychotic medications so that I can treat both their mental health condition, as well as their tardive dyskinesia.
Well, we like to say is that it, because it’s gone through an FDA approval for the specific diagnosis, it means there are multiple trials which are being done to make sure that this drug is efficacious, meaning effective in suppressing the symptoms of tardive dyskinesia. … Of course, in the trials we also saw some patients did not have a great response, or no response to treatment and that happens with all medications. And also there were side effects noted in the trial.
… most common side effects include inflammation of your nose and mouth and also disturbances in sleep patterns.
…in the clinical studies, patients had a‐ a three‐point reduction in their AIMS score…
Uh, and you could see benefits as early as two weeks but usually saw them by 12 weeks.
…when you take a look at the results of the clinical trials, they were actually quite nice in really seeing significant differences for individuals in reducing that movement burden.
… knowing that we can initiate someone with this medicine, get them to the right fit for them with again, this flexible approach that then helps us along the lines of being able to counter these movements that they’re having.
“…so, the nice thing about AUSTEDO is that we have a large flexibility in dosing. We can go anywhere in between depending on what the patients needs are at that time. So, it’s nice and gives us a lot of flexibility in dosing. And we can titrate as needed depending on the patient’s symptoms”
…one of the biggest fears patients have is that their psychiatry regimen, which has been keeping them stable all along will be changed. But what we saw in the trials was that these patients could continue on their current psychiatric medication regimen, along with the addition of AUSTEDO.
The beauty about AUSTEDO is that it allows us an opportunity to keep the background medicines going so that if we’ve got solid control with a mood or a psychotic condition, we don’t have to alter what we’re doing with them and we’re treating the movement problem separately.
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat adults with movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Individual results may vary.
Please see the Important Safety Information at the end of this video.
AUSTEDO is a medication that can treat tardive dyskinesia in adults … it’s a tablet that you take twice a day…before we start patients on AUSTEDO, uh, we go over their medication list, so both their prescription drugs, their over-the-counter drugs, any vitamins, supplements they’re on, and any herbal medications they’re taking.
Tardive dyskinesia affects different individuals in different ways. So the overall results may vary greatly from one person to another. As with any treatment, with the use of AUSTEDO, some people may experience side effects, and some people may not necessarily reap benefits associated with the use of the medicine…But when you take a look at the results of the clinical trials, they were actually quite nice in really seeing significant differences for individuals in reducing that movement burden.
Educating patients about what to expect with AUSTEDO, as it correlates with whatever condition it is that we’re treating for them. It’s really an important topic. When they know that they don’t have to compromise with maybe getting worse with whatever it is that we’ve been treating, but, in fact, now also have a remedy for their movement problem, people oftentimes, feel a sense of relief. They oftentimes speak of, again, a sense of feeling like a weight’s been lifted off of them that they didn’t think would be lifted from them previously. So it’s really gratifying being able to let people know of that we have treatments that can help.
Encouraging patients to continue on with their treatment with AUSTEDO® to address their tardive dyskinesia is a very important point. We always wanna reinforce in our patients to comply or to take their medicines as they’re suggested to be taken. That doesn’t always happen. So it’s really important to reinforce that if someone stops taking a medicine like AUSTEDO®, we may well lose ground in that those movements may actually come back.
The way that I encourage patients to stay on the medication is, um, you know, I make it meaningful for them. I find what symptom it is, or what is been improved for them, and ask them, to continue that stability, that they need to continue on, on this medication.
Teva as a company offers resources to help patients start and continue their medication.
Kate made progress with her mental health...
…but her medication caused unintentional movements in her face, hands, and feet called tardive dyskinesia, or TD.
So her doctor prescribed AUSTEDO XR—
a once-daily, extended-release TD treatment for adults.
As you go with AUSTEDO
AUSTEDO XR significantly reduced Kate’s TD movements.
Some people saw a response as early as 2 weeks.
With AUSTEDO XR, Kate can stay on her mental health meds—
Oh, hi buddy!
AUSTEDO XR can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with Huntington’s disease.
Pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, or have suicidal thoughts.
Don’t take if you have liver problems, are taking reserpine, tetrabenazine, or valbenazine.
AUSTEDO XR may cause irregular or fast heartbeat, or abnormal movements.
Seek help for fever, stiff muscles, problems thinking, or sweating.
Common side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat, insomnia and sleepiness.
As you go with AUSTEDO
Ask your doctor for AUSTEDO XR.
AUSTEDO XR
Dan made progress with his mental health...
…but his medication caused unintentional movements in his face, hands, and feet called tardive dyskinesia, or TD.
So his doctor prescribed AUSTEDO XR—
a once-daily, extended-release TD treatment for adults.
As you go with AUSTEDO
AUSTEDO XR significantly reduced Dan’s TD movements.
Some people saw a response as early as 2 weeks.
With AUSTEDO XR, Dan can stay on his mental health meds—
Cool hair!
AUSTEDO XR can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with Huntington’s disease.
Pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, or have suicidal thoughts.
Don’t take if you have liver problems, are taking reserpine, tetrabenazine, or valbenazine.
AUSTEDO XR may cause irregular or fast heartbeat, or abnormal movements.
Seek help for fever, stiff muscles, problems thinking, or sweating.
Common side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat, insomnia and sleepiness.
As you go with AUSTEDO
Ask your doctor for AUSTEDO XR.
AUSTEDO XR
APPROVED USE
AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets and AUSTEDO® (deutetrabenazine) tablets are prescription medicines that are used to treat:
the involuntary movements (chorea) of Huntington’s disease. AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO do not cure the cause of the involuntary movements, and it does not treat other symptoms of Huntington’s disease, such as problems with thinking or emotions.
movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts that cannot be controlled (tardive dyskinesia).
It is not known if AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO are safe and effective in children.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can cause serious side effects in people with Huntington’s disease, including: depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal actions. Do not start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you are depressed (have untreated depression or depression that is not well controlled by medicine) or have suicidal thoughts. Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings. This is especially important when AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO is started and when the dose is changed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you become depressed, have unusual changes in mood or behavior, or have thoughts of suicide.
Do not take AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you:
have Huntington’s disease and are depressed or have thoughts of suicide.
have liver problems.
are taking reserpine. Do not take medicines that contain reserpine with AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO. If your healthcare provider plans to switch you from taking reserpine to AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO, you must wait at least 20 days after your last dose of reserpine before you start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO.
are taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) medicine. Do not take an MAOI within 14 days after you stop taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO. Do not start AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you stopped taking an MAOI in the last 14 days. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure.
are taking tetrabenazine. If your healthcare provider plans to switch you from tetrabenazine to AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO, take your first dose of AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO on the day after your last dose of tetrabenazine.
are taking valbenazine.
Other possible serious side effects include:
Irregular heartbeat (QT prolongation). AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO increases your chance of having certain changes in the electrical activity in your heart. These changes can lead to a dangerous abnormal heartbeat. Taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO with certain medicines may increase this chance.
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome. Call your healthcare provider right away and go to the nearest emergency room if you develop these signs and symptoms that do not have another obvious cause: high fever, stiff muscles, problems thinking, very fast or uneven heartbeat, or increased sweating.
Restlessness. You may get a condition where you feel a strong urge to move. This is called akathisia.
Parkinsonism. Symptoms include: slight shaking, body stiffness, trouble moving, trouble keeping your balance, or falls.
Sleepiness (sedation) is a common side effect of AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO. While taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO, do not drive a car or operate dangerous machinery until you know how AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO affects you. Drinking alcohol and taking other drugs that may also cause sleepiness while you are taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO may increase any sleepiness caused by AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO.
The most common side effects of AUSTEDO in people with Huntington’s disease include sleepiness (sedation), diarrhea, tiredness, and dry mouth.
The most common side effects of AUSTEDO in people with tardive dyskinesia include inflammation of the nose and throat (nasopharyngitis) and problems sleeping (insomnia).
The most common side effects of AUSTEDO XR are expected to be similar to AUSTEDO in people with Huntington’s disease or tardive dyskinesia.
These are not all the possible side effects of AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please read the Medication Guide available at AUSTEDO.com, or by calling 1-800-887-8100.
Sherland's Story
Rebecca's story with Dr Jesse
The impact of tardive
dyskinesia (TD)
My tardive dyskinesia (TD)
diagnosis story
Treating tardive dyskinesia (TD)
with AUSTEDO
The impact of
tardive dyskinesia (TD)
How to diagnose
tardive dyskinesia (TD)
AUSTEDO: A treatment
for tardive dyskinesia (TD)
What to expect
with AUSTEDO
Meet Kate
Meet Dan
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The information on this site is intended for healthcare professionals in the United States. Are you a healthcare professional in the United States?
References:
1. AUSTEDO® XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets/AUSTEDO® tablets current Prescribing Information. Parsippany, NJ: Teva Neuroscience, Inc.
2. Waln O, Jankovic J. An update on tardive dyskinesia: from phenomenology to treatment. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y). 2013;3:tre-03-161-4138-1.
3. Warikoo N, Schwartz TL, Citrome L. Tardive dyskinesia. In: Schwartz TL, Megna J, Topel ME, eds. Antipsychotic Drugs: Pharmacology, Side Effects and Abuse Prevention. Nova Science Publishers, Inc.; 2013:235-258.