Xenazine 25

What is it?

An agent acting on the central nervous system which is a dopamine depletor available as scored, yellow tablets containing 25mg of tetrabenazine.

Medical Uses

Huntington's chorea, senile chorea, persistent tardive dyskinesia (involuntary, repeated muscle movements usually affecting face, trunk and limbs), hemibalismus (involuntary flailing of limbs and sometimes the head, resulting from brain injury).

Dosage

Adults, tardive dyskinesia, 12.5mg to start then adjust according to response; drug should be stopped if there is no improvement or if there is poor tolerance. Other disorders, 25mg 3 times each day to start, then increased every 3 to 4 days by 25mg to a maximum daily dose of 200mg. Drug should be stopped if there is no improvement after 1 week on maximum dose.

Avoid Use

Children, breastfeeding.

Possible Drug and Food Interactions

Levodopa, MAOIs, reserpine.

Known Side Effects

Extrapyramidal effects (affecting the tracts of certain motor nerves running from the brain to the spinal cord and causing changes in muscle tone, involuntary movements etc), sleepiness, depression. In rare cases, neuroleptic malignant syndrome.