A case of Aripiprazole and extra pyramidal side effects

This is a case report of a 56-year-old lady who was admitted to a psychiatric ward because she was showing a plethora of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. She has a positive history of mental illness; her mother had a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The patient did not have any medical history of relevance and was not taking any medication. She was commenced on Aripiprazole and after 5 weeks developed disabling extra-pyramidal side effects. On discontinuation of Aripiprazole, the side effects subsided and disappeared quickly. According to the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of a patient developing extra-pyramidal side effects following treatment with Aripiprazole, not previously exposed to other antipsychotic, and with no co-morbid medical conditions. The authors suggest titrating Aripiprazole slowly.