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Should a 56 year old with tardive dyskinesia consider DBS?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

In my recent appointment, my neurologist discussed deep-brain stimulation (DBS), but due to a lack of time, I was unable to follow up on that. I am 56 years old with tardive dyskinesia; the symptoms are causing difficulties performing daily activities for me. The medicines I have been taking have been helping somewhat, but not quite enough.

  1. Has anyone with tardive dyskinesia gone for DBS evaluation or treatment?

  2. How common is it for someone like me to consider DBS treatment, or is it done only as a last-resort option?

Please help me.

Thanks in advance for your time and advice.
Answered by Dr. Avinash Choudhary

Education:

MD

Professional Bio:

Dr. Avinash Choudhary is a dedicated psychiatry specialist committed to helping individuals improve their mental and emotional well-being through compassionate, evidence-based care. He has experience in diagnosing and managing a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, stress-related disorders, bipolar disorder, sleep problems, and other psychiatric concerns. Dr. Avinash Choudhary believes in providing a safe, supportive, and confidential environment where patients feel comfortable discussing their concerns. He focuses on personalized treatment plans, patient education, and long-term recovery, helping individuals build resilience and achieve a better quality of life.      

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Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thank you for reaching out to me with your concerns.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is one of the new approaches and is generally used for treatment-resistant tardive dyskinesia, when symptoms do not subside despite being treated properly with medical therapy.

Treatment options for tardive dyskinesia include the use of VMAT2 (vesicular monoamine transporter 2) inhibitors, which include Valbenazine, Deutetrabenazine, and Tetrabenazine. Your physician may also change your current antipsychotic drug to Clozapine if appropriate in your individual case. There are also other drugs including Clonazepam, Amantadine, vitamin E, and B6, which may be used as additional treatment.

If you have tardive dyskinesia and experience symptoms severely enough so that they affect your normal life activities and you were not able to improve your condition with proper pharmacotherapy, DBS will help you a lot. However, because of it being a neurosurgical procedure, it has its own risks like infection and intracranial bleeding and requires a specialized approach.

To sum up, DBS is not a regular treatment method and is usually performed only in the case of carefully selected patients with tardive dyskinesia.

I hope that this information will help you understand your problem and treatment opportunities.

If you have any other questions do not hesitate to ask.

Best regards.

Medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team
Published At July 5, 2026
Reviewed At July 5, 2026

Education:

MD

Professional Bio:

Dr. Avinash Choudhary is a dedicated psychiatry specialist committed to helping individuals improve their mental and emotional well-being through compassionate, evidence-based care. He has experience in diagnosing and managing a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, stress-related disorders, bipolar disorder, sleep problems, and other psychiatric concerns. Dr. Avinash Choudhary believes in providing a safe, supportive, and confidential environment where patients feel comfortable discussing their concerns. He focuses on personalized treatment plans, patient education, and long-term recovery, helping individuals build resilience and achieve a better quality of life.      

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Avinash Choudhary
Dr. Avinash Choudhary

Psychiatry

Consult this doctor

Education:

MD

Professional Bio:

Dr. Avinash Choudhary is a dedicated psychiatry specialist committed to helping individuals improve their mental and emotional well-being through compassionate, evidence-based care. He has experience in diagnosing and managing a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, stress-related disorders, bipolar disorder, sleep problems, and other psychiatric concerns. Dr. Avinash Choudhary believes in providing a safe, supportive, and confidential environment where patients feel comfortable discussing their concerns. He focuses on personalized treatment plans, patient education, and long-term recovery, helping individuals build resilience and achieve a better quality of life.      

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality
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