Living With Oculogyric Crises Long-Term

"Experiencing oculogyric crises (OGC) as a long-term side effect of antipsychotic use is rare, but I experienced OGC as a daily potential reality for 25 years. Every single antipsychotic I tried gave me OGC, perhaps once every week or two, until, during this past year, my psychiatrist was able to find one that does not give me this side effect."

"Oculogyric crises (OGC) are considered an unusual type of dystonic movement disorder, characterized by paroxysmal, tonic, conjugate, ocular deviations caused by sustained contractions of ocular muscles. Typical episodes last minutes to hours, involve deviation of eyes most often upward and can be associated with other dystonic symptoms."

"Causes for oculogyric crises are limited and include complications of dopamine-receptor blocking medications and neurometabolic disorders affecting dopamine metabolism, suggesting that an underlying hypodopaminergic state is important to the pathogenesis"

Oculogyric crises (OGC) are a dystonic movement disorder marked by sustained, involuntary ocular deviations, most often upward, and can last minutes to hours. OGC results from hypodopaminergic states, commonly triggered by dopamine-receptor blocking medications and certain neurometabolic disorders. For some individuals OGC appears transiently when starting a medication, but for others it can become a persistent, recurring risk for decades, occurring unpredictably and during stress or fatigue. The symptom can be socially isolating because episodes are not always visible or recognized by others. Finding an antipsychotic that does not provoke OGC can resolve the problem.

Read at Psychology Today