cinnarizine and Syndrome

Secondary parkinsonism induced by exposure to dopamine (DA) receptor antagonists as first and second generation antipsychotics, DA storage depleters, calcium channel blockers, benzamides substituted and other classes of drugs is traditionally believed to be completely reversible in most of patients following withdrawal of the offending drug even though after a variable time delay. The lack of recovery or initial full recovery with subsequent development of progressive parkinsonism has been regarded to result from an underlying subclinical degenerative process like PD unmasked by the inducing drug. These well-recognized clinical outcomes of drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) have disregarded the existence of another outcome, characterized by permanent non-progressive parkinsonism. This syndrome may fullfil the criteria of tardive parkinsonism, a controversial entity currently referred to as a persistent condition without indication of its long-term course and clinical features. On reviewing the published literature on DIP, we have identified two prospective long-term follow-up of elderly patients in which parkinsonism induced by the calcium channel antagonists cinnarizine and flunarizine became permanent and non-progressive following drug discontinuation in a non-negligible proportion of patients, consistent with the clinical concept of a true tardive syndrome, according to currently accepted criteria. The authors hypothesize that the development of tardive parkinsonism might be due to a neurotoxic effect of the pharmacodynamic proprieties of the calcium channel blockers and their metabolites, exerted on post-synaptic striatal neurons and/or a neurotoxic damage on presynaptic DA neurons in patients without an underlying subclinical degenerative parkinsonism, so accounting for the stable and non-progressive course over time.

Topics: Aged; Antipsychotic Agents; Calcium Channel Blockers; Cinnarizine; Dopamine Antagonists; Flunarizine; Humans; Parkinson Disease, Secondary; Parkinsonian Disorders; Prospective Studies; Syndrome

The action of the antagonists of the calcium was evaluated in the Urethral Syndrome of the woman (incontinence, urgency, disury).. In 60 female's patients that went for urethral syndrome. I used the Cinarizina in 20 patients, and the Flunarizina in 20 patients. And in 20 patients were used placebo.. In the patients that used Flunarizina and Cinarizina were observed a reduction of the urine incontinence, of the urgency, and the disury, the micturition was lingering and easy, the number of the micturitions decreased by the morning, compared with the patients that used placebo.. The antagonists of the calcium can be useful in those patients with urethral syndrome especially the biggest women.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Calcium Channel Blockers; Cinnarizine; Female; Flunarizine; Humans; Middle Aged; Postoperative Complications; Syndrome; Urethral Diseases; Urinary Incontinence; Vasodilator Agents

Twenty-seven boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) entered a double-blind controlled trial of treatment with the calcium antagonist flunarizine. They were matched for age and disability. At monthly intervals, muscle power, functional ability, locomotor score, contractures, and forced vital capacity were measured by a team not involved in clinical care. Over a period of 1 year, flunarizine in a dose of up to 0.25 mg/kg/day had no effect on the clinical course of the disease.

Topics: Adolescent; Animals; Calcium Channel Blockers; Child; Cinnarizine; Clinical Trials as Topic; Double-Blind Method; Flunarizine; Humans; Male; Muscular Dystrophies; Rats; Syndrome