Rabbit Syndrome: What It Consists Of, Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
Many drugs, especially those in their early stages of development, can cause various side effects.
One of the strangest in rabbit syndrome Below we will discover what this phenomenon consists of, what is the substance that causes it and what are the neurological bases for it to happen.
Rabbit syndrome, known by the medical term periodic tremor, consists of a series of involuntary movements that are repetitive, vertical, and rapid (estimated to have a frequency of 5 cycles per second, or 5 Hz) in the mouth area resembling the characteristic movement that rabbits make, which is why this pathology takes its name from that action.
It is caused as a side effect of some pharmacological compounds (later we will explore in depth what these are), and its appearance usually occurs after having taken the treatment for a long time, and the temporary factor that triggers this disorder can be both months and years.
rabbit syndrome It is within the so-called extrapyramidal symptoms or extrapyramidal side effects (since they are generated as an unwanted effect from the consumption of a neuroleptic or antipsychotic pharmacological compound), which are those disorders that affect the movement of a part of the body, either by reducing the ability to move a certain part of the muscles, or because involuntary movements are generated, as is this case.
Symptoms
The movements caused by rabbit syndrome compromise the entire lip muscles and the chewing system.
However, they would not be affecting the muscles of the tongue, as other similar disorders do, such as tardive dyskinesia, so, in that sense, it would not represent an obstacle for the subject who suffers from it when swallowing. food, although it can be used to perform other actions, such as chewing it.
Prevalence
Regarding the prevalence of this peculiar disorder, it would be between 2.3% and 4.4% of all patients who have been medicated with antipsychotics although there are some cases (very few, yes), in which those affected by rabbit syndrome had not previously consumed neuroleptics, so there would be other causes that would be giving rise to this pathology.
By affecting such specific muscle areas (all those that involve the action of the jaw and the movement of the lips, but not the tongue, as we have already seen), studies indicate that the dysfunction of these movements would come from the brain area of the basal ganglia, specifically the structure that makes up the pars reticulata within the substantia nigra.
This entire part of our nervous system is responsible for connecting and sending information from the basal ganglia itself to another structure called the superior colliculus (also found in manuals as tectum or optic tectum), which would be located within the midbrain.
The causes for the appearance of rabbit syndrome, as already mentioned, come from the consumption of certain types of drugs, which we can divide into two groups, depending on those that have a high probability of triggering this side effect and those that also They can cause it but to a lesser extent, so it is less likely that we will encounter this symptom.
The first group of drugs are those called high potency In this category we could highlight three different ones, which would be haloperidol (commercially known as Haldol), pimozide (sold as Orap) and fluphenazine (whose name in pharmacies would be Prolixina). All of them are different types of neuroleptics or antipsychotics, used in very diverse pathologies ranging from schizophrenia to bipolar disorder or Tourette syndrome.
The other types of medical compounds that, to a lesser extent, could also trigger rabbit syndrome would be aripiprazole, olanzapine, thioridazine, and clozapine. Likewise, These are various types of antipsychotic or neuroleptic drugs designed for disorders such as those seen above (Tourette, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder), and also others, such as schizoaffective disorder, psychosis, some types of tics, autism, major depressive disorder, etc.
There would be a last category, which would include drugs that can cause rabbit syndrome as a side effect even when consuming small doses of said medication. This is the case of risperidone, another antipsychotic, in this case aimed at the treatment of pathologies such as autism, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
We have already seen what are the chemical complexes that can cause the so-called rabbit syndrome, but what would be the way to reverse this process to ensure that the patient stops experiencing those annoying involuntary movements of their mouth? For this, it would be necessary to resort to other types of different drugs. These are anticholinergics.
Anticholinergics are used to prevent the release of a very specific type of neurotransmitters: acetylcholine, since they are responsible for communicating, from the neurons to the muscles, that they must initiate the movement. By preventing its dispersion, in this case, involuntary movements such as those involved in rabbit syndrome would be prevented.
The problem is that anticholinergics, in turn, also They can trigger different types of side effects, the most common being known as antisialogogue, which refers to the fact that it decreases the secretion of saliva in the patient, so they may constantly have the sensation of having a dry mouth. Likewise, they can have a small sedative effect, which is why it is a substance widely used in operations, since both effects are useful in said procedures.
But they are not the only side effects that anticholinergics can cause. They can also cause motor coordination problems, increase heart rate, dry out the mucous membranes of the nose, prevent sweating, cause some vision problems such as focusing problems or double vision, difficulties retaining urine when sleeping, and reduced movement. intestinal, and others.
Regarding the temporary involvement of the central nervous system, anticholinergics can be noticeable by causing a state of disorientation and confusion, feelings of agitation, a swing between dysphoria and euphoria, difficulties concentrating, memory alterations or respiratory difficulty, among others. others.
Despite this long list of possible adverse effects, anticholinergics are not only used to treat rabbit syndrome and other disorders, but some people use this substance as a drug, generating the so-called acute anticholinergic syndrome It can occur voluntarily, seeking experimentation, or by mistake, by taking a higher dose than prescribed.
Apart from the effects seen above, you may experience hallucinations, severe psychomotor agitation and even in extreme cases, when the dose has been very high or the patient has conditions that predispose them to this effect, a coma. It is important, therefore, to keep in mind that all of these substances are very dangerous if they are not taken under strict medical criteria, so you should never experiment on your own or take more amounts than prescribed by the professional.
tardive dyskinesia
Although we generally find periodic tremor or rabbit syndrome as its own disorder, some manuals prefer to include it as a specific type within the so-called tardive dyskinesia. Dyskinesia encompasses all those pathologies characterized by the suffering of involuntary movements
Dyskinesia, or dyskinesia, can manifest itself in very different ways. For example, with tremors that can range from very specific areas of the body (labial and mandibular, as is the case with rabbit syndrome) or from other areas, and even at a global level. But chorea, the uncoordinated and constant movement of the extremities, can also occur in what is popularly known as the Saint Vitus Dance.
Certain types of tics may also occur, more or less severe, and can also manifest in different areas of the subject’s muscles. Likewise, dyskinesias include involuntary contractions of various muscle groups, such as dystonias or myoclonus.
And, within the dyskinesias, those of the tardive type, which is what concerns us, as it includes the rabbit syndrome, would refer to those caused by the consumption of neuroleptic drugs, that is, antipsychotics, as we have detailed before.
