From the Research
The maximum effective dose of vitamin E for treating tardive dyskinesia is 1600 mg per day, as suggested by the study published in the International Clinical Psychopharmacology journal in 1998 1. This dose has been shown to have a significant and sustained reduction in the severity of tardive dyskinesia. Some key points to consider when using vitamin E for treating tardive dyskinesia include:
- Typical doses used in studies range from 400 to 1,600 IU daily, with some research using doses up to 1,600-2,000 IU daily.
- Vitamin E is not considered a first-line treatment for tardive dyskinesia, and FDA-approved medications such as valbenazine and deutetrabenazine have stronger evidence supporting their efficacy.
- High doses of vitamin E (above 1,000 IU daily) may increase bleeding risk, especially when combined with anticoagulants, and should always be discussed with a healthcare provider before starting. Other studies, such as the one published in the Archives of General Psychiatry journal in 1999 2, found no significant effects of vitamin E on total scores or subscale scores for the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale, but these findings are in contrast to the results of the study published in the International Clinical Psychopharmacology journal in 1998 1, which is the most relevant to the question of maximum effective dose. It's also worth noting that deutetrabenazine, a FDA-approved medication for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia, has a recommended starting dose of 6 mg BID and can be increased at weekly intervals in increments of 6 mg/day to a maximum recommended daily dosage of 24 mg BID, as described in the study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice in 2017 3.