Long-term therapy of essential tremor with flunarizine.

We investigated the effect of long-term treatment of essential tremor (ET) with flunarizine (Fz) (10 mg/day) in 17 subjects who had a favorable response to 1 month of treatment. Side effects (dystonia, parkinsonism, weight gain and depression) occurred in 29.4% (5/17) of patients, leading to drug discontinuation. Fz was still effective at the end of 30 months of treatment in 41% (7/17) of patients. Loss of efficacy was observed in 29.4% (5/17) of patients. It is concluded that Fz is an alternative for long-term treatment of patients with ET; however, loss of efficacy and side effects are common.