Dystonia in methylphenidate withdrawal: A case report

Copyright © 2017 American Society of Addiction Medicine. Few studies have described movement disorders as withdrawal symptoms during psychostimulant detoxification. Although dystonia has been reported as an uncommon adverse effect of methylphenidate treatment, it has not been described in the context of methylphenidate withdrawal. We report a case of dystonia as the main withdrawal symptom in a methylphenidate-dependent adult participating in an inpatient methylphenidate detoxification program. Although movement disorders such as dystonia are very rare adverse effects of methylphenidate withdrawal, practitioners need to be alert to this risk in order to initiate appropriate treatment.