Tag: Valbenazine

First approved by the FDA in 2017 for tardive dyskinesia, Ingrezza was the first medication developed specifically for this condition. This makes many wonder: What type of med is Ingrezza? It is a selective vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor, a class of drugs that regulates dopamine signaling in the brain.

Unlike many antipsychotic medications that are dopamine receptor antagonists, Ingrezza (valbenazine) works via a completely different pathway to manage movement disorders. The crucial question, 'Is Ingrezza a dopamine blocker?' can be answered by examining its distinct mechanism of action as a selective vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor.

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two novel VMAT2 inhibitors in 2017, the treatment paradigm for movement disorders like tardive dyskinesia and Huntington's chorea has been significantly modernized. These newer agents address long-standing challenges associated with earlier treatments, answering the critical question: **what are the new VMAT2 inhibitors** that offer improved efficacy and tolerability?

According to studies, symptoms of tardive dyskinesia can return within four weeks of discontinuing Ingrezza, while chorea symptoms associated with Huntington's disease can return within two weeks. Therefore, understanding **what happens if I stop taking Ingrezza** and the risks of doing so is crucial for anyone on this medication.

Despite being used to treat a movement disorder often caused by antipsychotic medication, Ingrezza (valbenazine) is definitively not an antipsychotic drug itself. Ingrezza belongs to a completely different pharmacological class known as a vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Ingrezza (valbenazine) was the first drug specifically approved to treat tardive dyskinesia. This medication's unique mechanism of action places it in the drug classification of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitors.

Ingrezza (valbenazine) was the first medication specifically approved by the FDA for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD), a challenging involuntary movement disorder. The answer to what is the mechanism of action of Ingrezza lies in its selective inhibition of a crucial protein in the brain's dopamine pathway. This targeted approach helps to normalize nerve signaling that has gone awry.