Hi
Just wondering if there's anyone else out there who either has or has had akathisia as a result of taking ssris or anti pcyhotics? It seems like an uncommon thing.
I am very sensitive to meds and have severe akathisia from SSRIs. I got it on citalopram, came off that and was put on sertraline and quetiapine. It's all continued. I'm now just off quetiapine and almost if the sertraline.
I have to keep pushing through it every day. If there's anyone else who's experienced this, it would be great to hear from you.
Did have - Abilify, Seroquel, Epilem, RISPERADONE++
Don't take any now. Doing well.
Thanks for replying Deee. I was on citalopram for 2 months & had it all that time though I didn't know what it was & docs thought it was 'my condition'. Was med free for one week then was put on quietapine and sertraline. Yuck. Almost everything now.
Do you mind if I ask how long yours took to clear up after stopping the meds? I've had this thing severely for 5 months straight and its hell. All doctors want to do is keep drugging me up but there's no way. I think getting free from meds is my only chance of recovery.
I'm so glad you're off everything and doing well.
Thanks again.
After terrible reactions to risperodone, I was pretty bad for a while but I can't remember for how long. Same with Abilify. At the time I was in and out of hospital, looking back that could have been because of those 2 drugs. Last year I cut Seroquel slowly, it took months and I had to go back on it but at a lot lower dose. Good Luck.
Thanks Deee. I ended up in hospital too and I fully believe it was because of the akathisia. Horrendous side effect! I never knew it existed until recently! Are you off the seroquel completely now?
Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it. It makes me feel less alone.
I'm down to a very small dose and still, after 9 months, I am nervous about the last little bit. I'm actually medically sophisticated, too, so it shows how emotionally dependent it makes you. After I cut right back, all my tennis friends, about 20 people, kept saying how different I was, how much brighter I was/am. I hadn't realised how much of `me' was suppressed. Because suppression of emotions is what the drugs do. They don't FIX ANYTHING, and that includes the anti-depressants. have you got supports out there? There are probably quite a few other places to look at, self help programs can be useful, we have `meetup' here in Aus but I bet we got it last.
Well done for cutting down and getting down to a low dose.
Thank you SO much for your help. It makes me feel less alone with this.
Akathisa is WAY worse than the anxiety and depression I started off with. It's the most terrifying thing that ever happened to me. It's really severe.id never heard of it until it happened to me. I've read it can persist for months or even years after coming off the offending drugs so I'm trying not to be scared. I have to keep believing it will go away in time. I won't take any more psych drugs. I'm too sensitive and don't want to damage my body further.
I found someone on the web who had it severely for months and she helps others through it. She is fantastic. There's so little info and help out there on this thing. When I'm through this, I'm going to help others with the condition.
Go Meteor63! Love your name.
Hi Meteor,
Hope things have improved for you!
I've got a friend still suffering from Akathisia three months after going off Seroquel and none of the drugs their doctor prescribed have helped.
Understandably, they could really use some support right now and I wondered if I might be able to put them in touch with you or the woman who helped you out.
Best,
Eliza
My son, age 42 and diagnosed autistic and learning disabled at age 6, was needlessly first given psychiatric medication in a residential care home at age 21 without my knowledge. This medication caused erratic and extreme behaviour and led to further medication - ad infinitum. He has had akathisia for at least 15 years and I fear he won't recover. Most of his waking hours are spent moving about needlessly. Sometimes he can't stand still all day and looks as though he's treading water. He's only on Lorazepam 1mg p.r.n. but I think this is is gradually making his akathisia worse in the long term, even though it termporarily calms him down. My son's situation is the pharmaceutical industry's dream scenario. I'm sure that all pharmacists and doctors know about this side effect but it suits them to pretend that it is a psychological or psychiatric problem, I'm sure it's entirely a physical problem of the brain caused by poisoning by psychiatric drugs..
I am so very sorry this happened to your son. It's criminal. Absolutely criminal.
I'm assuming your son is now off all psychiatric drugs, except Lorazepam? How often does he take the lorazapam and does he ever take it more than once a day? You know benzos can be a double edged sword. They can initial help with the akathisia but can also cause it in withdrawal or keep it going. Your son may be getting interdosr withdrawal from it.
I took lorazepam at Christmas and it really helped with the akathisia. I took it prn. I was taking 1mg maybe once a week, once a fortnight, sometimes twice a week. 2 or 3 times I took it 3 days in a row. I took it like this for about 4 months. That was enough for me to hit tolerance. The lorazepam lost it's efficacy.
ive had severe akathisia for a year. It started on citalopram last year, further drugs were thrown at me which made it worse and added new terrible side effects (sertraline and quetiapine). I came off everything on march. I've been having severe withdrawal syndrome since then. I took my last ever lorazepam almost 3 months ago & it turned on me. When it wore off I was the sickest I've ever been.
I can't give advice on what your son should or shouldn't take. What I will say is that the way to recover from akathisia is to get off and stay off all psychiatric drugs and that includes benzos. All can result in horrific withdrawal syndromes so need to be titrated off very slowly and carefully. There are websites for that.
have you seen Angie's akathisia blog? She says everyone she's has helped has got better. It really gives me hope.
He's off all psych. drugs except Lorazepam 1mg tab. p.r.n.. My son's care staff collect 10 tabs. per month from the GP surgery. So far, he's kept within that limit, usually less, but I'm worried that even that small amount seems to be making his akathisia worse even though it calms him down within half an hour. He only has a tablet if his behaviour becomes really out of control, and never more than 1 tab. within 24 hrs.. His autism makes it impossible for him to have any behaviour boundaries when he feels like this from the akathisia. When he's given a p.r.n. Lorazepam tablet there really seems to be no option because his stress becomes so extreme from the akathisia. Some days he moves his feet for hours on end, walking endlessly round and round and backwards and forwards but going nowhere. When he's like this he usually doesn't need a tablet because the behaviour is continuous for most of the day but still within manageable limits. I take him for very ong walks but he can't stop and stand still. On other days, the pointless walking is less marked but he makes constant soft snorting, sniffing, coughing sounds at the back of his throat for hours on end, wherever he goes. Some days he hardly does these things and looks much happier and behaves almost as normally as he used to in his pre-psych. drug days (that was 20 yrs. ago when he was 22 and autism was his only problem). I know about the dangers of benzos, but thanks for warning me. Lorazepam is the fastest-acting tranquillizer that I know of, and when he has a major outburst he really needs to be given something fast. There is no option. He's a strong, fit 6ft. man.
I haven't seen's Angie's akathisia blog yet, but will look it up. I'm new to these forums. Thanks for your advice!
Hi Ella, how are you... hope you can help me.. Im stoping seroquel too and I think Im having withdrawal akathisia... did your friend improved? Is he suffering with anxiety too or just the restless? Did he had the akathisia wile on Seroquel or after he stopped? Im so lost... no dr has dx me as akathisia, they keep saying is just anxiety... Im not sure....
Sorry for so many questions... Im feeling so alone right now....
Hi meteor... the Angie blog is very good...
I was wondering how are you doing... did you got better from akathisia?
Angie's blog is very good.
Er, I don't want to scare you but I'm not better yet. I was on various meds though and have only been med free for five months. I had an immediate reaction to citalopram last year and was given various other meds which all made me worse then when I came off everything, I got sever withdrawal on top. So I'm very sick but, like I say, I was very ill from the start and it was exacerbated by more toxic meds.
i would say maybe come off your seroquel very gradual and give yourself a chance to stabilise at each drop.
Hey, I know this is an old thread but I had this for a year. I was prescribed amisulpride for schizophrenia. I paced up and down all day everyday. It was horrendous experience. I ended up trying to take my own life because of it. I stopped the amisulpride cold Turkey and had bad withdrawal. My doctor had never heard of the condition. It disappeared within a month of stopping the amusulpride. My psychiatrist prescribed olanzapine and I developed akasthia within a fortnight. I told him I couldn't live with this ilness because it's unrelenting and very debilitating. I'm a paranoid schizophrenic, but I would rather live with psychosis than live with that torture! Anyways, I hope your doing well. Hopefully the condition will pass as it was the worst year of my life.
How are you today, meteor63?
Hey, I can finally sit at peace. I'm not on any anti pyschotics and suffer daily from schizophrenia. But as I've stated before, akasthia is relentless and it's worse than any mental illness.I've tried all second generation anti pyschotics and they all gave me akasthia. I wouldn't wish it in my worse enemy. I hope your doing well?