Akathisia: How to Diagnose and Manage?

[@vaccaphd]

I fought severe akathisia for months. I could only sit for 10 seconds. Then, I had this irresistible need to get up and walk continuously. Slept only a few hours at night when I got myself completely exhausted. It is, by far, the worst condition possible I experienced. Lot worse than the voices and psychosis. I was taking a second-generation antipsychotic. Medicine to treat it did nothing. Eventually, a good doctor told me to stop all medication, which caused the cessation of akathisia. But, even that did not happen overnight. It took many weeks. In addition, I experienced a form of Parkinson where I felt I aged prematurely and was walking very slowly. My marriage collapsed because of that. My advice is to beware of akathisia.

[@iwonab5150]

Beeare of those shitty drugs

[@JoeSmithpwns]

This is a closed loop: These drugs can cause this. Sometimes directly, sometimes when you don't have more. Occasionally other drugs help. If that doesn't work we recommend trying different drugs that might or might not cause it to get worse. It might as well end with an ironic. "Good Luck"

[@steve-ru9sy]

This video is extremely helpful. Two different times in my life in the emergency room I received a drug called compazine for a migraine and another time a drug called reglan for severe stomach pain. Akathisia always seems to be described as a minor inconvenience but having experienced it it's the worst feeling in the entire world. The symptom abated after about 12 to 16 hours but 12 hours is a long time to feel like you need to escape your own body and tear off your skin. No medical background and I just trust doctors so I hope I'm not coming across as a hypochondriac or something.

[@valeriezushin9419]

Think about the people who have that for years.

[@steve-ru9sy]

@@valeriezushin9419 honestly I can't even fathom how awful that is. That's the kind of thing I would never wish even on my worst enemy

[@valeriezushin9419]

@@steve-ru9sy there are support groups for this , Some people have been going through it for years and sadly many suicides .

[@jeffreydwightryanriley8308]

I had it for months and paced all day continuously. I wanted to die and felt so hopeless, but unable to reach out. I was on Geodon. Used Cogentin to get it under control and have now discontinued antipsychotics altogether. I’m now just on Pristiq 100mg and doing great.

[@daowest]

I work on an acute psych unit at a large, established and reputable hospital. We rapidly titrate patients up to max doses of FGAs and SGAs within a week. It is criminal how often akathisia is ignored or worsened by treating "restlessness" with more anti-psychotics. MDs and RNs all seem unable and unwilling to connect the dots. The screening tools are inadequate. Patients aren't ever educated and don't have the words to describe the dysphoria that can make a person want to run into traffic just to make it stop. Unless you have experienced akathisia, it appears all to easy to brush it off as a bit of excess energy.

[@RobinDS-m1g]

Totally - I believe I experienced this due to medication/s, and as you described there was no way on earth you can just practice "acceptance" when you are experiencing this! "restlessness" incredibly under-describes the horrific feeling that keeps you moving to undo just a tiny level of the pain for just a few moments, before you're in it again.

[@Retr0ver4]

This guy's voice is weirdly soothing to me.

[@goose9756]

Why do doctors seem to have no knowledge of this until the patient researches it themselves and if they're "lucky" enough to find what they are looking for and only when we come back to said doctor and ask him/her if Akathisia is a correct diagnosis, do they ever admit that's what it could be? Why do doctors seem to know nothing? Why do they tell their patients almost nothing when we have our bare asses sick and totally vulnerable on their sheets of paper, hoping to find the Truth about our own health?

[@user-jdr93q8yer9g]

Because psychiatrists are just pill pushers. Tell them you've had a bad reaction to a drug, and more often then not they will prescribe another medication on top of the original one to "fix" the problem they themselves created. That's been my experience.

[@scottshaw1714]

I took 4 mg of clonasapam ( brain fog ) for 38 years, I’m in my 5 th year of withdrawal.

[@daowest]

I had a patient last week with multiple risk factors for EPS whom I believe had acute akathisia. He was given just 10 mg of propranolol, and when that didn't relieve his misery the team called it RLS and started loading him up with gabapentin and magnesium instead. Although that also did not help, they stuck with it and never considered the dose of propranolol should have been at least 4x what he was given before evaluating and ruling it out as non-efficacious.

[@lovewenwin]

Why aren't this videos tagged for people looking for #sideeffects #ssri #ssha #antidepressants #psychiatricmedication ❓

[@sevenman9672]

Internal and external akathisia

[@sarahpearsall2248]

It’s a living hell I’ve endured it now for almost 7 months

[@camillelewis5190]

What about sleeplessness?

[@akalucinda8821]

I can't even find a Dang doctor that's even willing to give me a diagnosis I me a diagnosis I've been suffering with this for 6 years I was trapped in my house for over 4 nobody cares

[@ninaberg2003]

I love your videos Lucinda. What happen with your old you tube channel? Greetings from germany!

[@valeriezushin9419]

Lower quality of life …hahah how about NO QUALITY OF LIFE!

[@sarahpearsall2248]

No quality of life unable to enjoy anything

[@cleopetraducic4301]

🙏🏽

[@nokiot9]

Also learned a new word: cholinergic. Any chemical that boosts acetylcholine production.

[@joeadler5379]

I have this. Condition akathisia. Which is caused by my antipsychotic. Asenapine it's horrible to experience this in the morning it lasts for hours. Unfortunately this. Atypical antipsychotic asenapine doesn't cause weight gain for me

[@jsv07018]

why a serotonin antagonist? can increased serotonin cause akathisia?

[@Leilexa]

Look up Serotonin Syndrome.

[@jsv07018]

@@Leilexa serotonin syndrome can cause hyperreflexia

[@saumyojitdas4212]

I have suffered through this for 3 days . Seriously it's worse than death . People who are taking antidepressants or serotonin need to be aware. High dose of cyclotonin has induced in my case

[@laarananocturna190]

What r u taking now for that?

[@kieyahlawrence1643]

And update?

[@saumyojitdas4212]

@@kieyahlawrence1643 I took betacap tr 60 for 2 days one at a time . Consult doc before taking medicine

[@ВеселыйИгорь-т5с]

@@saumyojitdas4212 I have akathisia now, what should I do? third day so how do I sleep?

[@saumyojitdas4212]

@@ВеселыйИгорь-т5с contact your doc . Immediately

[@pancakes6119]

Does smoking weed help ?

[@jeffreydwightryanriley8308]

Yes

[@Destroyer9747]

Delta 8 THC works

[@nokiot9]

Lol thanks for mentioning RLS, erased my orig comment