What is akathisia symptoms

Other medications known to cause akathisia include:. Unfortunately, just as starting antipsychotic medication may cause akathisia, it is also observed in people who are being gradually taken off their antipsychotic medication, or who may be advised to gradually decrease their dosages.

In these instances, intense dysphoria is often observed as well. If you've been diagnosed with akathisia, your doctor may decrease your dosage or discontinue the medication causing your symptoms.

However, modifying your mediation may also cause symptoms to worsen, or cause withdrawal akathisia. An important part of coping with akathisia is managing your medication.

Do your best to keep a detailed record of the medications you are taking, including the dosage and when you started taking them. If you experience any symptoms of akathisia, share the record with your healthcare provider. While your prescribing doctor should have your medication history, they may not have it in a compact form. If you're feeling alone or frustrated about your symptoms, it can also help to confide in a trusted friend or family member.

Consider joining an online support group of others who understand what you're going through. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.

Dealing with racing thoughts? Always feeling tired? Our guide offers strategies to help you or your loved one live better with bipolar disorder. Sign up for our newsletter and get it free. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Washington D. Revisiting antipsychotic-induced akathisia: Current issues and prospective challenges. It can range from a constant and disturbing mental unease through to an intense emotional turmoil — and mental restlessness.

This can be accompanied by physical discomfort, an inability to remain still, or an obvious motor restlessness or fidgetiness. The problems caused by treatment can in many cases be worse than the illness being treated. It may start within an hour of a first pill or only appear after days, weeks or months. It may only start when the dose of the drug is increased or decreased, or the drug is stopped.

Sufferers often find it very difficult to explain exactly what is wrong, even though they may be in unbearable distress. See Life on Drugs and Suicide is Painless.

On antidepressants, it is most commonly seen in those drugs that inhibit serotonin reuptake. All other antidepressants can also cause it but with subtle differences between different drug groups.

In a healthy volunteer trial of the antidepressant Zoloft sertraline from , the trial had to be abandoned before the end of the first week due to every participant displaying signs of akathisia. Some volunteers found it almost impossible to remain in the room, but at the same time found it very difficult to explain what was wrong [ 1 ].

A few medicines are used to treat akathisia, including:. Vitamin B-6 may also help. In studies , high doses 1, milligrams of vitamin B-6 improved symptoms of akathisia. However, not all akathisia cases will be able to be treated with medications. Akathisia is easier to prevent than to treat. If you need an antipsychotic drug, your doctor should start you at the lowest possible dose and increase it a little bit at a time.

Using newer generation antipsychotic drugs can decrease the risk of akathisia. However, there is some evidence that even newer antipsychotic drugs can cause this symptom. It may happen because antipsychotic drugs block receptors for dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical messenger that helps control movement. However, other neurotransmitters including acetylcholine, serotonin, and GABA have recently gained attention as possibly playing a role in this condition.

Akathisia is less common with second-generation antipsychotics. However, even newer antipsychotics can sometimes cause this side effect. Your doctor will ask about your symptoms. Withdrawal or rebound akathisia — due to discontinuing or decreasing an anticholinergic medication, usually occurring within six weeks.

Box 2. Summary of treatment recommendations for acute akathisia 21 Patient education eg akathisia, causes, treatment options Change in medication regimen eg reduce dose or stop and switch to an alternative medication Adjunctive treatment: beta-blockers eg propranolol 40—80 mg po daily 5HT 2A receptor antagonists eg mirtazapine 15 mg po daily, cyproheptadine 8—16 mg po daily benzodiazepines eg clonazepam 0. Competing interest: None. Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned, externally peer reviewed.

Ethical clearance In addition to obtaining informed written consent from the patient directly, the authors sought and obtained approval — Ethics Reference Number: HS H — from the Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Manitoba, Canada. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.

Antipsychotics and their side effects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Akathisia: Is restlessness a primary condition or an adverse drug effect? Keep a discerning eye out for this adverse effect of antipsychotics and other drugs.

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