Drug-induced akathisia from 2% ketoconazole shampoo

[[ol...]]

 Hey everyone,

 

For starters, I took my last benzo about 17 months ago now (lorazepam/Ativan 1mg to 2mg per day for 2-3 years), but as you all know, new symptoms come up throughout this process.

 

For the last 8 months or so, I've had an itchy scalp, and I've had noticeable loss of hair volume on it, despite being on finasteride 1mg for the last 4 or 5 years. I've also lost a patch of hair on my beard, which I think is alopecia areata, and the dermatologist seems to agree.

 

I was prescribed 2% ketoconazole shampoo, which I've used a couple of times. I feel very strangely when I use it, though according to the dermatologist it's not supposed to spread systemically. Obviously, this can't be true, because when I take it, I start to get akathisia, terrible anxiety just as if I were back in acute, and then after a couple of hours, I feel more relaxed, with a higher libido, as if I had been given a spike in GABA. (I haven't felt like that in a long time, despite working out almost every day.) The reaction to this medication is quite extreme, and frankly I do not know whether I should continue to take it, despite my scalp issues. I also have what seems to be a small rash at my chest, which gets bigger and smaller, but doesn't seem to go away completely. I do not know if these issues are related, and the doctors do not want to spend more than 20 seconds thinking about anything.

 

Has anyone had a similar experience? I'm not sure whether there might be another form of drug interaction. Every day I take finasteride 1mg and 500mg of valacyclovir, though I'm not sure this has anything to do with the reaction I'm getting from ketoconazole shampoo. Any insights would be greatly appreciated here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[Pa...]]

Hello @[ol...], welcome to BenzoBuddies,

Since hair loss is common for this process, I’m hopeful you’ll get some replies to your questions.  For me, my normal hair volume returned when I fully recovered so regardless of the outcome of your medication intervention, I hope the same for you.

Pamster