Akathisia

[[...]]

For people who have experienced akathisia, can you describe the sensation and feeling?  What was the experience like for you?   When/how did your symptoms start, progress, and if so, resolve?

[[PE...]]

Absolutely 

Creepy crawly inner restlessness all the way to the bones. Have to constantly twitch, move, walk, if not I get/got uncontrollable spams and twitches in my face and feel like I'm gonna explode of this feeling. 

I was just able to sit down for a few seconds then up ans walk again. Painful legs from all the walking so I limp badly. 

I had it in extreme for 7-10? Months. Slowly faded. Still pace a little but it's waaayy less. On a whole other plane.

 

 

[[PE...]]

It's impossible to describe it

It's the worse feeling and experience I ever had/felt.

[[...]]

@[PE...] I feel an inner restlessness, like something tingling or an electric current under my skin.  Crawling is a good way to describe it.  It is mostly in my legs and arms.  It is the first thing I notice when I wake up, which is dreadful every morning.  Even though I feel restless I'm so exhausted.  It is an odd conundrum.  The only time it isn't there is when I'm asleep, doing yoga, or running.  But I still have to deal with the depression, racing thoughts, fatigue, paranoia, etc pretty much all the time without escape.

Though these are my symptoms today, things were much worse a month ago.  Crazy to think things were worse than they are now and I survived that...

[[PE...]]

Good to here it's improving.

Is this restlessness new or getting worse? Can you cope with it or are you up walking/pacing?

From every awful symptom this must ve the worst!

[[Ra...]]

@[...] i have aka but from ssri 

For me akathisia symptom are 

* extreme terror head to toe

* inner body agitation like acid running in every vein of body, like i wantd to jump out of my skin

* extreme paranoia

*dp/dr

* complete Innerrestless 

* severe ocd

[[op...]]

I has this terribly at the start of my taper. Basically couldn’t stop pacing. Paces my apt for hours on end. Sometimes middle of the night. Mine was accompanied often by extreme nausea and terror. Also twitches and shaking. Like someone said above, it was the worst feeling I ever had in my life. 
 

at the time, I found mirtazapine helpful. of course I then had to taper off that. 
 

it does go away. But it’s  really awful

[[Ra...]]

3 hours ago, [[o...] said:

I has this terribly at the start of my taper. Basically couldn’t stop pacing. Paces my apt for hours on end. Sometimes middle of the night. Mine was accompanied often by extreme nausea and terror. Also twitches and shaking. Like someone said above, it was the worst feeling I ever had in my life. 
 

at the time, I found mirtazapine helpful. of course I then had to taper off that. 
 

it does go away. But it’s  really awful

@[op...] how is your akathisia now??  

Does mirtazapine helping you for akathisia symptoms?? 

Its a pure torture on earth. 

[[ae...]]

Akathisia i experienced was a sense of impending doom, i could not sit/stand still i had to keep moving, this feeling of just being unsafe and wanting to leave where i currently was (hospital) was the most unsettling feeling and it lasted a few hours, my Akathisia was medication induced from Prochloperazine and Reglan i cannot tolerate either and i found out the hard way because i had the same reaction to both of them

[[Co...]]

Hello @[ae...]. Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

[[ae...]]

3 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

Hello @[ae...]. Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

hello and thank you

[[Ka...]]

Hello @[...] I’ve experienced a short spell of akathisia but I didn’t know what it was back then. 

I had sudden panic attacks/severe insomnia & was given zopiclone & diazepam. I believe the diazepam caused akathisia that made me want to pace. I just couldn’t keep still. I also kept saying “help me help me” over and over but I could not verbalise what it was I wanted. I did not know what I wanted either. I couldn’t be left alone. I wonder if others have/had these 2 problems? Anyone watching would think me completely and utterly insane! Yet the medication caused this phase. I think it was noted by those treating me that I did have a paradoxical reaction, as anxiety increased, but my illness was misdiagnosed (it was actually due to PTSD) and influenced by the adverse medication effects rather than the underlying illness. It wasn’t helpful that I was instructed to take 1-2 tablets x3 times per day. That meant that I could have taken 3 or 6 diazepam daily which obvs is not a very good plan. 
The pacing resolved when I switched to lorazepam. Eventually, I ran out of steam asking “help me help me” like a broken record. Akathisia is a truly horrible thing & made me unsure of myself. 
 

ps

I went back onto diazepam after lorazepam caused interdose issues 10 months later. I was extremely cautious but diazepam  didn’t cause the same pacing the 2nd time. It may have been partly  due to being on other medication  at that time.

Edited April 2 by [Ka...]
Ps added

[[or...]]

I just read about this again today and ran across this part regarding your post @[...]  Thought it might be a good read for you.  The whole article is an eye-opener for me every time I decide to go back and read it again.  Here's the part about the Akathesia which I've had, and still have on occasion, oregonlady~~Denise :

Quote from Article by Parker

"What about akathisia?

Well  - from the reading, the exact cause of akathisia is not 100% conclusive, but it seems to be related to dopaminergic and/or noradrenergic activity in the brain  (dopamine and norepinephrine or noradrenaline as it is also called). These are just neurotransmitters - and it doesn't look (to me) to be exactly conclusive WHY this happens - but akathisia can happen after the use of many psychoactive drugs- not just benzos - and likely because anything that alters brain chemistry can alter dopemine and norepinephrine. So - okay. That makes sense.  We all took "brain altering" drugs - and now some of us have akathisia.  Guess what?  It seems pretty normal!  It's not fun. But it's normal.  And it can come and go and then go away eventually.  For me, I didn't get akathisia at all until month 8. It was a surprise.  It was intense and awful. But it passed in a few weeks. Since then, I have had it off and on - but not to that degree.  And now - it's mostly just annoying.  Something as simple as a good hard cry in the bathtub can COMPLETELY remove it at times.  And other times, I just have to wait for a wave to pass. But all in all, from all this information - it's normal. And the fact that it's coming and going and I'm getting hit here and there - it's a sign that the wheels are turning up there in the noggin - and things are shifting and attempting to rebalance.  So if we can keep that quote in mind - it's normal - and while the sensation itself is very uncomfortable - if not painful - it can be regarded as a "good pain" if we are able to recognize that our feeling it means we have a brain and nerves that are regaining their abilities to function." 

Link to full article here: What is happening to your brain?

 

[[or...]]

I had it one time so bad, that I could not concentrate, I could not sit still, and really hard to describe except I remember praying it would go away.  That was the worst experience I had with it, and way less intense when I have it now.  I've been tapering for a year now and just halfway through my "plan" which is open to change as I rely on my body to direct me oregonlady/Denise PS yes, I want to get out of my own skin, escape

Edited April 2 by [or...]

[[op...]]

5 hours ago, [[R...] said:

@[op...] how is your akathisia now??  

Does mirtazapine helping you for akathisia symptoms?? 

Its a pure torture on earth. 

I only had it in the acute stage and then again a few times when I had a crash during my taper. For a reason no one can explain (thank you medical community!) mirtazapine was the only thing that helped me, though it came with its own issues. There were others who had a similar story but also people who did not find mirt helpful. The akathesia was absolutely intolerable for me. I was not functional at all. So I was willing to deal with the side effects of the mirt to be able to function.

thank goodness, I have not had those symptoms in ages and I hope they never come back. I’m about 90 percent healed at this stage. We do get better!! ❤️‍🩹 

 

[[Ra...]]

2 hours ago, [[o...] said:

I only had it in the acute stage and then again a few times when I had a crash during my taper. For a reason no one can explain (thank you medical community!) mirtazapine was the only thing that helped me, though it came with its own issues. There were others who had a similar story but also people who did not find mirt helpful. The akathesia was absolutely intolerable for me. I was not functional at all. So I was willing to deal with the side effects of the mirt to be able to function.

thank goodness, I have not had those symptoms in ages and I hope they never come back. I’m about 90 percent healed at this stage. We do get better!! ❤️‍🩹 

@[op...] thank you so much. 

When i heard about people who heal aka from other drug. It gives me a hope. I am in very bad condition, totally non functional. My dr prescribed me mirtazapine, but i had not taken it. My aka was from ssri polydruged.idk ita due to serotonin syndrom or adverse reaction

Therefore i am very afriad of trying another drug,but when i feel like i can't it anymore then my last option will be mirtazapine or Cyproheptadine. 

Btw was your aka from benzo withdrawals?? 

[[PE...]]

12 hours ago, [[o...] said:

I has this terribly at the start of my taper. Basically couldn’t stop pacing. Paces my apt for hours on end. Sometimes middle of the night. Mine was accompanied often by extreme nausea and terror. Also twitches and shaking. Like someone said above, it was the worst feeling I ever had in my life. 
 

at the time, I found mirtazapine helpful. of course I then had to taper off that. 
 

it does go away. But it’s  really awful

Yeah I had that! Also often together with nassua and vomiting. So we are brothers in symptoms:)

To give you some hope both of them are gone now! I actually enjoy food again :))

 

[[...]]

Two podcasts I thought I would share.  The first one is really informative "Benzodiazepines. Everything you don't know but should" on radically genuine podcast with Dr. Roger McFillan (a psychologist)

https://radicallygenuinepodcast.transistor.fm/34

 

This one is Jordan Petersons experience with benzos.

https://youtu.be/GzRbEMzr0k8

 

[[PE...]]

5 hours ago, [[K...] said:

Hello @[...] I’ve experienced a short spell of akathisia but I didn’t know what it was back then. 

I had sudden panic attacks/severe insomnia & was given zopiclone & diazepam. I believe the diazepam caused akathisia that made me want to pace. I just couldn’t keep still. I also kept saying “help me help me” over and over but I could not verbalise what it was I wanted. I did not know what I wanted either. I couldn’t be left alone. I wonder if others have/had these 2 problems? Anyone watching would think me completely and utterly insane! Yet the medication caused this phase. I think it was noted by those treating me that I did have a paradoxical reaction, as anxiety increased, but my illness was misdiagnosed (it was actually due to PTSD) and influenced by the adverse medication effects rather than the underlying illness. It wasn’t helpful that I was instructed to take 1-2 tablets x3 times per day. That meant that I could have taken 3 or 6 diazepam daily which obvs is not a very good plan. 
The pacing resolved when I switched to lorazepam. Eventually, I ran out of steam asking “help me help me” like a broken record. Akathisia is a truly horrible thing & made me unsure of myself. 
 

ps

I went back onto diazepam after lorazepam caused interdose issues 10 months later. I was extremely cautious but diazepam  didn’t cause the same pacing the 2nd time. It may have been partly  due to being on other medication  at that time.

Same here i didn't know it was a name for it i just thought I was REALLY restless! I tried force myself to sit down and counting loud the seconds I sat. I was able to sit 5 seconds at the time, then quickly up on those souring feet and legs. What a dreadful time in my life!

I truly feel for you guys that still fighting with this. It will pass!!

 

[[op...]]

9 hours ago, [[P...] said:

Yeah I had that! Also often together with nassua and vomiting. So we are brothers in symptoms:)

To give you some hope both of them are gone now! I actually enjoy food again :))

Me too! I actually food again - it's amazing, isn't it? The things we take for granted! <3

[[op...]]

10 hours ago, [[R...] said:

@[op...] thank you so much. 

When i heard about people who heal aka from other drug. It gives me a hope. I am in very bad condition, totally non functional. My dr prescribed me mirtazapine, but i had not taken it. My aka was from ssri polydruged.idk ita due to serotonin syndrom or adverse reaction

Therefore i am very afriad of trying another drug,but when i feel like i can't it anymore then my last option will be mirtazapine or Cyproheptadine. 

Btw was your aka from benzo withdrawals?? 

yes, the aka was from benzo w/d. I took the lowest dose, which is 7.5mg. What I will say is that it worked quickly for the aka - same day or day after i started. My theory is that it has something to do with the fact that mirtazapine hits our histamine receptor very strongly. It made it so that my body stopped pacing and I could sleep. 

It was a long taper off. But for me, it was worth it to stay functional. But we are all so different. 

I was also given cyproheptadine at some point. It's a straight up antihistamine and it did not help me ... but I don't remember it making anything worse ... 

I hope this calms down for you - it really is the worst!

 

[[Ra...]]

7 hours ago, [[o...] said:

yes, the aka was from benzo w/d. I took the lowest dose, which is 7.5mg. What I will say is that it worked quickly for the aka - same day or day after i started. My theory is that it has something to do with the fact that mirtazapine hits our histamine receptor very strongly. It made it so that my body stopped pacing and I could sleep. 

It was a long taper off. But for me, it was worth it to stay functional. But we are all so different. 

I was also given cyproheptadine at some point. It's a straight up antihistamine and it did not help me ... but I don't remember it making anything worse ... 

I hope this calms down for you - it really is the worst!

@[op...] sorry for bothering you. Does mirtazapine helps for terror symptoms?? 

My worst ever symptom is terror and chemical anxiety, like i will loose my control with restlessness. 

[[op...]]

19 hours ago, [[R...] said:

@[op...] sorry for bothering you. Does mirtazapine helps for terror symptoms?? 

My worst ever symptom is terror and chemical anxiety, like i will loose my control with restlessness. 

To me, all of that was tied together - the aka, the nausea, the chemical fear. So yes, it helped. It didn’t make it go away but it helped significantly. It helped me sleep. And I found that if I could sleep, I was less restless and panicked the following day.

 

[[Re...]]

Edited April 5 by [Re...]

[[op...]]

20 hours ago, [[R...] said:

@[...] I had severe akathisia for 14 months. It took away my ability to be still and made me pace for hours and miles a day. Even if I managed to sleep, I would be jolted awake by what felt like an earthquake in my chest. I had to get up immediately and move around to try and find relief. I couldn't stop moving even when I wanted to. It felt like someone had the pedal to the metal inside me 24/7 and that I had static cling all over my body. I vibrated and my skin burned, and I felt like my muscles were going to pop off my body or like I was being blown up with air. Along with all of this, I had DP/DR, and I felt like this experience was not happening to me. I was constantly agitated and felt like I was full of electric buzzing bees that were all stinging me at once. I don't know how else to describe it. It was pure torture without any relief. I have improved now and haven't paced in four months.

i remember how awful this was for you - i am so relieved it has improved!