Help with Akathisia

[[Bu...]]

Hi

Last night, from about 8pm, I started to experience a mild burning sensation in my muscles and then an uncontrollable urge to move and change position. I was flinging myself back and forth with head jerks every few minutes, sometimes more regularly.

this went on for hours with a couple of periods of sleep for an hour or two before it started up again.

it’s still going on 15 hours later.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is it possible that sugar or processed food last night triggered this? Has anyone taken meds fir this?

I am not coping. I have long covid as well as all this and excess activity makes that worse. I am bed ridden so can’t do things like walks or cleaning to distract myself. I am very sensitive to meds and susceptible to side effects. 

thank you for reading

[[Fa...]]

Hi @[Bu...],

I'm so very sorry for the onset of this symptom.  

Are you able to list your history on your profile?  It makes it a lot easier for us to try to assist the more information we have.

How long were you on Zoplicone?  I see you CT'd approx. 5 weeks ago?

I have had Akathisia, but it presented differently.  I did not have the severe jerking.  I am so sorry you are going through this.  There are many who have experienced this during WD.

The only two medications used for Akathisia, to my knowledge, are benzos and beta blockers.  Neither one solve the temporary condition.  Placing the benzo option aside, beta blockers can take the edge off for many, but it too would have to be tapered off eventually.  I am still on a beta blocker.  It did help, but just not as much as one would like it to as we move through such distressing symptoms.  The affects are marginal in my experience.  But, even marginal can feel like a lifesaver.  So, it is a judgement call...a personal choice.

Was there something you ate last night that was different than usual?  Is this why you are asking about sugar and processed food?  We often cannot pinpoint a reason for the sudden onset of symptoms.  Sometimes it is simply the body going through the healing process, and it is not uncommon for AKA to rear its head weeks after a discontinuation.  What the NS requires is time to heal and calm.  It is my opinion based on my personal experience that the more you muck with it when it is trying to heal, the more obstacles/complications you can create.  While a beta blocker still requires tapering, it is not a psychotropic, which makes many feel more comfortable turning to it.

Sugar and caffeine are obvious culprits being stimulants.  If you have a lot of sugar/caffeine intake and you want to remove these, keep in mind that anything abruptly stopped can have withdrawal symptoms of their own.  It can feel worse, and symptom upticks can present, as the body adjusts.

Warmly,

F

 

 

 

[[Bu...]]

I took zopiclone for 3.5 weeks about six weeks ago 

prior to that I took diazepam three days in a row one week and then once the following week - didn’t agree with me

thank you for the onus and thoughtful reply 

[[Bu...]]

Sorry meant to say kind and thoughtful reply

[[Fa...]]

@[Bu...]  Your usage was very short term.  If you can navigate through this extremely difficult period, I feel it would serve you well to let your NS heal.  Your body is already very sensitized due to Long Covid.  The body knows how to heal itself, and often due to panic, we intervene hoping for relief.  With your sensitivities to medications, I think you already feel as though less is more.  Listen to your intuition.

Warmly,

F

Edited July 17 by [Fa...]
Edited 'pushed' to 'navigate'.

[[Ho...]]

I struggle a great deal with akathisia.  Walking/pacing are the only things I can do. I am luckily not bedridden.

[[Fa...]]

@[Ho...]  I am very sorry you are dealing with Akathisia.  Please remember it is temporary.

[[PE...]]

I had akathisia for a few months. I THINK quentapine helped but I'm not sure really.. it subsided thank God .

I'm curious on how you can be bedridden with anakthasia!? Do you move when laying down?

Take care.

[[vo...]]

2 minutes ago, [[P...] said:

I had akathisia for a few months. I THINK quentapine helped but I'm not sure really.. it subsided thank God .

I'm curious on how you can be bedridden with anakthasia!? Do you move when laying down?

Take care.

Good point - when I had it, I couldn't lay down for any length of time, so it wasn't an issue not to be able to sleep. I had to get up and move around anyway because of the akathisia.

[[PE...]]

4 hours ago, [[v...] said:

 

 

30 minutes ago, [[v...] said:

Good point - when I had it, I couldn't lay down for any length of time, so it wasn't an issue not to be able to sleep. I had to get up and move around anyway because of the akathisia.

Yes me to! I woke up and started marching immediately. 

Edited July 17 by [PE...]

[[Al...]]

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

The only two medications used for Akathisia, to my knowledge, are benzos and beta blockers.  Neither one solve the temporary condition.  Placing the benzo option aside, beta blockers can take the edge off for many, but it too would have to be tapered off eventually.  I am still on a beta blocker.  It did help, but just not as much as one would like it to as we move through such distressing symptoms.  The affects are marginal in my experience.  But, even marginal can feel like a lifesaver.  So, it is a judgement call...a personal choice.

Akathisia from an adverse reaction to an SSRI is why I ended up on benzos. I want to start tapering the benzo, but I'm concerned about the akathisia returning if I taper. Do you think there is anything I can do? My doctor is suggesting that I stay on the benzo so I can return to work, and then taper sometime in the future. I don't really like that idea because the benzo side effects are awful and I don't want to stay on it longer than necessary. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[[Bu...]]

Peppe

when bedridden I get an urge to move and my legs jerk up and/or my upper body jerks up and head moves from side to side. Or I just keep changing position, which relieves the feeling for a few seconds 

 

 

 

[[Bu...]]

Hello Faith25624,

thanks so much for your advice and encouragement yesterday. Thank god it stopped. Last night I slept an insane nine hours! First few hours good sleep the rest a series of toxic naps. This morning wiped out. 
 

I think it was sugar and additives from crisps plus watching tv (haven’t done it in ages as the long covid means it’s quite stimulating) 

I’m not stupid enough to believe I’m magically ok now but am relieved to have a reprieve from that particular horrible symptom. 
 

im still hoping that on a few weeks time the Benzo withdrawal will stop and I can start healing from the long covid and get back to my life, 

[[vo...]]

17 minutes ago, [[B...] said:

Peppe

when bedridden I get an urge to move and my legs jerk up and/or my upper body jerks up and head moves from side to side. Or I just keep changing position, which relieves the feeling for a few seconds 

@[Bu...] Yes! This is all too familiar. It's definitely aggravating, but eventually it will stop. Mine lasted about 6 months or so.

[[Bu...]]

  Voluntas

i can’t imagine tolerating six months of that so I’m going to choose to believe it’s over for now. I’m keeping myself going by thinking that as I was only on the Benzos for a short time that this nightmare will be over in a few weeks. 

 

[[vo...]]

1 minute ago, [[B...] said:

  Voluntas

i can’t imagine tolerating six months of that so I’m going to choose to believe it’s over for now. I’m keeping myself going by thinking that as I was only on the Benzos for a short time that this nightmare will be over in a few weeks. 

 

Oh, I misunderstood. I thought you were still getting them. Once it stopped for me, that was it. Never returned. I'm so happy for you that it's over!

[[Bu...]]

Voluntas 

 

it happened for the first time yesterday 

[[vo...]]

36 minutes ago, [[B...] said:

Voluntas 

it happened for the first time yesterday 

If that is the case perhaps you could consider journaling? Just a suggestion. I journaled all of my symptoms from day 1 so that I could see when they started and when they stopped. I never journaled before in my life, but I am really happy I did because some symptoms like that one started early on, other symptoms took a couple of months to start. Some have stopped, so I was able to look at my journal and see when they started and when they stopped. It helped me to feel and see my body going through this process.

[[Fa...]]

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

Hello Faith25624,

thanks so much for your advice and encouragement yesterday. Thank god it stopped. Last night I slept an insane nine hours! First few hours good sleep the rest a series of toxic naps. This morning wiped out. 
 

I think it was sugar and additives from crisps plus watching tv (haven’t done it in ages as the long covid means it’s quite stimulating) 

I’m not stupid enough to believe I’m magically ok now but am relieved to have a reprieve from that particular horrible symptom. 
 

im still hoping that on a few weeks time the Benzo withdrawal will stop and I can start healing from the long covid and get back to my life, 

I think that is wonderful!  You may very well be magically on your way to being okay now, so don't take those positive thoughts off the table...ever.

I do whatever I think may help my symptoms in terms of diet and recognizing what causes overstimulation.  I have no solid proof that what I do is what has created a lessening of symptoms over time, but what I do is 'common sense'...and, common sense is not always so common during this while we are in a state of fear.  So, if you feel that the sugar and additives created a disturbance to your NS, then cut 'em out for now.  Screen time, too.

I feel very positive that you will begin see/feel more and more differences as time moves forward.  This was really good news to wake up to, @[Bu...].  Any change in symptoms is a great sign that healing/correction is taking place.

Warmly,

F  

[[Fa...]]

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

Akathisia from an adverse reaction to an SSRI is why I ended up on benzos. I want to start tapering the benzo, but I'm concerned about the akathisia returning if I taper. Do you think there is anything I can do? My doctor is suggesting that I stay on the benzo so I can return to work, and then taper sometime in the future. I don't really like that idea because the benzo side effects are awful and I don't want to stay on it longer than necessary. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Hi @[Al...],

Have you decided to stay with the 20mg of Prozac?  Are you planning on increasing it?

You've been at .5mg of Clonazepam divided into two doses now for just over 5 weeks.  So, your body should be well-adjusted to that by now.

If you are planning on changing your Prozac dose, then before you taper the Clonazepam, that would have to be done first.  You don't want to be reducing your Clonazepam while you are still tweaking the Prozac.

If you are choosing to remain on the 20mg of Prozac, then I feel that you could begin to taper your Clonazepam slowly, if that is what you would like to do.  Slowly is the operative word so you can minimize any uptick in AKA symptoms IF they were to be triggered.  It will be testing the waters.

In my opinion, addressing the issue that caused the AKA is what is required which you have done.  Not treating the AKA with benzos for an open-ended amount of time.  It's hard to write this because we all need to provide for ourselves somehow during this, but staying on Clonazepam in order to go back to work is keeping you on the drug longer.  And, you've expressed you're not feeling well on it.

I believe I wrote this to you already...but, I began my taper while in Akathisia which was caused by the AP and rapid taper of the AP.  My body was dealing with the fall out of that.  With help, I got to the point where I thought am I going to be any worse than I am now if I start to taper?  What was 'stable' for me was not what others would have considered stable.  I was having a very difficult time feeling as though I was not moving forward even in a very small way.  I needed that feeling of forward movement to feel I was exercising my personal power in the situation.  And, I had to be prepared for the possibility for upticks in symptoms.  I had to go into it that way or else I would have been frozen in fear not doing anything.

What happened?  I experimented with reductions and time between reductions.  I did have upticks in symptoms at times.  Other times, it was no different than what I had been dealing with.  My focus was to slowly get my dose lower and lower.  The fall out from the AP was going to resolve when it resolved...I had done all I could with that.  So, I moved forward hoping for the best and being prepared for some hurdles.

I'm saying this for pertaining to mind-set rather than comparing because we just can't compare.  Different drugs, different duration of usage, different genetics...different everything.  But, the feeling of forward movement is very important for our psyche.  Feeling 'stuck' can invoke symptoms all on its own.

I hope what I've shared helps in some small way.  I remember saying to myself that I have to face the music at some point, and it's not going to be fun.  It may horrible...but, it cannot be worse than this.  I'm not speaking symptom-wise because that is unpredictable.  I'm speaking of feeling as though I had lost my power.  I couldn't bear that anymore.

If you decide to begin to taper, why not try very small.  Even 1 or 2%?  Test run.  Ease into it.  When you begin to feel more confident, you can increase.  If you would like to remove the Clonazepam, the only way is to give it a try...slowly.  There are no easy decisions...I so wish there were.  

Warmly,

F 

 

 

Edited July 18 by [Fa...]

[[Al...]]

Hi @[Fa...],

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and taking the time to offer me such detailed and wise advice.  I'm going to stay on 20 mg of Prozac for now and, as you suggest, will experiment with a very small reduction to see what happens. I can really relate to what you say about the importance of moving forward and regaining some sense of control.