Posted by Racer on September 23, 2005, at 12:39:47
In reply to Pros...Please Help..How to treat Tardive Akathisia, posted by blueberry on September 23, 2005, at 6:50:10
First of all, I think you're thinking about Tardive Dyskinesia, which would manifest itself with uncontrolled movements mostly in the facial muscles.
It could be that you're experiencing akathesia, but it really does sound more like intense anxiety to me. That can be physical as well as emotional, so don't rule it out. It's very real.
I'm one of those who experience mostly physical anxiety. I'm rarely aware of any psychological anxiety, and when I am it's usually the effect of the physical symptoms -- I am almost aware of seeking a psychological worry to match the physical response. In fact, I have such intense physical symptoms so constantly that I am often unaware of how anxious I am. What I found that worked miraculously for me was propranalol. About 20 minutes after taking the first dose, I experienced such a profound sense of relaxation that I became aware of just how tense I'd been for so long I didn't even remember what calm felt like.
My own experience, which may be very, very different from yours, was that my system got hypersensitized to anxiety. Once the adrenaline got going, it kept going like the Energizer bunny. A lot like the "kindling" theory, that once your body adapts to that sort of anxiety, it will ramp up much more quickly. A few months on propranalol helped a great deal in resetting my system, though. (I had to stop it because it conflicts with Wellbutrin.)
Additionally, the propranalol dose that works for anxiety tends to be much, much lower than that used for hypertension. I think I was taking about 10mg per day. Since it has few side effects at that sort of dose, that would be my first choice.
My own dear Dr CattleProd says that Buspar is good mostly for the psychological symptoms of anxiety, and then only in some people. If you're not aware of worry, then it might not be the first choice for you.
Again, this is only my experience with benzos, but when I'm anxious, I have to take such high doses of them that I will go into a blackout long before I get calm. Then again, that happened under rather extreme circumstances, so it might not be typical...
I hope that helps some. I have never had my own akathesia treated, so don't know what might help. I have experienced it, though, and just stopping the med involved wasn't enough to stop it. I still have mild symptoms, but I'm also on a ton of meds now myself, so who knows what's really involved.
Good luck.
poster:Racer
thread:558435
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050921/msgs/558509.html