Posted by med_empowered on September 23, 2005, at 23:50:27
In reply to Re: documentation of akithisia, etc. from SSRIs, posted by blueberry on September 23, 2005, at 17:03:36
I HATE this sensation. I got if from Zyprexa--at 2.5mgs, which according my doc "isn't supposed to happen". Well..ummm..IT DID. I also got it from Abilify at 20mgs+...that was actually worse b/c my doc kept trying to medicate it away with propranolol and added Klonopin; I ended up sedated, confused, and feeling restless and unhappy but also sedated. *Sigh*. Anyway, for the person on zyprexa and an AD...odds are, the zyprexa is most liable for the akathisia, although the combo would just be making things work. The only thing that truly works for akathisia is withdrawing the offending drug; add-ons or dose reduction help, but if you're not actively psychotic...I wouldn't go through that crap. Akathisia may be the reason why Prozac (and some antipsychotics) have been linked to violence. In the case of antidepressants, you have deeply depressed people suddenly stimulated (still depressed) and suffering from akathisia; why *wouldn't* they turn violent towards themselves and/or others? And...as for antipsychotics...in addition to the fact that neuroleptics dampen all your feel-good chemicals anyway, the intense akathisia resulting from use of these drugs may be a contributing factor to violence in psychiatric prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and the outside world; I read a case study in which an otherwise non-violent, schizophrenic man was injected with long-acting (depot) haloperidol, even though he told the docs in charge haloperidol had caused him problems in the past. The man was so upset, so agitated, he violenty stabbed a couple people to death in a bloody killing spree; when he was treated for the akathisia, and later when the haloperidol left his system, he was once again non-aggressive, non-hostile, and non-violent. I also read one where a schizophrenic woman who had just been given neuroleptics was found banging her head against the wall, saying over and over "I just want to get rid of this body". Something to think about.
poster:med_empowered
thread:558443
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050921/msgs/558798.html