Posted by g_g_g_unit on December 22, 2013, at 7:26:04
In reply to Re: Akineton » g_g_g_unit, posted by ed_uk2010 on December 22, 2013, at 5:52:23
> That is (in my impression) typical! I think it's time to try something like metoprolol.
>
> How do you actually feel right now? Can you describe it in detail?
>Well, with the clonidine, I feel this inner sense of stability .. I guess like I'm adequately stimulated. However, that's accompanied by a slight sense of dissociation, a very choppy/broken attention span and working memory, muscle tension and physical compulsiveness, such as a need to constantly check my phone, email etc. I am more sensitive to noisy, irritable and feel overstimulated. Crudely, it feels like 'too much NE', and is something I have experienced on drugs like Strattera before.
Without the clonidine, there is a sense of inner 'brokenness' and this overwhelming urge to keep moving. It's difficult to describe, but I feel like something is forcing me to move .. and if I don't there is this visceral sense that something will happen. If I am confined to a car, the inner pressure builds up and I have to express it in anyway, by playing with the radio dials, moving my legs etc. I can control it for a certain amount of time, but eventually I have to get out and move.
My jaw will feel rigid and locked, which is different to the kind of jaw tension I get on stimulants. My hands tremble slightly.
I suffer from baseline anxiety/depression anyway, and in the restless state my thoughts have felt more scattered and my attention is poor.. however, there is also a fear/phobia surrounding the inner restlessness, and the thought of trying to do things which require focus (such as writing an email) become very threatening. Often, the easiest thing to do is lie down and hug a pillow, but I do have to change position frequently. I suppose the mental component is almost as bad, or worse than the restlessness.
I sometimes use AskExpert and write to Ivan Goldberg, who is very good. I spoke to another psychiatrist there, as Dr Goldberg is away, and he said Mirtazapine has no association with akathisia and my symptoms sound like agitated depression. However, my thoughts are scattered, rather than racing, and I have never experienced anything like this before, despite years of depression/anxiety and strange states.
poster:g_g_g_unit
thread:1055049
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20131209/msgs/1056755.html