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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 45. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Lamdage22 on April 28, 2013, at 6:10:43
Hi,
i suffer from Schizo-affective disorder and Social anxiety. I dont care what my signature says.
What are good ways to combat akathisia?
I heard about akineton, cogentin or beta blockers. Now im looking for something that wont make me lazy or fat.
What about Buspar? I can imagine Abilify and Buspar would be a nice combo for me with double 5ht1A agonism. Does Buspar make u fat or lazy?
Greetings.
Posted by Lamdage22 on April 28, 2013, at 6:19:02
In reply to What to do against Abilify akathisia?, posted by Lamdage22 on April 28, 2013, at 6:10:43
Certainly, since fear and anxiety are some of the main topics, Buspar could be a nice addition.
Posted by Phillipa on April 28, 2013, at 9:33:06
In reply to Re: What to do against Abilify akathisia?, posted by Lamdage22 on April 28, 2013, at 6:19:02
The meds you mentioned for akathesia should work. I've not heard of others say they cause weight gain. Buspar will leave for the experts to discuss with you. Still in Germany? Or did you settle here in USA as you posted you were planning to do? Phillipa
Posted by herpills on April 28, 2013, at 9:35:26
In reply to What to do against Abilify akathisia?, posted by Lamdage22 on April 28, 2013, at 6:10:43
Some people use diphehydramine (brand name Benedryl) for akathisia. herpills
Posted by Lamdage22 on April 29, 2013, at 12:26:35
In reply to Re: What to do against Abilify akathisia? » Lamdage22, posted by herpills on April 28, 2013, at 9:35:26
Hi Phillipa,
im still in germany. Mentally, i wasnt ready for college and i did not want to have to go through another setback (meaning having to go back to germany for the 5th time). Losing friends and roots you know what i mean? Now it all comes down to wether or not i can get my mind into a stable mode or not. This will determine wether i can get a permanent resident visa or not. If i cant get it, im not going.
Posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2013, at 20:45:51
In reply to Plans, posted by Lamdage22 on April 29, 2013, at 12:26:35
Lamadge I've been to Germany twice. My Mother's Father Was German & in the Army their during World War 1. What part or city do you live in or near? Phillipa.
Posted by Tomatheus on April 30, 2013, at 17:44:32
In reply to What to do against Abilify akathisia?, posted by Lamdage22 on April 28, 2013, at 6:10:43
Lamdage22,
For how long have you been taking Abilify? I know that for me the restlessness that I began to experience shortly after I started taking Abilify diminished quite a bit after I was on the medication for several weeks. I still experience some restlessness on Abilify, but for me, the side effect is tolerable. Whether or not others taking Abilify have found the restlessness to become less intense after being on the medication for a few weeks isn't clear to me.
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 6, 2013, at 11:18:24
In reply to Re: What to do against Abilify akathisia?, posted by Tomatheus on April 30, 2013, at 17:44:32
Thomateus:
I have been on abilify for like 10 days! Currently 12.5. I had nightmaires from it, too. It (Aka/restlessness) has become pretty extreme. Only Akineton fixes it and that may be not a great option looking at long term SEs.
From the top of my head, the next two to try are latuda or saphris. I want the least sedating and lesst fattening AP best case effective also for negative symtoms
I thougt about taking Aurorix (since its a non-dopaminergic MAOI); An antipsychotic and Metformin! For bipolarish/depressive Schizoaffective disorder. It isnt entirely clear wether i am bipolar or depressive type.
Should my testosterone drop from Metformin, i plan on going to an endocrinologist and fix it. Is it true that Metformin protects from development of Diabetes?
Possibly i will do some performance enhancing in my battle to get back a presentable body.
What do you think?
Posted by Tomatheus on May 6, 2013, at 13:15:29
In reply to Re: What to do against Abilify akathisia?, posted by Lamdage22 on May 6, 2013, at 11:18:24
Hi Lamdage22,
Although I would continue to keep Latuda and Saphris in mind as possible replacements for Abilify, I think that I would continue to take the Abilify for at least another few weeks (assuming that you don't run into any major problems) before deciding whether to keep taking it or to ask about switching to a different antipsychotic. The akathisia, or restlessness, may become less of an issue for you the longer you continue to take Abilify, but of course it would be difficult to predict the extent to which the side effect might settle down for you. I do hope that between the possibility that your akathisia might become less severe with time and the fact that you're taking Akineton that the akathisia will become less problematic for you.
I think that there's some evidence that metformin can reduce the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. One study that I came across while doing a little bit of reading on the subject (Knowler et al., 2002) found that although metformin reduced the incidence of diabetes in nondiabetic individuals with elevated fasting and post-load plasma glucose concentrations by 31 percent compared to placebo, a lifestyle-modification program reduced the incidence of diabetes by 58 percent. The study was large, involving 3,234 participants. So, taking metformin may help to reduce your likelihood of developing diabetes, but it seems that having a healthy lifestyle is the most important factor when it comes to preventing diabetes. When you said that you might do some "performance enhancing" to get back a presentable body, were you referring to exercise? If exercise is what you were referring to, I think that that would definitely be a good idea, whether or not you end up taking metformin.
Well, I hope that your schizoaffective symptoms haven't been too problematic for you lately and that you haven't been having too many problems with your medications, other than the akathisia and nightmares that you mentioned. I wish you luck with your treatment.
T.
==
Knowler, W.C., Barrett-Connor, E., Fowler, S.E., Hamman, R.F., Lachin, J.M., Walker, E.A., et al. (2002). Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. The New England Journal of Medicine, 346, 393-403. Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11832527?dopt=Abstract
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 7, 2013, at 10:16:51
In reply to What to do against Abilify akathisia?, posted by Lamdage22 on April 28, 2013, at 6:10:43
The akathisia like feeling is pretty extreme so im not sure.
My doctor will do research on Saphris and Latuda. At the same time he suggested clozapine? How in the world is anything supposed to be better than zyprexa in regard to side effects?Latuda hasnt made its way to germany yet. Saphris is only on the market for bipolar, not for schizophrenia due to "lacking efficiency"?
Well, i tried Geodon (made me tired), tried Latuda for a short time. This also made me tired.
I havent tried invega... With risperdal i had gyno and zero efficiacy.
Could it be that the tiredness goes away with Geodon or Latuda?If all else fails, do you feel an MAOI like Moclobemide could negate the tiredness that Zyprexa comes with?
Because then i could take Zyprexa Moclobemide and Metformin.
Posted by Tomatheus on May 7, 2013, at 11:28:16
In reply to Antipsychotics.. which one??, posted by Lamdage22 on May 7, 2013, at 10:16:51
Lamdage22,
I'm sorry to hear that the akathisia from the Abilify is getting to be really extreme for you.
It might be possible for the tiredness that you experienced on Geodon and Latuda to go away with time. From the anecdotal experiences that I've read regarding antipsychotics, it seems that the fatigue and tiredness that occurs when taking the medications is sometimes reported to go away, but not always. Again, this is just my impression from having read anecdotal reports of how antipsychotics affect people and isn't based on solid scientific evidence by any means.
As far as whether moclobemide could counteract the tiredness from Zyprexa is concerned, I would say it's possible, but I don't know how likely it would be. I know that for me, moclobemide was not helpful against my fatigue and hypersomnia for more than a few days, but there are some who find it to be an effective antidepressant. So, given the fact that moclobemide like any medication can be sort of unpredictable in how it might affect you, it would be, well, hard to predict how well it might counteract the tiredness that you experience from taking Zyprexa.
Well, I'm sorry that my answers to your questions probably didn't turn out to be as concrete as you probably would have liked for them to be, but it can be hard to know in advance how a medication will affect any given person given the individual variations in the ways that people respond to medications. If somebody who's spent a long period of time on Geodon and/or Latuda could chime in and say whether or not they noticed less fatigue and tiredness as they spent more time on the medication, that might help you. Unfortunately, I've never taken Latuda and spent very little time on Geodon because I seemed to become more psychotic on it right away, so I can't speak from experience about the long-term effects of either medication.
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 7, 2013, at 12:29:09
In reply to Re: Antipsychotics.. which one?? » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on May 7, 2013, at 11:28:16
Schizo-Affective disorder sure is a bitch.
I hope ill be alright somehow. Adrenergic substances to counteract the tiredness?
Idk. I hope my doctor will be reasonable and help me out
Posted by Tomatheus on May 7, 2013, at 12:56:58
In reply to Re: Antipsychotics.. which one??, posted by Lamdage22 on May 7, 2013, at 12:29:09
Lamdage22,
See below for my responses to what you've written...
> Schizo-Affective disorder sure is a bitch.
Yeah, isn't that the truth. I just hope you can find a way to manage the disorder to the fullest extent that you can.
> I hope ill be alright somehow. Adrenergic substances to counteract the tiredness?
Using adrenergic substances to counteract the tiredness seems like a possibility. How do you tend to respond to medications that inhibit the reuptake of norepinephrine?
> Idk. I hope my doctor will be reasonable and help me out
I hope so, too. Good luck with everything.
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 8, 2013, at 7:21:21
In reply to Re: Antipsychotics.. which one?? » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on May 7, 2013, at 12:56:58
Schizo-Affective disorder sure is a bitch.
>
> Yeah, isn't that the truth. I just hope you can find a way to manage the disorder to the fullest extent that you can.
>
> > I hope ill be alright somehow. Adrenergic substances to counteract the tiredness?
>
> Using adrenergic substances to counteract the tiredness seems like a possibility. How do you tend to respond to medications that inhibit the reuptake of norepinephrine?A little jittetyand anxious at first. But it increases functioning
>
> > Idk. I hope my doctor will be reasonable and help me out
>
> I hope so, too. Good luck with everything.
>
> T.Thanks!
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 8, 2013, at 7:26:59
In reply to What to do against Abilify akathisia?, posted by Lamdage22 on April 28, 2013, at 6:10:43
Posted by Tomatheus on May 8, 2013, at 11:41:59
In reply to Okay, today no akathisia! Well see (nm), posted by Lamdage22 on May 8, 2013, at 7:26:59
Hi Lamdage22,
It's good to hear that your akathisia seems to have subsided, and I hope that that side effect will continue not to be problematic for you. If you do end up switching to an antipsychotic other than Abilify (although I'm thinking that you'll probably want to keep sticking with the Abilify at least for now, since you're not experiencing the akathisia), then maybe it might make sense to ask your doctor about a medication with NRI properties (such as an SNRI) to combat the tiredness that may come about from taking a different antipsychotic. I just think that that might make sense, given the fact that you've had some success with medications with NRI properties in the past, but I hope that the Abilify will end up working out for you so you won't even need to go that route.
Again, good luck to you!
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 11, 2013, at 4:43:51
In reply to Re: Okay, today no akathisia! Well see » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on May 8, 2013, at 11:41:59
Well.. i will ask my doc to try neurontin with the abilify.
Posted by SLS on May 11, 2013, at 5:27:48
In reply to Damn it, its back., posted by Lamdage22 on May 11, 2013, at 4:43:51
Hi Lamdage22.
> Well.. i will ask my doc to try neurontin with the abilify.
What exactly are you trying to accomplish?
- Scott
Posted by Tomatheus on May 11, 2013, at 11:19:18
In reply to Damn it, its back., posted by Lamdage22 on May 11, 2013, at 4:43:51
Lamdage22,
I'm sorry to hear that the akathisia is back. Are you still taking the Akineton?
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 11, 2013, at 11:23:43
In reply to Re: Damn it, its back. » Lamdage22, posted by SLS on May 11, 2013, at 5:27:48
Hi Scott, mainly i want the Neurontin to counteract the inner restlessness feeling i currently get from Abilify. Possibly it is lightweight akathisia.
Also, i have a bit of social anxiety.
Lastly i have read about glutamate in Schizophrenia. When i took Lamictal without Antipsychotic, i had no psychosis.
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 11, 2013, at 11:25:41
In reply to Re: Damn it, its back. » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on May 11, 2013, at 11:19:18
Thomateus,
yes, today i took 1mg and am fine.
Maybe it weakens. Idk
Posted by Tomatheus on May 11, 2013, at 11:52:14
In reply to Re: Damn it, its back., posted by Lamdage22 on May 11, 2013, at 11:25:41
Hi Lamdage22,
I'm glad that you seemed to notice less as far as restlessness/akathisia is concerned after you took your Akineton today. Have you had a chance to talk to your doctor about the Neurontin yet? Or have you decided to hold off on asking about that for now?
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 11, 2013, at 13:20:36
In reply to Re: Damn it, its back. » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on May 11, 2013, at 11:52:14
Well im in Hospital during the week. Psych Wards are pretty hierarchical here in Germany. The "top doc" said he wants to try approved meds first.
On monday my favorite Dr (who took on my case) is back, so i plan to ask her.
> Hi Lamdage22,
>
> I'm glad that you seemed to notice less as far as restlessness/akathisia is concerned after you took your Akineton today. Have you had a chance to talk to your doctor about the Neurontin yet? Or have you decided to hold off on asking about that for now?
>
> T.
Posted by SLS on May 11, 2013, at 15:28:07
In reply to Re: Damn it, its back., posted by Lamdage22 on May 11, 2013, at 11:23:43
> Hi Scott, mainly i want the Neurontin to counteract the inner restlessness feeling i currently get from Abilify. Possibly it is lightweight akathisia.
>
> Also, i have a bit of social anxiety.
>
> Lastly i have read about glutamate in Schizophrenia. When i took Lamictal without Antipsychotic, i had no psychosis.
>
>
I would think seriously about adding Lamictal and minocycline to your treatment regime.
- Scott
Posted by Lamdage22 on May 11, 2013, at 16:22:00
In reply to Re: Damn it, its back. » Lamdage22, posted by SLS on May 11, 2013, at 15:28:07
> I would think seriously about adding Lamictal and minocycline to your treatment regime.
>
>
> - ScottHi Scott,
yes, but how am i going to convince a "know it all" doctor to do that? I am thinking about lamictal, too. Hes like, yeah thats for bipolar, he says im unipolar. What the hell? Numerous Drs and Psychologists diagnosed me bipolar in the past.
Minocycline.. is that even safe long term?
Im thinking more about lamictal and neurontin.
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