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Does anybody get really bad akathisa ?


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I had akathisa prior to going on a benzo and it actually popped up about 5 years ago at age 27, and ever since than I can't relax/rest or enjoy calmness. It's like I'm in a constant need of something because of an internal terror/horror. I've had it so bad before that even listening to an otherwise enjoyable song begins to sound like a horror show. It's hard to explain. Normally I can watch a movie with action, or combat ... but in the state of akathisia all the scenes become incredibly overwhelming and terrifying. It feels like I'm about to do something crazy ... my mind starts to run horrific torture thoughts and it's as though I am in hell. I was standing in one place marching/pacing because I could not stand still due to this horrific need to move.

 

There's no hallucinations, and I can talk to another person while I'm standing there pacing, but it's as though I'm about to be burnt at the stake or some crazy thing.

 

Here's the list of symptoms ...

 

    Extreme agitation/restlessness - I was awake for 5 days in this state, by the 4th day I was crying and apologizing and saying goodbye to my parents because I felt as though I was going.

    Inability to sleep/insomnia - I can pull off 2 nights without any problem. It was one of the first signs.

    Profound anxiety/terror/panic - Panic attacks tickle compared to this feeling.

    Feeling like you’re jumping out of your skin or want to rip your skin off and escape - This one is strange, because I get thoughts of taking a vegetable peeler and peeling my skin off, totally unwanted thought, but I have a vivid imagination and it's freaky.

    Feeling a need to run away

    Agoraphobia/claustrophobia

    Dark, scary thoughts - check

    Psychotic-type behaviors - yep

    Anger/aggression - I never get this. It's the opposite.

    Self-harm or thoughts of self harm - I wanted out, it was unbearable, I still don't know how I'm alive 5 years after this event.

    Inability to sit still or lie down - I didn't get in bed, I had my parents holding me down in my bed, telling me it was alright, I was praying ... and I'm not religious.

    Feeling like it will never end - It never really has ended, it has only gotten bearable.

    Muscular tension/strain/weakness/ticks - I have muscle tension in my shoulder and front neck, It's like i've been flexing them for the last 5 years.

    Blurred vision

    Loss of appetite - when I ate, It would set me off even worse. I thought it was diabetes, like free sugar running in my systme.

    Confusion

    Memory loss/amnesia

    Nausea/retching/vomiting

    Flushing/hot flashes

    Erratic heart beat

    Erratic blood pressure

    Extreme, chronic thirst - This has to be one of the worst, it's an unquenchable thirst. I was drinking water and just passing it out.

 

 

With my current tapering, it pops up here and there, but nowhere near that episode 5 years ago. I had doctors try me on a slew of medication and nothing works. My current benzo doesn't do it, and didn't really do it when I began it. It only made akathisia bearable.

 

I would like to see if anyone experiences this sensation.

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"Akathisia: Typical symptoms of akathisia (note that the patient is forced to eat while standing instead of sitting).

Akathisia, or acathisia (from Greek καθίζειν kathízein - "to sit", a- indicating negation or absence, lit. "inability to sit") is a movement disorder characterized by a feeling of inner restlessness and a compelling need to be in constant motion, as well as by actions such as rocking while standing or sitting, lifting the feet as if marching on the spot, and crossing and uncrossing the legs while sitting. People with akathisia are unable to sit or keep still, complain of restlessness, fidget, rock from foot to foot, and pace.[1]

The term was coined by the Czech neuropsychiatrist Ladislav Haskovec (1866–1944), who described the phenomenon in 1901.[2][3]

Antipsychotics (also known as neuroleptics), particularly the first generation anti-psychotics, may cause akathisia. Other known causes include side effects of certain medications, and nearly any physically-addictive drug during drug withdrawal.[4] It is also associated with Parkinson's disease and related syndromes.[5]"

My husband has some of this, my niece does too, a lot! All the benzos they gave me have left me in a mess too! But a couple of years out, I'm able to pursue a better state of peace through yoga, exercise, and the returned ability to do useful meaningful work! yAy!! SO...there is hope.

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[8a...]

Yes I had it for years while on the drugs and 24 hrs a day after stopping all drugs. It lasted for a very long time.  Benzo w/d can cause severe agitation and all the other symptoms you list. You are tapering as well and the half life of Librium is only 24 to 48 hours. I would not rule out interdose w/d from the Librium. I also had every symptom you list and every diagnosis you mention and about 10 more on top of that. The akathisia only comes back when in a wave and I no longer have any psych diagnosis........all the previous ones were "misdiagnoses" based on adverse reations to prescribed drugs and w/d being missed.

 

As far as you being a "lifer" for the Celexa. If I were you I would revisit that thought after you get off the benzo and heal from that. Your drug could be your problem.

 

Take care, mandala

 

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Hello Westcoast

 

I am so sorry you are suffering.

 

I have akathisia and have all you describe and more. I completely relate to enjoyable music sounding like a horror show. I loved listening to music and it really moved me. I used to write music. Now it mostly creeps me out. Looking at previously lovely pictures now makes my stomach churn with terror too.

 

I got my akathisia last September on Citalopram. Possibly the valium I was given added to it. I can't be sure which drug did what. Valium definitely didn't do what it was meant to. The previous month I got a version of it on antibiotics (augmentin) but the SSRI version is way worse. After Citalopram, I was put on Zoloft and Seroquel which both made me worse and I was taking Ativan here and there.

 

I see you are on celexa. Were you on the Celexa when the akathisia started? Or did it start before you had taken any drugs? Do you remember if you had previously taken any psychiatric drugs or if you were taking any at the time?

 

Have you seen Angie's akathisia blog and forum?

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Hello Westcoast

 

I am so sorry you are suffering.

 

I have akathisia and have all you describe and more. I completely relate to enjoyable music sounding like a horror show. I loved listening to music and it really moved me. I used to write music. Now it mostly creeps me out. Looking at previously lovely pictures now makes my stomach churn with terror too.

 

I got my akathisia last September on Citalopram. Possibly the valium I was given added to it. I can't be sure which drug did what. Valium definitely didn't do what it was meant to. The previous month I got a version of it on antibiotics (augmentin) but the SSRI version is way worse. After Citalopram, I was put on Zoloft and Seroquel which both made me worse and I was taking Ativan here and there.

 

I see you are on celexa. Were you on the Celexa when the akathisia started? Or did it start before you had taken any drugs? Do you remember if you had previously taken any psychiatric drugs or if you were taking any at the time?

 

Have you seen Angie's akathisia blog and forum?

 

At the time it happened I was taking Paxil and had been on it steady for about 4 years, I believe it was a moderate dose. I wasn't living to healthy either, I was drinking a lot of beer and eating pizza as my staple. Even prior to that one event I never really was every relaxed and I hadn't had a good night sleep in since I was about 12. I think all of those equaled some neurological change that caused a sense of floating and needing to move even though I was due for sleep. It was a perpetual state of agony that I had to move.

 

I've been reading about it when I get clarity and it seems it could be caused by an SSRI. I wouldn't doubt it was attributed to my lifestyle ... all signs point to me heading for something like that episode, I just never imagined a human being could experience such a sensation. I always though extreme embarassment and a fast heart rate was as bad as it could get, this was something else I must say.

 

After that episode, that's when I started seeing doctors non-stop. I never saw a doctor prior, aside from getting Paxil. I was on the hunt to find out what was wrong. I was reading everything and akathisia never popped up in my searching because I wasn't looking at movement disorders. I was looking for terminal illnesses etc.

 

After that, I was given Olanzapine which I took for 1 week, but it made the akathisia (restlessness) worse. Trazadone, but it clogged my sinus'. I'm sure there's a 3 or 4 others I was given to try to get rid of this sensation but none worked.

 

Every since that episode, I am afraid of sleep, because when I tried to sleep for those 4 nights, I was in terror ... I'll sleep in a chair before I sleep in my bed. I also had a fear of excercise because on the 2nd day of 1000% akathisia I decided to work out which made it even worse ... I have since excercised and proven that it wasn't the cause of akathisia but only amplified my state of mind during that episode.

 

But I haven't read the blog, I will defintely search for it.

 

Thanks for the support, all of you!

:thumbsup:

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By the way, I have the extreme thirst you describe. That's a weird one. It's especially bad at night and wakes me several times. It went for a while but came back.
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Thanks for the link. All of her symptoms are the same as mine. It's so heart breaking that this condition isn't well know in the psychology/medical field. She herself has a degree in Psychology and hadn't come across it. It's great that she is starting a forum and can shed light on this condition, because nobody deserves such suffering.

 

She stated in her blog that she ate whole foods. Took her health into her own hands which is very commendable. I good example for me to do the same.

 

The thirst thing is very strange. I don't have diabetes. I've generally always been a rather thirsty individual all the way back to my days as a kid. Always would get extreme thirst and chug water, but I thought that was normal and everyone else does that.

 

Heck, the more I find about this stuff, the more confusing it is.

 

Thanks again for the resources. I'll post on her forum to share my story so that others can know they aren't alone.

 

:thumbsup:

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I have had akathisia since the beginning of 2012, prior to benzos. I was on ssri's  for nearly 25 years and it started about 8 months before I got off them. It took such a long time for me to figure out what it was until I started looking into antidepressant side effects. It's listed as a side effect from so many psych drugs, antidepressants being the worst from what I've read. Two theories I've also read are that it is due to too much serotonin, receptors die off  with antidepressants, rather quickly apparently and the brain is left with excess serotonin, the other dopamine related.

I had it very badly for the first couple of years, now I control it mostly by watching what I eat and not exposing myself to high  levels of electromagnetic fields, i.e. mobiles, wifi, and a myriad of things that have high electric fields, even your electric toothbrush ( mine measured excessive levels and I always had increased akathisia post teeth cleaning and kept swapping toothpastes!. I will get it bad when I'm in close proximity to laptops in particular, any where there is a lot of wifi. It's worth researching as  EMF exposure can cause some similar physiological and psychological effects to those of benzos, e.g. effecting blood brain barrier, calcium channels etc etc and

crawling/electric/pricking like sensations is how it is generally described rather than akathisia.  Electro hypersensitivity is as prevalent and as misunderstood as benzo withdrawal and I'm fortunate to have a doctor that is fully informed on all the issues surrounding it.  For me akathisia is like the prickly, electric feeling through all my body, head, wanting to crawl out of my body or tear my skin off. I also will pace around, flicking limbs, swearing when it is bad, It took a long time to isolate all the things in my diet that would make me worse but now I'm generally at what I call a low level unless I eat something or take a supplement( nearly all) that will stir it up or EMF exposure. I used to think it was a life sentence and I'd rather die when it was bad but now I believe it will eventually subside when my physiology finds balance again. It also flares up with each valium cut and then subsides again. Most of all I would really look at triggers, a lot of foods that make me worse seem so benign,anything you put on your skin. Our bodies are so over stimulated from the drugs it takes so little to aggravate the symptom. When mine started and to this day I also get a metallic sensation in my mouth.

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  • 3 months later...

I have had akathisia since the beginning of 2012, prior to benzos. I was on ssri's  for nearly 25 years and it started about 8 months before I got off them. It took such a long time for me to figure out what it was until I started looking into antidepressant side effects. It's listed as a side effect from so many psych drugs, antidepressants being the worst from what I've read. Two theories I've also read are that it is due to too much serotonin, receptors die off  with antidepressants, rather quickly apparently and the brain is left with excess serotonin, the other dopamine related.

I had it very badly for the first couple of years, now I control it mostly by watching what I eat and not exposing myself to high  levels of electromagnetic fields, i.e. mobiles, wifi, and a myriad of things that have high electric fields, even your electric toothbrush ( mine measured excessive levels and I always had increased akathisia post teeth cleaning and kept swapping toothpastes!. I will get it bad when I'm in close proximity to laptops in particular, any where there is a lot of wifi. It's worth researching as  EMF exposure can cause some similar physiological and psychological effects to those of benzos, e.g. effecting blood brain barrier, calcium channels etc etc and

crawling/electric/pricking like sensations is how it is generally described rather than akathisia.  Electro hypersensitivity is as prevalent and as misunderstood as benzo withdrawal and I'm fortunate to have a doctor that is fully informed on all the issues surrounding it.  For me akathisia is like the prickly, electric feeling through all my body, head, wanting to crawl out of my body or tear my skin off. I also will pace around, flicking limbs, swearing when it is bad, It took a long time to isolate all the things in my diet that would make me worse but now I'm generally at what I call a low level unless I eat something or take a supplement( nearly all) that will stir it up or EMF exposure. I used to think it was a life sentence and I'd rather die when it was bad but now I believe it will eventually subside when my physiology finds balance again. It also flares up with each valium cut and then subsides again. Most of all I would really look at triggers, a lot of foods that make me worse seem so benign,anything you put on your skin. Our bodies are so over stimulated from the drugs it takes so little to aggravate the symptom. When mine started and to this day I also get a metallic sensation in my mouth.

 

I have also noticed I am sensitive to EMF.  I get all the symptoms you describe.  I just bought an AMEGA pendant....ever heard of that?  It's coming in soon....hope it works...

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It's my worst symptom.  For me, I think it's from the benzo ct.  My CNS is so destroyed by that is hard to know if the seroquel is contributing or not.  It's just that when I have tried to cut the seroquel it comes back full force.

 

Crazy agitation and pacing and rocking and clawing at my thighs.

 

Totally brutal and I hope it goes away soon.

 

Chris

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  • 8 years later...

Interesting

 

 

 

Hello lakerkolya2 :)

 

Welcome to Benzobuddies, we are glad you joined the forum, are you struggling with akathisia , have you any other symptoms.  I hope you can tell us a little about your benzodiazepine situation and support requirements, so we can help you.  What type of benzo you take or have taken, have you started or finished your taper?

 

If you need taper/withdrawal support, or post withdrawal support, you can post to one of these boards. You will get plenty of help and support from members here.

 

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper)

Post-withdrawal Recovery Support

Withdrawal Support

 

I will leave a few links to resources.

 

The Ashton Manual 

Colorado Consortium Benzodiazepine Deprescribing Guidelines

 

If you would like to add a signature (history of meds/doses etc) Go to the top of the page and select PROFILE then choose forum profile then insert drug history into the text box and remember to click change profile

Welcome Aboard

Magrita

 

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