Akathisia is hell, any suggestions?

DX'd - Sz/SzA
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after being on abilify for 3 or 4 months i have finally developed this terrible side effect. for me it manifests as dysphoria and constant inner unrest and discomfort. i literally feel terrible. the worst part of this is that nobody around me knows the extent of the torture as i’m not constantly moving around or outwardly showing signs of distress in any way.

i’m also suffering blurry vision most of the day and it makes it hard for me to read, i’m having trouble reading this as i write it. will that clear up with time too?

i’ve noticed there are windows where the akathisia symptoms seem to get better for a while, is this a sign that it is something i will recover from ober time as my brain adjusts to the medication.

will this ever get better? i know my case is sort of mild as im not moving around or anything but i still feel as if im constantly being tortured. has akathisia gone away or gotten better over time for anyone or am i going to have to consider a medication change.

ive found taking 80mg propranolol clears it up somewhat, to the point where it almost feels like im taking a benzo or something. what is the highest dose of propranolol i can take for this? are there other gentle treatments like beta blockers which can restore my sense of calm.

i really dont wanna give up abilify as i have lost 30 pounds on it, maybe a dose reduction would help me some? im currently at 20mg, maybe down to 15 and i will feel some relief.

edit: im also on an ssri fluvoxamine which may be contributing to this as i added it very recently, any expereiences developing akathisia as a result of ssris?

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I have been on SSRI’s that caused me extreme anxiety. Usually w them it is a temporary thing and lasts only a couple weeks or so. It is a bit odd you’d develop it after taking Abilify for months, unless you raised doses recently. Lowering dosage temporarily (w help of doctor) is good way to test if it is Abilify. The only thing that helped me w it was benzo. I had to quit Abilify bc I couldn’t take it.

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If I have akithesia on my feet at night, I put ice on my feet. That numbs the akithesia and I can fall asleep.

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I identify with the discomfort. Actually, I have a bunch of the same symptoms. Sadly, I don’t know what the fix might be.

Jayster

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I take L-theanine twice a day (2 x 400mg doses). It makes things completely manageable for me. Otherwise it would be unbearable. I take abilify 15mg.

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I am taking L Theanine too - it is helping a lot with anxiety

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Both antipsychotics and antidepressants can cause it, as well as other drugs…

I had it when I was on Geodon and Zoloft. I felt so horrible from it that I ended up in the hospital emergency room, as I had no idea what was happening to me.

This article has some more info about it here…

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