I guess it’s only natural to have akathesia after taking anti psychotic medicine for thirty five years. I’m glad I don’t have tardive dyskinesia or else it’s not something I’ve noticed like licking my lips ( I did that as a school boy ). Luckily, I have still moments when I am very relaxed. I never would have taken these medicines if my brain was not in serious trouble. I always dreaded akathesia but I thought it would be different. It’s a compulsion to move my legs and torso. I feel I am artistically gifted, though it might just be practice, and it keeps me going.
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Nice that you’re artistically gifted. Do you dance?
No, I don’t dance, I draw, do guitar and mandolin and write.
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Yep, like an inner restlessness or fidgetiness and it was extremely unpleasant, even when I moved I got little relief. I developed Akathisia a month or two ago. It would start about an hour after I took my AP medication (Lurasidone) and last for hours.
I take my AP twice a day, 30mg morning/30mg evening.
I’m on 75mg of Trazodone for Akathisia now. I take 50mg in the morning when I take my AP and 25mg in the evening when I take my AP again. Trazodone completely eliminates the Akathisia.
I read this and spoke to my pdoc about Trazodone. He wanted to prescribe me Propanolol but that is indicated for blood pressure and I didn’t want to risk playing with my heart. He agreed to the Trazodone, I tolerate it well and no side effects.
Trazadone makes me feel sick.
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That’s unfortunate, if you read the follow up placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study they did on the article I posted they believe akathisia is primarily a serotonin problem, not a dopamine problem, that is why Trazodone works so well.
Conclusions: The findings of this double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study indicate the efficacy of Trz in the management of NIA, corroborating the results of a preliminary pilot study. We suggest that Trz’s property of serotonin 2A postsynaptic receptor antagonism may be its principal mechanism for the improvement of NIA.
Another antidepressant besides Trazodone that can be used for akathisia is mirtazapine (Remeron) although I have never tried it.
My pdoc had suggested propanolol which is a first line treatment for akathisia but I don’t want to touch that stuff, it’s a blood pressure medication and I don’t want to play around with my cardiac system. My blood pressure and heart rate are perfect right now. I don’t want problems with that. I tolerate Trazodone well, and I’m only taking 75mg/day so I’m sticking with that.
Conclusions: The comparable efficacy and better tolerability of low-dose mirtazapine versus propranolol, the current first-line treatment for AIA, position mirtazapine as a favorable candidate for the treatment of acute AIA and may improve current therapeutic practices.
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