Tension Panic Irritability Impatience Impulsivity
If you’re with a friend or family member, tell them that you don’t feel safe and need to get emergency help right away.
For example, people experiencing akathisia may pace over the same spot, stand up and sit down repeatedly, rock back and forth, or shift their weight from foot to foot.
Chlorpromazine Droperidol Fluphenazine Haloperidol Loxapine Perphenazine Pimozide Prochlorperazine Thiothixene Thioridazine Trifluoperazine
Acute, if it develops after you started medication and it lasts less than 6 months. Chronic, if it lasts more than 6 months. Tardive, if it isn’t related to changes in your medication and starts after you’ve been taking medication for several months. Withdrawal, if it appears within 6 weeks of switching or stopping medications.
Be sure to include any vitamins, herbs, or supplements you are taking when you relate your current medication regimen to your doctor. Some of these may interact unfavorably with your medications, causing akathisia.
For example, if your akathisia is believed to be caused by a first-generation antipsychotic, the doctor may slowly switch you to a second-generation antipsychotic. Depending upon your symptoms when you are not on your medication, you and your doctor may decide that the benefits of staying on a given medication with akathisia outweigh the risks of going off it.
Medications to increase dopamine Medications such as ropinirole, gabapentin, pregabalin that increase the neurotransmitter GABA Vitamin B6
It’s important to partner with your doctor to create a treatment plan which balances your other medications.
Research showed that although people benefited from professional relaxation treatment, the test subjects had difficulty performing the relaxation techniques on their own. If you think you can do a regular relaxation program at home, try yoga or meditation.
