Pdoc says I may have akathisia

I had my pdoc appointment today and we were talking about the way I have been feeling unable to stay still and I always have to move my self into another position or get up and walk around. She said it is probably akathisia and I shoudl stop taking my PRN Risperdone. I will still take my regualr dose and use my propanolol PRN instead and we will see how it goes. We may have to try another med.


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I am worried that my intrusive thoughts will come back in a big way if I switch my PRN because that is why I was taking it in the first place. I was having breakthrough intrusive thoughts of hurting / killing myself.

I had a similar side effect with respirdol and abilify.

Did you and your pdoc discuss your concern about the intrusive thoughts?

One non-med idea is to try a puzzle of some sort. I specifically like Sudoku as solutions are heavily based on logic and pattern recognition. This takes some concentration so I can croud out some of the intrusive thoughts. I also like putting together picture puzzles...

Do you have any activities you enjoy doing that can help crowd out the other thoughts?

I'm surprised your pdoc didn't suggest cogentin. It is used to combat akathisia. I had to take it when I first started Abilify and got akathisia as a side effect. it went away after a while and I was able to stop the cogentin.

take care,
binti

My thoughts are with you.

i know those feelings of having to move all the time. my husband calls me Wiggles or Wiggle Worm because of my constant moving around. My parents teased that we lived on a fault line because I was always shaking my leg.

Like Direction was suggesting, I did a lot of word searches and crossword puzzles to keep my mind occupied.

Cogentin did help me when i took certain meds - i take xanax now and it helps and actually, the more i exercise, the less i wiggle the other times.

She did mention cogentin but doesn't want to put me on it because I am on so many meds she doesn't want to add to that.

We discussed my concerns about my thoughts and we are going to keep a close watch over it and use my propanolol instead. If the thoughts are based on anxiety, the propanolol should help.

Take it from someone who's been there and done that...go to Walmart and get about 3 bottles of 200 mg. Vitamin B6. I hear you need to take a B complex once a day, too. Anyway, when you feel like you are losing your mind, take 4 to 6 Vitamin B6. I'm not kidding. It won't hurt you. I took Haldol for 16 years and then a pdoc took me off of it (I shouldn't have been on it). I got ak. No doc knew what to do. I went on Google and found out about B6. At first I had to take it 5 or 6 times a day. I told my pdoc about it and he looked into it and he thanked me for telling him. I think I had to take it daily more than once for at least a year. Now only once in a while (thank God). But I still have 3 bottles of B6 in my house. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I just couldn't sit still but I felt like I was losing my mind. But after the B6, 15 or 20 min. later I was ok. Check it out. Love, Owl.

((HUGS))

I understand what you're saying. I struggle with invasive thoughts. I hope you can figure out a plan that will work for you!