Health information

QUESTION: Although the medication was supposed to calm my nerves, I became so
jumpy and restless that finally the doctor told me to just stop taking the
pills
I thought tranquilizers were supposed to quiet you down, but that
wasn’t the case with me
Can you figure out what went wrong in my case, and
please explain it to me?

ANSWER: The restlessness you describe is a syndrome aptly called “akathisia”,
which is Greek for “no sitting down.” It is a common side-effect of several
medications for anxiety and for other psychiatric problems
Up to 20% of
patients taking antipsychotic medications may develop this syndrome.
Akathisia can also develop on its own in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
People suffering from akathisia feel very restless and are also very
physically active
They fidget, and cannot stay seated without squirming for
more than a few minutes
They often stand up and walk or march in place, if
they are not allowed to walk about
Many patients state that their
restlessness is relieved by the activity.
The problem with akathisia as a drug side effect is that it’s often
thought to be a worsening of the anxiety or psychosis that the drug was
supposed to treat
Instead of reducing or eliminating the medication,
physicians may be fooled while treating a patient who paces the halls of a
hospital or marches in place and may increase the dosage of the medication,
which only makes the behavior worse.
The medications that can cause akathisia include many commonly used
tranquilizers, which have a proven desirable effect for the condition of most
patients
If the medication cannot be discontinued, because it is having a
much desired result, the akathisia side effect can be reduced with other
drugs
In your case, the solution may be to try another tranquilizer that
won’t cause the same disruptive side effect.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

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