Akathisia

Akathisia

Do you always feel restless with an urge to get up and start moving? Do you always want to be in constant motion? This could be due to a movement disorder called akathisia, which is characterized by a feeling of inner restlessness and temptation to be in motion. You will also notice other symptoms, like lifting your feet as if you'll be marching on the spot or rocking while sitting or standing. You may also notice yourself crossing and uncrossing your legs while sitting.

Akathesia, akathisia, or acathisia, all refers to the same disorder, which makes it difficult for you to sit for long. These people always complain about a feeling of restlessness, and fidget a lot. The phenomenon was first described by a Czech neuropsychiatrist Ladislav Hasovec. It is important to identify the underlying cause to be able to find an effective akathisia treatment.

What Are the Symptoms of Akathisia?
It is important to understand that sometimes you just have anxious type body and feel restless at times. You will have akathisia only if you just cannot sit still and feel Stressed all the time. There are some other psychomotor manifestations associated with this particular movement disorder. For instance:

• You will develop hyperactivity disorder over time


• You will experience motor instability with dystonia (muscle contraction)


• You will experience the motor restlessness with involuntary movements and rocking of the trunk


• You will also show signs of behavioral disorders, including hostility, Depression, and suicidal tendencies

Watch the video below to see how a patient of akathisia behaves:

What Are the Causes of Akathisia?
Once you know your symptoms are due to akathisia, it is important to get in touch with your doctor to identify what's causing this issue in the first place. Only by finding the real cause will you be able to identify the best akathisia treatment.

Drug-Induced Akathisia
You may develop this movement disorder if you've been on dopamine receptor antagonist antipsychotic drugs for a long time. Although the real reason is not clear, the disorder is frequently associated with certain medications that interfere with dopaminergic transmission in your brain.

Some drugs may have successful therapeutic effects in certain conditions, but they may also lead to medication-induced akathisia and involve other transmitter systems as well. These may include beta-adrenergic blockers, benzodiazepines, and serotonin antagonists. Sometimes, you develop akathisia when you withdraw yourself from certain addictive drugs.

Parkinson's Disease
Many people with Parkinson's disease develop this movement disorder. However, the experts are not clear if the disorder is caused due to Parkinson's or it is the side effect of drugs used to treat the disease and related syndromes.

Use of Antidepressants
The excessive use of antidepressants may cause akathisia in some cases. In fact, the experts have found that akathisia is miscoded in different antidepressant clinical trials as "emotional liability, agitation, and over activity". In many cases, only simple motor restlessness occurs, but sometimes it leads to the development of akathisia. Some studies have also found connections between violence and antidepressant-induced akathisia.

What Are the Treatments for Akathisia?
It is important to pay attention to what's causing akathisia in the first place to be able to select the most effective akathisia treatment option. Although not always possible, it is reversible in many cases, especially when the causative agent is identified early enough. It is important to find out the underlying cause and fix it to correct your condition. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to identify the causative agent, which often becomes permanent and leads to irreversible akathisia.

Your doctor may prescribe propranolol, benzodiazepines, or anticholinergics to treat your acute akathisia, but these treatment options usually don't prove that beneficial in case of chronic akathisia. In case it is the drug-induced akathisia, you may find relief by lowering the dose of your antipsychotic medication. It is, however, important to lower or stop those drugs gradually; otherwise withdrawal symptoms may show up.

Sometimes, the underlying cause of your akathisia is the withdrawal from opioid. In some cases, it is not feasible to continue with opioids use, so you have to stop using it. In this situation, you may have to take certain drugs available for acute idiopathic akathisia. Sometimes, the drugs used for treating RLS also prove beneficial in treating your withdrawal symptoms and akathisia.

In case, you have neuroleptic-induced akathisia, the best akathisia treatment option is to take vitamin B. Your doctor may also prescribe trihexyphenidyl to treat your akathisia and associated symptoms.

Akathisia

Akathisia






Akathisia is a rare syndrome of movement disorder, featuring restlessness that exhibits itself in many ways. The person affected with akathisia syndrome cannot sit still even for few minutes. The word Akathisia is derived from Greek word “kathizen” meaning to sit and the prefix “a” stands for negation or absence. This syndrome can be due to side effect of taking medications or it can be the sign of Parkinson’s disease or due to some neurological problems. The individual affected with Akathisia will have neglect and withdrawal from any physical addiction. He will be very aggressive and alert in behavior due to the increased levels of norephinephrine in his system.

Causes :

Akathisia is commonly present as the side effect of taking psychotic drugs like antipsychotics like droperidol, trifluoperazine, haloperidol, and aripiprazole. The same effect is also caused by medicines like chloropromazine and zuclopenthixol but in lesser degree.

Neurological Causes :

Akathisia is the side effect of dopaminergic neurotransmission and the person affected with this disorder will have anxiety attacks often becoming restless and will have psychomotor problems. He will have a compelling desire to move or stand from the original place and give constant movement for his legs. Very often neuroleptic drugs are the cause for getting akathisia symptoms.

It can also be caused due to the intake of SSRI drugs like paroxetine and Prozac. Antidepressant medications like Effexor and trazodone can also produce the side effect making the person restless. Antihistamines like diphenhydramine and opoid drugs and barbiturates withdrawal drugs will have the same side effects. Certain amphetamines and stimulants like coffee or tea, benzodiazepine and alcohol withdrawal drugs and Serotonin Syndrome can cause Akathisia.

Diagnoses :

The doctor will examine the symptoms of the patient and can find Akathisia by nerve neuropathy testing. He may administer blood culture test for further investigation.

Symptoms :

The affected person will become restless, and exhibit involuntary movements of his trunk. He will show hyperactivity, dystonia and muscle contraction making repeated twists and poor posture of his body. He will show changed behavior due to thought disorder like Depression and suicidal tendency.

Treatment :

The causative factor has to be determined for treating Akathisia symptoms. If the disease is caused by medications like psychotic and antidepressant drugs then your doctor will give alternate medications for your illness. Treatment of the symptoms includes giving drugs like propranolol benzodiazepine or clonazepam and Benztropine and trihexyphenidyl. Giving vitamin B complex is effective for treating neuroleptic patients having akathisia.

Giving low doses of medicine will help in managing the symptoms of Akathisia. If the person does not show any response to alternate medicines then anticholinergic drugs like trihexyphenidyl and antiadrenergic medications are given.

Akathisia – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Akathisia – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

What is Akathisia?

Akathisia is a condition or a manifestation from long-term intake of certain drugs. This condition should not be confused with Restless Leg Syndrome as akathisia has a general feel of inner restlessness unlike with RLS. Accordingly, the meaning of akathisia is literally the inability to sit. This is basically coined after the manifestation of the condition which is restlessness, making the person unable to stay still or sit still.

The condition can be classified according to scale or degree of akathisia. The Barnes Akathisia scale will measure the degree of akathisia suffered by the affected. There are rating scales in order to assess the condition and shall also provide objective information from the patient and some subjective information, which is usually the complaint of the client.

Akathisia Symptoms

As observed, the patient shall have the urge to move restlessly, for it shall be more difficult in his part when he or she is immobile. Here are the following manifestations of akathisia:

• Feeling of restlessness


• Increased anxiety that can lead to panic


• Pacing


• Altered sleeping pattern

Akathisia Causes

Akathisia is generally caused by taking certain drugs, meaning the disorder is an adverse reaction from a medical remedy. In the old times, this condition is most prominent; for certain drugs such as the antipsychotic medications have side effects which include akathisia. In the advent of medicine, newer drugs were made to provide lesser adverse and side effects. But here are medications or drugs that place a person at risk for suffering akathisia:

Antipsychotics

Haldol or the generic drug haloperidol, risperidone and aripiprazole (Ablify). These antipsychotic drugs are non-sedating and provide akathisia as a side effect.

SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

A known drug from this class is Prozac. This class of drug can induce or place a person at risk for akathisia after taking this in a long time.

Antidepressants

Those such as the tricyclics and trazodone can cause for akathisia.

Levodopa

A drug indicated for patients with Parkinson’s disease. This drug is believed to cause akathisia.

Antihistamines
These can result to akathisia most especially the agent such as cyproheptadine and diphenhydramine.

You're reading Akathisia – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment posted by minhhai2d, the information is for reference only.

Alcohol withdrawal

After some time off from alcohol and with the abrupt stoppage of drinking can cause for akathisia. One should avoid abrupt decrease in alcohol intake, instead gradual decrease is much recommended so that the body has time to adjust with the alteration.

Opioid withdrawal and barbiturates withdrawal

These drugs are controlled and should not be abused as these can provide bad effects to the body such as addiction. Once the practice is stopped abruptly, withdrawal symptoms may develop and shall include akathisia.

Akathisia Treatment

Treatment for akathisia is aimed in knowing first the root cause then it’s time to target the treatment of the condition. Here are the tips in order to avoid and treat akathisia:

Know the causative agent or underlying condition that may have caused akathisia. When it has been known that the condition was caused by the sudden withdrawal of an agent, we need to slowly reduce the dosage of these drugs. There should be proper medical assistance, especially when controlled or illegal drugs are constituted by the condition.

Medication

The first-line drug for akathisia is propranolol. This medication is a sympatholytic non-selective beta blocker, usually indicated for patients with increased Blood Pressure. This is also noted to be of use for patients with antipsychotic-induced akathisia. Benzodiazepines are also recommended for the treatment of akathisia. This would include clonazepam as a regularly prescribed drug.

Vitamin supplementation

Providing the client with vitamin B6 has presented a good and promising help in treating neuroleptic-induced akathisia. Vitamin B6 is known to be also great for our neurons.

Prevention

This can be attained with avoiding the abuse of opioids and barbiturates. We can avoid the hassle in the withdrawal symptoms after taking or abusing such chemicals. It sometimes cannot be avoided that others are prescribed with antipsychotic agents. Advice for those taking the drugs; they need to ask for good drug classes that shall not provide an adverse effect of akathisia. Consulting the doctor’s advice is a must. Another is taking of the prescribed medications in a complied and religious manner can place one person away from harm.