SchizoGymnast
Arcanist
- May 28, 2024
- 493
Good morning SaSu and welcome to what will hopefully be my weekly akathisia clinic! I'm not an expert, just a fellow sufferer that knows a few things. Strap in, my friends.
If you take psychotropic medication, especially antipsychotics, you may be familiar with the side effect known as akathisia. If you look it up online, you will most likely see to it referred to as a "sense of inner restlessness." It primarily affects the legs. There are a number of first hand accounts of this side effect online that you can read if you wish. Chances are, you were not warned about akathisia before you were given your prescription and if you are anything like me, you were bewildered and terrified when you first experienced it.
Let me start with my own story.
My first antipsychotic was prescribed in spring of 2018 and like most people, I had never heard of akathisia and was not warned about it. It didn't hit me right away. I was at work preparing for a med pass when I noticed it. This time was different in that instead of affecting my legs, it affected my torso. If I could describe it, I would say that it felt like my soul was itchy and that every one of my cells was being stretched out and ready to burst. I couldn't stay still and I couldn't move, just a feeling of total paralysis. I dismissed it at first, like I feel most people do the first time they experience something they can't explain. But it became a daily occurence and it became a little worse each time. I had no vocabulary to describe what was happening and I came to my own (supernatural) conclusion. Souls from purgatory were clawing at my insides and trying to drag me to the underworld, and the only logical solution was suicide. I seriously considered drinking the morphine and benzos I had access to, and I ended up leaving shift to go to the ER. Did I get answers? Of course not. But I knew this couldn't continue. I don't remember when I found out about akathisia, but it was a game changer. Even if my suffering continued, having the vocabulary to describe it was enough to keep me going.
Today? I rarely experience akathisia and I view it as a biological, psychological and spiritual phenomenon. I have read some research on it and I have devised some strategies to fight against it. I have inspirational anecdotes to share. And it will all be posted here.
Enjoy!
If you take psychotropic medication, especially antipsychotics, you may be familiar with the side effect known as akathisia. If you look it up online, you will most likely see to it referred to as a "sense of inner restlessness." It primarily affects the legs. There are a number of first hand accounts of this side effect online that you can read if you wish. Chances are, you were not warned about akathisia before you were given your prescription and if you are anything like me, you were bewildered and terrified when you first experienced it.
Let me start with my own story.
My first antipsychotic was prescribed in spring of 2018 and like most people, I had never heard of akathisia and was not warned about it. It didn't hit me right away. I was at work preparing for a med pass when I noticed it. This time was different in that instead of affecting my legs, it affected my torso. If I could describe it, I would say that it felt like my soul was itchy and that every one of my cells was being stretched out and ready to burst. I couldn't stay still and I couldn't move, just a feeling of total paralysis. I dismissed it at first, like I feel most people do the first time they experience something they can't explain. But it became a daily occurence and it became a little worse each time. I had no vocabulary to describe what was happening and I came to my own (supernatural) conclusion. Souls from purgatory were clawing at my insides and trying to drag me to the underworld, and the only logical solution was suicide. I seriously considered drinking the morphine and benzos I had access to, and I ended up leaving shift to go to the ER. Did I get answers? Of course not. But I knew this couldn't continue. I don't remember when I found out about akathisia, but it was a game changer. Even if my suffering continued, having the vocabulary to describe it was enough to keep me going.
Today? I rarely experience akathisia and I view it as a biological, psychological and spiritual phenomenon. I have read some research on it and I have devised some strategies to fight against it. I have inspirational anecdotes to share. And it will all be posted here.
Enjoy!
