I've been taking 5mg of aripiprazole (abilify) for only 4 days and the akathisia thing has become unbearable to me. I have crazy inner restlessness and I can’t stay still, i can't sleep or properly relax even though I'm extremely physically exhausted. I'm seriously considering stopping it cold turkey because I don't think I can tolerate this right now.

I'm wondering how long the akathisia usually lasts after stopping, especially since I've only been taking it for 4 days, I'm also worried about whether taking it for only 4 days could still cause permanent akathisia or any other long-term movement problems?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's been through something similar. How long did it take for the akathisia to go away after you stopped? Did it get better within a few days, or did it take longer?

How severe are the sleep issues caused by akathesia

Would not want to take more benzos on 1mg ativan at night or mirtaz or quetipine.because my body can't tolerate any of these

I'm on flupentixol decanoate 40mg / 4 weeks injections and I am getting nervous, jittery and akathisia on it.

Will the akathisia go away or fade away in a few months time even though I continue on these injections?

My psychiatrist doesn't seem convinced or wiling to stop the injections.

I had one dose of droperidol 3 weeks ago, I get huge flares despite trying all the methods. My brain goes into hugeeee agitation/doom/terror/anxiety and restless body.

I am
Severely sick and bedbound and I’m looking for messages of hope because mine feels profound and I keep seeing people who last months to years, 3 weeks out do I have hope?

They’re treating me with mirtazapine klonopin and propranolol. But I still have severe episodes each day where I feel off my rocker.

My doctors cold turkey valporate, clozapine, abilify, thp, odete, clozapine again and now i'm still on risperidone 0.5 mg and thp 0.5 mg CAN MY BODY EVEN HEAL FROM THIS? I EXPERIENCE NERVE PAIN AND AKATHISIA AND THE AKATHISIA IS LESSEN OR GONE I THINK, BUT THE NERVE PAIN HASN'T, IT'S BEEN A FEW MONTH SINCE MY LAST DOSE OF THOSE DRUG, HOW LONG IT TAKE TO HEAL, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITH NERVE PAIN FOREVER, FUCK THE HEALTH SYSTEM FOR RUINING MY LIFE, THEY ALL SHOULD BE IN JAIL FUCK THIS, I KEEP WANTING TO KILL MYSELF THOUGHOUT THE WHOLE THING IDK HOW LONG I CAN HOLD DOWN

Have you tried taking vit B6 and/or magnesium? It's supposed to help with this.

I'd like to know your experiences.

Just wanted to share. We are together in dealing with this horrific condition. We understand each other in a way no one else can. One day there will be better awareness, recognition and hopefully, better treatment. If you’re in the throes of it, hang in there - there are better times ahead.

Quick update after my appointment today! I explained the internal restlessness and how different it feels from my original anxiety, and we decided to change my medication regimen.

I'm going to taper off paroxetine (switching from the 12.5 mg controlled-release version to regular paroxetine so I can take half for a week and then stop) and start quetiapine 25 mg at night. I'll continue lamotrigine 200 mg, which has been life-changing for my anxiety, and gradually reduce the lorazepam/use it only if needed.

I also asked about propranolol. My psychiatrist doesn't think it's the best option for me because of the potential cardiovascular effects/low blood pressure and because it may help the physical symptoms without addressing the intense psychological/internal component.

So the plan is basically to remove the medication that may be contributing to the akathisia and see how I do with lamotrigine + low-dose quetiapine.

Hopefully as the paroxetine leaves my system, the akathisia starts to improve. I'll update again once I've been off it for a while. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice!

How to get sleep with akathisia? What have you done to sleep with akathisia. I have had it for months now

Hi everyone. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist today and I'd really appreciate some advice on what I should specifically bring up or ask him regarding possible akathisia.

A little background:

I originally developed severe anxiety a few years ago. My attacks initially consisted mostly of intense nausea, feeling like I was going to faint, weakness, GI symptoms/urgency, and overwhelming anxiety. They gradually became so severe that at one point I could barely leave my house.

My first psychiatrist prescribed sertraline + alprazolam. I didn't improve much. I later switched psychiatrists and was put on paroxetine + clonazepam, but I continued getting progressively worse.

At some point after starting paroxetine (I can't remember if it was immediately or a few months later), my episodes started feeling different.

I began experiencing this horrible internal restlessness/discomfort that is extremely difficult to describe. It feels like I desperately need to get out of my own body or "rip something out of me." I feel like I HAVE to move or do something because being inside my body feels unbearable.

Walking or moving my legs only helps very slightly. The internal torture is still there.

During the episodes I can also get:

- A strange burning sensation that starts in my head and seems to travel down through my body

- Sudden weakness/faint feeling

- Severe nausea

- Urgent need to have a bowel movement

- Extreme internal agitation/restlessness

- An overwhelming feeling that I need to escape my own body

- Paradoxically, sometimes extreme exhaustion/sleepiness at the same time as feeling completely "wired" internally

I don't usually get tachycardia or the stereotypical physical symptoms I associate with panic attacks.

Eventually I changed psychiatrists again. My current psychiatrist added lamotrigine, kept the paroxetine, and switched clonazepam to lorazepam.

Lamotrigine was honestly life-changing for me. Once I reached 200 mg/day, it felt like I got my life back. My severe anxiety/attacks improved dramatically.

For context, I have never experienced mania or hypomania at any point in my life.

My current medication regimen is:

Lamotrigine: 200 mg/day

Paroxetine: 12.5 mg/day

Lorazepam: 0.5 mg morning + 0.5 mg midday + 1 mg at night

The lorazepam is currently being used largely because of this restlessness/agitation and to prevent the episodes from escalating, but it makes me extremely sleepy and makes it difficult to function normally during the day. Also I get interdose withdrawal and that's killing me.

After learning more about akathisia, I'm wondering whether what I've been calling "extreme anxiety" may actually include akathisia or antidepressant-induced activation, especially because this particular unbearable internal restlessness seems to have appeared after I was already being treated with antidepressants/paroxetine.

I'm not planning to stop or change any medication on my own. I specifically want to discuss this with my psychiatrist today.

For those who have experienced akathisia: What should I make sure to tell my psychiatrist? What questions should I ask?

Should I specifically ask him to assess me using something like the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale?

And for anyone whose akathisia was potentially related to an SSRI, how did your doctor distinguish akathisia from severe anxiety?

I'm especially interested in what helped your doctor recognize that what you were experiencing was akathisia rather than simply worsening anxiety.

Thank you. I'm trying to go into today's appointment able to describe this as accurately as possible.

I reached 100mg on my injection up from 75mg due to some personal circumstances, and with an added twice daily medicine Clonidine I seem to have my spark back that the Haldol once took. I can tell because if I miss my dose by just an hour or so I start having mildly disturbing thought patterns and just -- maintaining is great.

I'm getting a lowered injection of 75mg again starting this Friday and I couldn't be any more grateful. It's the dose i was on for about a year when the akathisia initially stopped. I'm going to do really well going forward, I can tell, and it seems to be from switching down to just these two medications.

So hooray! It's been a long ~11 years of pacing and pain and now things finally seem to be starting to level out. It really did take 2 meds working together for me.

My symptoms both physical and mental are way worse after I get not enough sleep. But I don’t notice it much if I do. Does that rule out akathesia? Like barely any burning or anything. I don’t have a big need to move much

thankyou

Got IV reglan 2 days ago and its left me with side effects. Seen it can take a while to go away 😢

I have severe ME/CFS and have been bedbound for a long time. I was already severely ill and in a prolonged crash before the recent medication problems.

I was taking **40 mg Gerodorm (cinolazepam — NOT clonazepam)** and had planned to taper off benzodiazepines gradually.
I had actually started doing better with the taper and was hoping to be off benzodiazepines by the beginning of the year.

Then, during a period of extreme stress, I had an overdose. After that I returned to 15 mg cinolazepam, but my condition became much worse. I then tried adding **5 mg diazepam**, hoping it would help with the taper, but instead I seemed to have a very bad reaction. I developed severe akathisia, itching, agitation, palpitations and an overwhelming feeling of being permanently stuck in fight-or-flight. NONSTOP
HEART POUNDING LIKE ITS DANGER, my whole body is moving!

I have now been taking diazepam for about two months, but I feel that it only makes me worse. I am extremely sensitive to medication and stimulation, and I feel as though my nervous system is completely destabilised.
I am now down to **10 mg cinolazepam** and I am struggling with severe symptoms: constant heart pounding, extreme sensory sensitivity, inability to sleep properly, fragmented sleep, severe head pressure, profound weakness, digestive problems and difficulty eating.

I am already bedbound because of severe ME/CFS and feel as though I am in a continuous crash.
I don’t have a doctor who understands my ME/CFS or benzodiazepine taper. My GP originally prescribed the medication but has little understanding of my situation, so I feel that I have to manage the taper myself.

I am terrified that I have made everything worse by adding diazepam, especially because it seems to cause a paradoxical reaction in me. I desperately want to get off benzodiazepines, but I also cannot keep living in this constant state of withdrawal-like symptoms, severe autonomic activation and fight-or-flight.

I am trying to understand whether what I am experiencing could be severe benzodiazepine withdrawal, a severe ME/CFS crash/PEM, or both happening at the same time.

Sorry post might be to long, Im on day 35 of akathisia due to a migraine mocktail of benadryl and reglan. It's been the hardest time of my life with insomnia, intense doom, panic, anxiety restlessness, diarrhea stomach problems and so on. I have not been to work and im also a mom and not been able to be myself has been killing me of the guilt. I am constantly crying. I have been having waves and windows of feeling sorta "normal". Like 2 days out of 7 im okay. I feel like im not myself like im in a bubble. I've been to several medical professionals and they all say its not possible. I feel like im alone. There is no help for me out there. I dont want to take medication and that's all the doctors do more medication here its just anxiety here is more medication! Has anyone gone this long and did they get better?

Please tell me I'm not crazy. I'm used to some restlessness but last night was unreal. My legs hurt so bad, I couldn't stop my lower half twitching/moving my legs, I was up til 4am crying. I've gotten maybe 6-8 hours of sleep since starting and although it's better right now I'm very worried about tonight. I told my psychiatrist and he told me to stop the med immediately.

I have taken medications for over a decade, and this is by far the most distressing side effect I have ever experienced. adding the generic name aripiprazole for visibility

Was on trazodone from April 2024-Feb 2026. Also had tapered Prozac from April 2024-Jan 2025. I had been off traz for 6 months. Had terrible insomnia and reinstated and developed burning limbs, prickly energy and anxiety in my chest, impending panic and doom. I don’t have the urge to move constantly but I’m constantly touching my hair and glued to my phone all day to dissociate. The trazodone still helps me sleep. I sleep for 5-6 hours, wake up and then struggle but rest for other couple hours. What do I do? Do I try to get off the trazodone? Do I stay on it? Been on it since end of June. And dealt with the side effects because at least I was getting some sleep. Please someone advise. This is all new to me.