Restless

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rjmhaley
April 14, 2013 - 9:36 am
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rjmhaley
Total Posts: 1298
Joined: 12-05-2011
As some of you know, I have been going through a med change since January. After one failure, I started taking Loxapine, an older drug that is not in much use today. It has controlled my moods very well and I am doing well on it, but it leaves me very restless.

Every day has become difficult. I don't work, so I find myself looking for things to hold my interest. I go from the television to reading to my computer and back, trying to find something to do. I don't stay with anything very long and just feel hopelessly bored.

My pdoc upped my clonazapam to help me, but I still find myself restless. I go to AA meetings and leave half way through because I just can't sit there. This is something I don't want to make a habit.

Truthfully, I drink a lot of coffee, at least a 10 cup pot every day. I plan to cut down to see if that helps, but it was never a problem before.

My pdoc plans other changes to my med mix, so things might get better, but I am wondering what my friends here think I should do. This is becoming a real problem for me.


Bob

I'm damned if I'll be defeated.
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rjmhaley
rjmhaley
April 14, 2013 - 9:36 am
As some of you know, I have been going through a med change since January. After one failure, I started taking Loxapine, an older drug that is not in much use today. It has controlled my moods very well and I am doing well on it, but it leaves me very restless.

Every day has become difficult. I don't work, so I find myself looking for things to hold my interest. I go from the television to reading to my computer and back, trying to find something to do. I don't stay with anything very long and just feel hopelessly bored.

My pdoc upped my clonazapam to help me, but I still find myself restless. I go to AA meetings and leave half way through because I just can't sit there. This is something I don't want to make a habit.

Truthfully, I drink a lot of coffee, at least a 10 cup pot every day. I plan to cut down to see if that helps, but it was never a problem before.

My pdoc plans other changes to my med mix, so things might get better, but I am wondering what my friends here think I should do. This is becoming a real problem for me.


Bob

I'm damned if I'll be defeated.
persistence
April 14, 2013 - 2:32 pm
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persistence
Total Posts: 1532
Joined: 08-11-2012
Bob,

You've mentioned a number of times that, "I go to AA meetings and leave half way through because I just can't sit there. " I certainly understand how alarming this could be to you, because when we start 12 Step programs we see participation in these meetings as essential to our recovery. And they were, but they can poop out, if only because of frustration about the symptoms that meetings haven't resolved.

I know you do a lot of 12 Step activity through your groups and mental health support group. So, once again, it can be alarming when all of this activity leaves some symptoms unaddressed.

At that point, we need something more and something different, but we don't know precisely what.

You said above,

"I find myself looking for things to hold my interest. I go from the television to reading to my computer and back, trying to find something to do. I don't stay with anything very long and just feel hopelessly bored."

I've felt like that a lot. What I'm doing at present is teaching English at my church (which takes up six or eight hours per week with preparation and two weekly one-hour classes). This gives me a responsibility to keep in mind.

My therapist told me to pick a religious movement and get involved. I thought she was insane, if only because I had tried this before and become disillusioned. But, then I recalled that I became disillusioned and alienated because I decided to marry a woman whom my pastor told me unequivocally that I should NOT marry under any circumstances. I ignored my pastor and then became angry at the church over the daily drama that my life became when I married the wrong person.

In addition, just as therapy wasn't enough by itself, likewise church wasn't enough BY ITSELF. But lately, after medicine has relieved some of my depression and mania, church has become an essential part of keeping myself busy and involved with other human beings. Medicine has undoubtedly enabled me to form relationships at church without having to confess to others that I am suicidal, because I'm NOT suicidal today.

Ten cups of coffee a day could certainly cause a typical person to feel wired. But there MUST be a reason why you drink so much coffee. And that reason might come to the fore as you reduce the amount. OR, you just might discover that you don't NEED as much coffee when your medication is working well. Or it might be that the medication CANNOT help you for so long as you're drinking that much coffee.

If I didn't have my English-teaching activities, then I would feel as if I were doing nothing at all in life, and I NEED positive activities. When 12-Step program activities are not enough to make us feel involved, we might have to step outside of programs and do some additional positive contributions that take up our time, give us new opportunities for social interaction, and make us feel positive about ourselves.

Yesterday, after church, I invited my best church friend and an acquaintance to my house for some orange juice (I have my own juicer now) and to play on my computer. It took up time when I would otherwise have felt lonely and unloved.

Above all, I've recently been invited to contribute some time doing something I once did daily in my area of expertise. Having studied myself closely, I understand that the only reason for me to refuse to help is my fear of becoming depressed again and not being able to succeed. But, with God on my side, "I am more than a conqueror!" My life need not be circumscribed and limited by fear of mental illness.

In summary, finding new and useful service activities to do OUTSIDE of 12-Step programs might take up some slack time and slack energy. I know that you're asking yourself why 12-Step activities are no longer enough. It might be because you've become so good at them, over time, that they've become boring and rote.

So, what I would suggest is to adopt a new service activity OUTSIDE of 12-Steps where your challenges will be real, your activities will be challenging, and figuring out how to do them well will occupy your mind.

P.



Medications for March 15, 2013 to April 14, 2013
10-30-1986 - Present: Alcohol (beer, vodka, etc.), 0.000001. NEVER
10-30-1986 - Present: Marijuana, 0.000000000001. NEVER
08-11-2007 - Present: Valium/diazepam, 5mg. Rarely, only if trouble sleeping at night.
08-29-2012 - Present: Seroquel/quetiapine, 100 mg. Every night (or early morning) right before I go to sleep.
10-02-2012 - Present: MiniPress (Prazosin), 1mg at night. 10:00 PM
10-06-2012 - Present: Seroquel/quetiapine, 200mg. 10PM
10-31-2012 - Present: MiniPress (prazosin), 2mg. One hour before bedtime.
10-31-2012 - Present: Seroquel/quetiapine, 400mg. One hour before bedtime.
11-19-2012 - Present: Seroquel (quetiapine), 800mg. 10:00PM (1 hour before bed)
12-28-2012 - Present: Seroquel (quetiapine), 800mg. Each night at 10PM
01-07-2013 - Present: Lithium, 300mg. At night, with quetiapine and carbemazepine,
02-07-2013 - Present: Inositol Capsules, 4x500mgcapsules. At night, before bed.
03-07-2013 - Present: Seroquel (quetiapine), 900mg. at night, an hour before bedtime
03-19-2013 - Present: Whole Grain Brown Bread, 1/2 pound. daily
04-11-2013 - Present: Fresh Orange Juice, 1 liter. per day

I'd rather have a frontal lobotomy than a bottle in front of me.
Spam? Offensive?
persistence
persistence
April 14, 2013 - 2:32 pm
Bob,

You've mentioned a number of times that, "I go to AA meetings and leave half way through because I just can't sit there. " I certainly understand how alarming this could be to you, because when we start 12 Step programs we see participation in these meetings as essential to our recovery. And they were, but they can poop out, if only because of frustration about the symptoms that meetings haven't resolved.

I know you do a lot of 12 Step activity through your groups and mental health support group. So, once again, it can be alarming when all of this activity leaves some symptoms unaddressed.

At that point, we need something more and something different, but we don't know precisely what.

You said above,

"I find myself looking for things to hold my interest. I go from the television to reading to my computer and back, trying to find something to do. I don't stay with anything very long and just feel hopelessly bored."

I've felt like that a lot. What I'm doing at present is teaching English at my church (which takes up six or eight hours per week with preparation and two weekly one-hour classes). This gives me a responsibility to keep in mind.

My therapist told me to pick a religious movement and get involved. I thought she was insane, if only because I had tried this before and become disillusioned. But, then I recalled that I became disillusioned and alienated because I decided to marry a woman whom my pastor told me unequivocally that I should NOT marry under any circumstances. I ignored my pastor and then became angry at the church over the daily drama that my life became when I married the wrong person.

In addition, just as therapy wasn't enough by itself, likewise church wasn't enough BY ITSELF. But lately, after medicine has relieved some of my depression and mania, church has become an essential part of keeping myself busy and involved with other human beings. Medicine has undoubtedly enabled me to form relationships at church without having to confess to others that I am suicidal, because I'm NOT suicidal today.

Ten cups of coffee a day could certainly cause a typical person to feel wired. But there MUST be a reason why you drink so much coffee. And that reason might come to the fore as you reduce the amount. OR, you just might discover that you don't NEED as much coffee when your medication is working well. Or it might be that the medication CANNOT help you for so long as you're drinking that much coffee.

If I didn't have my English-teaching activities, then I would feel as if I were doing nothing at all in life, and I NEED positive activities. When 12-Step program activities are not enough to make us feel involved, we might have to step outside of programs and do some additional positive contributions that take up our time, give us new opportunities for social interaction, and make us feel positive about ourselves.

Yesterday, after church, I invited my best church friend and an acquaintance to my house for some orange juice (I have my own juicer now) and to play on my computer. It took up time when I would otherwise have felt lonely and unloved.

Above all, I've recently been invited to contribute some time doing something I once did daily in my area of expertise. Having studied myself closely, I understand that the only reason for me to refuse to help is my fear of becoming depressed again and not being able to succeed. But, with God on my side, "I am more than a conqueror!" My life need not be circumscribed and limited by fear of mental illness.

In summary, finding new and useful service activities to do OUTSIDE of 12-Step programs might take up some slack time and slack energy. I know that you're asking yourself why 12-Step activities are no longer enough. It might be because you've become so good at them, over time, that they've become boring and rote.

So, what I would suggest is to adopt a new service activity OUTSIDE of 12-Steps where your challenges will be real, your activities will be challenging, and figuring out how to do them well will occupy your mind.

P.



Medications for March 15, 2013 to April 14, 2013
10-30-1986 - Present: Alcohol (beer, vodka, etc.), 0.000001. NEVER
10-30-1986 - Present: Marijuana, 0.000000000001. NEVER
08-11-2007 - Present: Valium/diazepam, 5mg. Rarely, only if trouble sleeping at night.
08-29-2012 - Present: Seroquel/quetiapine, 100 mg. Every night (or early morning) right before I go to sleep.
10-02-2012 - Present: MiniPress (Prazosin), 1mg at night. 10:00 PM
10-06-2012 - Present: Seroquel/quetiapine, 200mg. 10PM
10-31-2012 - Present: MiniPress (prazosin), 2mg. One hour before bedtime.
10-31-2012 - Present: Seroquel/quetiapine, 400mg. One hour before bedtime.
11-19-2012 - Present: Seroquel (quetiapine), 800mg. 10:00PM (1 hour before bed)
12-28-2012 - Present: Seroquel (quetiapine), 800mg. Each night at 10PM
01-07-2013 - Present: Lithium, 300mg. At night, with quetiapine and carbemazepine,
02-07-2013 - Present: Inositol Capsules, 4x500mgcapsules. At night, before bed.
03-07-2013 - Present: Seroquel (quetiapine), 900mg. at night, an hour before bedtime
03-19-2013 - Present: Whole Grain Brown Bread, 1/2 pound. daily
04-11-2013 - Present: Fresh Orange Juice, 1 liter. per day

I'd rather have a frontal lobotomy than a bottle in front of me.
rangdrol
April 14, 2013 - 9:47 pm
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rangdrol
Total Posts: 242
Joined: 09-18-2011
Sounds like akathisia. I'm on benztropine for it, and it helps a lot.


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rangdrol
rangdrol
April 14, 2013 - 9:47 pm
Sounds like akathisia. I'm on benztropine for it, and it helps a lot.


starrynight
April 15, 2013 - 7:30 pm
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starrynight
Total Posts: 68
Joined: 02-06-2013
I agree 100% with rangdrol..it sounds exactly like akathisia.

My former pdoc tried introducing Abilify into my med regime twice. The feeling of restlessness was almost immediate..within 8 hours of taking my first dosage. I could not sit still and had to somehow move every so many minutes. I could not focus on any one thing for very long. Even pleasurable activities such as visiting with friends or having dinner with my daughter became dreaded events..both for me and those around me.

My co-workers actually got together and had a "heart to heart" with me about how I was acting. They were so concerned that they advised me to go to another doctor if I did not get better. My former pdoc just brushed me off like I was a piece of lint on his clothing. The akathisia actually got so bad I no longer felt safe driving. One of my girlfriends drove me to the pharmacy and I had a talk with the pharmacist. The pharmacist told me to immediately stop taking it..even against the advice of my pdoc. I was shocked to hear the pharmacist tell me this.

I found another pdoc and she changed my meds right away.

If it is akathisia perhaps it will subside as your body gets used to the medication. I would keep in touch with your pdoc about what is going on. You may need to go on something to help with the symptoms. Also..please keep tabs in case the akathisia is getting really severe. The symptoms can worsen in a very short period time.

Hope you are doing well and please keep us updated.


Spam? Offensive?
starrynight
starrynight
April 15, 2013 - 7:30 pm
I agree 100% with rangdrol..it sounds exactly like akathisia.

My former pdoc tried introducing Abilify into my med regime twice. The feeling of restlessness was almost immediate..within 8 hours of taking my first dosage. I could not sit still and had to somehow move every so many minutes. I could not focus on any one thing for very long. Even pleasurable activities such as visiting with friends or having dinner with my daughter became dreaded events..both for me and those around me.

My co-workers actually got together and had a "heart to heart" with me about how I was acting. They were so concerned that they advised me to go to another doctor if I did not get better. My former pdoc just brushed me off like I was a piece of lint on his clothing. The akathisia actually got so bad I no longer felt safe driving. One of my girlfriends drove me to the pharmacy and I had a talk with the pharmacist. The pharmacist told me to immediately stop taking it..even against the advice of my pdoc. I was shocked to hear the pharmacist tell me this.

I found another pdoc and she changed my meds right away.

If it is akathisia perhaps it will subside as your body gets used to the medication. I would keep in touch with your pdoc about what is going on. You may need to go on something to help with the symptoms. Also..please keep tabs in case the akathisia is getting really severe. The symptoms can worsen in a very short period time.

Hope you are doing well and please keep us updated.


carriel
April 15, 2013 - 9:59 pm
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carriel
Total Posts: 543
Joined: 08-06-2012
Hi Bob,

I am sorry you are not feeling well. I feel your pain with the med change! I am on my second round also.

I have never had akathisia, so I can't really speak to that. I looked it up on wiki, and it does sound like there is a definite chemical imbalance that causes it. It does sound like it would be hard to identify, unless you had the physical movements along with it.

A brief skim of the article says that it can be caused by meds that increase norepinephrine. I also searched coffee and norepinephrine, and coffee increases that as well. So even if you haven't had trouble with the coffee in the past, the coffee and the med could be playing off of one another.

I would have a very hard time cutting back on my coffee! Have you been able to do that at all?

I do agree with Persistence that it might be time to change it up a little with your activities. That could help even if it is a chemical imbalance, temporary or not.

I am a creature of habit, so I really hate it when I med causes me to change my routine. So I understand that isn't easy for some of us, either. My routine brings me comfort when I am having changes.

Hope you are doing okay. Keep posting.

Carrie


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carriel
carriel
April 15, 2013 - 9:59 pm
Hi Bob,

I am sorry you are not feeling well. I feel your pain with the med change! I am on my second round also.

I have never had akathisia, so I can't really speak to that. I looked it up on wiki, and it does sound like there is a definite chemical imbalance that causes it. It does sound like it would be hard to identify, unless you had the physical movements along with it.

A brief skim of the article says that it can be caused by meds that increase norepinephrine. I also searched coffee and norepinephrine, and coffee increases that as well. So even if you haven't had trouble with the coffee in the past, the coffee and the med could be playing off of one another.

I would have a very hard time cutting back on my coffee! Have you been able to do that at all?

I do agree with Persistence that it might be time to change it up a little with your activities. That could help even if it is a chemical imbalance, temporary or not.

I am a creature of habit, so I really hate it when I med causes me to change my routine. So I understand that isn't easy for some of us, either. My routine brings me comfort when I am having changes.

Hope you are doing okay. Keep posting.

Carrie


rjmhaley
April 16, 2013 - 10:13 am
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rjmhaley
Total Posts: 1298
Joined: 12-05-2011
I've cut down on coffee and that helps. But I think I need to see my pdoc. I have some involutary movements and think akathisia may be the cause.


Bob

I'm damned if I'll be defeated.
Spam? Offensive?
rjmhaley
rjmhaley
April 16, 2013 - 10:13 am
I've cut down on coffee and that helps. But I think I need to see my pdoc. I have some involutary movements and think akathisia may be the cause.


Bob

I'm damned if I'll be defeated.

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