Does restlessness/sleeplessness with antipsychotics get less?

[Marmotta838]

Hi all, Mother had a bad reaction to Olanzapine/Zyprexa - couldn't stop moving and getting up all night - when she finally had a few hours sleep her legs were still moving in her sleep. We stopped it. Then by chance I was staying there overnight and the CH gave it to her by accident. I finally figured this out at 2 am when she had been restless/sleepless again and I asked the nurse. The issue is, her anxiety has been somewhat improved each time a couple of days after - so I'm wondering if these side effects decrease - anyone else had this experience? We're wondering whether to trial it again - psychogeriatrician said we can but I certainly don't want to experience going through it again - someone else can sleep on the floor this time!

Also.... has anyone tried Trazodone? Any good or does it cause a lot of dizziness? Thanks.....

 

[Toddleo]

Hi all, Mother had a bad reaction to Olanzapine/Zyprexa - couldn't stop moving and getting up all night - when she finally had a few hours sleep her legs were still moving in her sleep. We stopped it. Then by chance I was staying there overnight and the CH gave it to her by accident. I finally figured this out at 2 am when she had been restless/sleepless again and I asked the nurse. The issue is, her anxiety has been somewhat improved each time a couple of days after - so I'm wondering if these side effects decrease - anyone else had this experience? We're wondering whether to trial it again - psychogeriatrician said we can but I certainly don't want to experience going through it again - someone else can sleep on the floor this time!

Also.... has anyone tried Trazodone? Any good or does it cause a lot of dizziness? Thanks.....

Hi there. Yes, it's called Akathesia - the overwhelming compulsion to move about, and it is overwhelming.
Mum developed it as a side affect of the Risperidone. She was taken off of it immediately and put on Trazadone as this should apparently target the need to move about. Sadly it had no effect on mum, and her fall risk is incredibly high, it looks like she's drunk!

She has since been put on Amilsulpride, still takes Trazadone and is still moving around constantly with the Akathesia symptoms.

I suppose different things work for different folks though, and maybe your mum may have better success on the Trazadone.

 

[Marmotta838]

Restlessness/akathesia and Benedryl

Hi there. Yes, it's called Akathesia - the overwhelming compulsion to move about, and it is overwhelming.
Mum developed it as a side affect of the Risperidone. She was taken off of it immediately and put on Trazadone as this should apparently target the need to move about. Sadly it had no effect on mum, and her fall risk is incredibly high, it looks like she's drunk!

She has since been put on Amilsulpride, still takes Trazadone and is still moving around constantly with the Akathesia symptoms.

I suppose different things work for different folks though, and maybe your mum may have better success on the Trazadone.

Hi Toddleo,

Many thanks for sharing your experiences - although they sound pretty dreadful. Wouldn't you think they could find something else/some other combination/lower the dosage to reduce this distressing symptom.

Wondering if anyone here has had success with antipsychotics as in the akathesia settled down after a while? Anyone tried any other medications to reduce it? I've heard Benadryl (US one) can reduce the symptoms of it and help sleep but if you look up the side effects of it they are also not pleasant.....

 

[Tin]

Akathesia, is a big problem for my mum, especially in the past when most medication we have tried has set it off big time! Trazadone was the 2nd anti depressant that we tried and it did help with anxiety, but made her dizzy, so mixed with the restlessness she would fall. The 2 things that I have tried to ease for mum have been Akathesia and anxiety separation, so far we have not done it.

Mum is back on Mirtazapine, in a hope that it will help her settle at night, because she is up and down every night after only 1 hours sleep and she goes to bed very late, 2 years ago this was normal behaviour and the only anti depressant that helped was Flouxetine, only for a few months though before the intense restlessness started and would only stop when she went to bed around midnight, up at 6am and she was all over the place again.

I think I have tried everything to ease mum into night time sleep and stay asleep, some have worked but then, BANG, the side effects that are sometimes harder to deal with.

Now, back on Mirtazapine with a prescription for sleeping pill and Lorazapam when needed.

Gp and memory doctor have both told me that mum's symptoms are normal for late stages of Dementia and it really is just a case of keep trying till we have something that works.

 

[WORRIER123]

Dad was on a measure of trazadone liquid and one amitriptylene before bed. He would constantly have hallucinations and bad dreams and keep waking up.
We stopped the trazadone and now he only has amitriptylene.
He has the odd dream and sleeps a lot longer to 6am ish so he is better off it