Our recent ad in Psychotherapy Networker reaches thousands of clinicians to further akathisia awareness. Akathisia 101 is open to ALL and offers 1 CME. Take the course at MISSD.LearnUpon.com.

Akathisia, anxiety, and suicidality induced by weight-loss drug, Ozempic? Psychiatric adverse effects are being reported by people taking Ozempic. One woman who tried to strangle herself had “hypomanic-type symptoms,” said Dr. Shahan Syed, of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. “That resulted in [what] could be akathisia, could be restlessness, but subsequently anxiety is the biggest factor that tips us over the edge doing something impulsive, which this patient particularly did.”

Read the full article at https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/apa/109972?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2024-05-05&eun=g2250117d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%20Evening%202024-05-05&utm_term=NL_Daily_DHE_dual-gmail-definition&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0IDe1fAOnfjzBiP6O-paJH67RyCWsuj–pBEnD-2BiK2xd6dZyHj4dfy0_aem_AYjuh6nkJatw8x2NStmNBJ0oOH9lFJXT0X1er53Dde7fxCkyvMEHPGVTwCGU2xv8p6fW0D4jZbhCx7VqG5_OXP-p.

Suicide prevention programs that don’t ask about prescription drugs are turning a blind eye to iatrogenic harm and death. This excellent article shows how akathisia can be caused by one supposedly “harmless” prescription and then lead to years of a harmful prescribing cascade, misdiagnoses, and avoidable harm.

“There is a worrying lack of awareness among healthcare professionals about the side-effects.” Read the full article at https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13336857/sectioned-tranquiliser-anxiety-triggered-frightening-psychosis-worst-ordeal-doctors.html and sign the petition at antidepressantrisks.org.

A recent RxISK.org article explores treatment-induced Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD). Improving our understanding of PPPD, which is associated with SSRIs, “may shed light on akathisia, a lethal ‘emotional’ effect” associated with SSRIs. In many cases dizziness coincided with suicidal agitation.”

If you think you might have PPPD, submit a report at RxISK.org to increase our understanding of PPPD and akathisia. For more information about PPPD, see https://rxisk.org/balancing-our-bodies-and-our-selves/ and the associated links included in the article.

Beth was prescribed Cipralex during a difficult time in her life but took it for over 4 years without any doctor reviewing the continued need. Soon she suffered akathisia and said she “started developing severe panic attacks, worsening anxiety and depression. I was also extremely emotionally numb and had no fear response.” Her doctors responded by increasing the drug dose which increased the severity of akathisia. Read more at https://www.antidepressantrisks.org/stolen-lives/bethany.

We were pleased to reach thousands of mental health professionals attending the Washington, DC Psychotherapy Networker Symposium. Every year the conference is the same time as National Adverse Drug Event Awareness Day–an appropriate opportunity to spotlight both. Read our press release at https://www.einpresswire.com/article/698433046/akathisia-awareness-can-improve-patient-safety-by-preventing-medication-harms.

MISSD is pleased to reach thousands of clinicians attending the annual Psychotherapy Networker Conference. Akathisia awareness is on the rise given that many attendees had some familiarity with the term compared to previous years when few had ever heard of this critical medication-induced disorder.

Katinka Newman, author of the “Pill that Steals Lives” has an excellent website, Antidepressantrisks.org, that provides general info and resources. There is also a “Stolen Lives” section where people can share their own stories of prescribed harm. Relatives of those who died antidepressant-induced deaths can also post stories. We can learn much from the lived experiences of others.

“Failing to de-prescribe a benzodiazepine like Klonopin or Ativan can be harmful because these drugs can have adverse, though reversible, cognitive effects, like impaired memory and focus. They can also slow reflexes and increase the risk of falling, which is potentially hazardous for older people,” said psychiatrist, Dr. Friedman, in a recent Washington Post article about stopping psychiatric drugs.

Read more at https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/03/07/deprescribing-stopping-psychiatric-medications/?carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3cfd8b2%2F65e9f6ed0fa79a3a2e7f89b2%2F654b257a4aedb46329a056a3%2F35%2F54%2F65e9f6ed0fa79a3a2e7f89b2&wpisrc=nl_most.

The asthma drug, Singular, can cause akathisia and precipitate medication-induced depression, violence, and suicide. Reports show these serious risks may be higher among children. The New York Attorney General is seeking stronger warnings on Singular.

Parent reports include a 14 year old who increasingly suffered neuropsychic and physical symptoms: “She spent increasing amounts of time in my bed due to nightmares, she became fearful that she would be murdered in her bed and she took to sleeping with a knife under her pillow.”

Another parent reported, “[f]or an entire year, my family was on suicide watch for a 10-year-old boy who screamed daily in fits of anger, sadness, and depression ‘I want to die,’ ‘just kill me,’ ‘I’m so stupid and I don’t want to live anymore,’ and ‘my brain is telling me I’m dumb and I don’t deserve to live.’ Kicking. Hitting. Screaming. Hiding under covers in fits of tears.” Read more at https://www.pharmexec.com/view/ny-ag-fda-safety-labeling-singulair.