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Antidepressant-related akathisia.
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
|August 1, 1987
Summary
Antidepressants can cause akathisia, a movement disorder, in patients not taking antipsychotics. This rare condition often responds to treatments used for antipsychotic-induced akathisia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
- Movement Disorders
Background:
- Akathisia is a common side effect of antipsychotic medications.
- The differential diagnosis of akathisia can be challenging.
- Idiopathic akathisia is a diagnosis of exclusion.
Observation:
- Five neuroleptic-free patients presented with akathisia.
- These patients were administered antidepressant medications.
- The akathisia observed was clinically indistinguishable from idiopathic or neuroleptic-induced akathisia.
Findings:
- Antidepressant administration can induce akathisia in susceptible individuals.
- Various antidepressants may trigger this side effect.
- Individual patient susceptibility may be specific to certain antidepressant agents.
Implications:
- Antidepressant-induced akathisia is a distinct clinical entity.
- This syndrome appears rarer than neuroleptic-induced akathisia.
- Established treatments for neuroleptic-induced akathisia may effectively manage antidepressant-related akathisia.