Paradoxical Akathisia Caused by Clonazepam, Clorazepate and Lorazepam in Patients with Traumatic Encephalopathy and Seizure Disorders: A Subtype of Benzodiazepine-Induced Disinhibition?

Akathisia is frequently reported to be caused by neuroleptic drugs and sometimes by certain other agents such as fluoxetine. Benzodiazepines are a common treatment. The principal mechanism of akathisia is thought to be neurochemical, probably dopaminergic with serotonin also playing an important rol...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: A. B. Joseph, B. A. Wroblewski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1993-01-01
Series:Behavioural Neurology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/BEN-1993-6408
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832547673095274496
author A. B. Joseph
B. A. Wroblewski
author_facet A. B. Joseph
B. A. Wroblewski
author_sort A. B. Joseph
collection DOAJ
description Akathisia is frequently reported to be caused by neuroleptic drugs and sometimes by certain other agents such as fluoxetine. Benzodiazepines are a common treatment. The principal mechanism of akathisia is thought to be neurochemical, probably dopaminergic with serotonin also playing an important role. It is not usually thought to be related to benzodiazepine-caused disinhibition. Four episodes of atypical or paradoxical benzodiazepine-induced akathisia in three patients are reported and analyzed. All four episodes of akathisia were atypical because they were caused by clonazepam, clorazepate, or lorazepam. In one patient neither thiothixene nor lorazepam caused akathisia, but clonazepam and clorazepate did. In another patient both lorazepam and fluoxetine caused akathisia. It is also noted that all three patients had a history of traumatic brain injury and seizure disorder. The data support the hypothesis that atypical benzodiazepine-induced akathisia exists. Its mechanism may be different from neuroleptic-induced akathisia, but may still involve serotonergic systems or the forced normalization phenomenon. The similarity of these cases to reports of benzodiazepine-induced disinhibition raises the possibility that in some patients they may be the same entity.
format Article
id doaj-art-d7c0089312be45a79625ec99839d0dd0
institution Kabale University
issn 0953-4180
1875-8584
language English
publishDate 1993-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Behavioural Neurology
spelling doaj-art-d7c0089312be45a79625ec99839d0dd02025-02-03T06:43:54ZengWileyBehavioural Neurology0953-41801875-85841993-01-016422122310.3233/BEN-1993-6408Paradoxical Akathisia Caused by Clonazepam, Clorazepate and Lorazepam in Patients with Traumatic Encephalopathy and Seizure Disorders: A Subtype of Benzodiazepine-Induced Disinhibition?A. B. Joseph0B. A. Wroblewski1McLean Hospital, Belmont, Center for Neurobehavioral Rehabilitation, Waltham, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USAGreenery Rehabilitation Center, Boston, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USAAkathisia is frequently reported to be caused by neuroleptic drugs and sometimes by certain other agents such as fluoxetine. Benzodiazepines are a common treatment. The principal mechanism of akathisia is thought to be neurochemical, probably dopaminergic with serotonin also playing an important role. It is not usually thought to be related to benzodiazepine-caused disinhibition. Four episodes of atypical or paradoxical benzodiazepine-induced akathisia in three patients are reported and analyzed. All four episodes of akathisia were atypical because they were caused by clonazepam, clorazepate, or lorazepam. In one patient neither thiothixene nor lorazepam caused akathisia, but clonazepam and clorazepate did. In another patient both lorazepam and fluoxetine caused akathisia. It is also noted that all three patients had a history of traumatic brain injury and seizure disorder. The data support the hypothesis that atypical benzodiazepine-induced akathisia exists. Its mechanism may be different from neuroleptic-induced akathisia, but may still involve serotonergic systems or the forced normalization phenomenon. The similarity of these cases to reports of benzodiazepine-induced disinhibition raises the possibility that in some patients they may be the same entity.http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/BEN-1993-6408
spellingShingle A. B. Joseph
B. A. Wroblewski
Paradoxical Akathisia Caused by Clonazepam, Clorazepate and Lorazepam in Patients with Traumatic Encephalopathy and Seizure Disorders: A Subtype of Benzodiazepine-Induced Disinhibition?
Behavioural Neurology
title Paradoxical Akathisia Caused by Clonazepam, Clorazepate and Lorazepam in Patients with Traumatic Encephalopathy and Seizure Disorders: A Subtype of Benzodiazepine-Induced Disinhibition?
title_full Paradoxical Akathisia Caused by Clonazepam, Clorazepate and Lorazepam in Patients with Traumatic Encephalopathy and Seizure Disorders: A Subtype of Benzodiazepine-Induced Disinhibition?
title_fullStr Paradoxical Akathisia Caused by Clonazepam, Clorazepate and Lorazepam in Patients with Traumatic Encephalopathy and Seizure Disorders: A Subtype of Benzodiazepine-Induced Disinhibition?
title_full_unstemmed Paradoxical Akathisia Caused by Clonazepam, Clorazepate and Lorazepam in Patients with Traumatic Encephalopathy and Seizure Disorders: A Subtype of Benzodiazepine-Induced Disinhibition?
title_short Paradoxical Akathisia Caused by Clonazepam, Clorazepate and Lorazepam in Patients with Traumatic Encephalopathy and Seizure Disorders: A Subtype of Benzodiazepine-Induced Disinhibition?
title_sort paradoxical akathisia caused by clonazepam clorazepate and lorazepam in patients with traumatic encephalopathy and seizure disorders a subtype of benzodiazepine induced disinhibition
url http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/BEN-1993-6408
work_keys_str_mv AT abjoseph paradoxicalakathisiacausedbyclonazepamclorazepateandlorazepaminpatientswithtraumaticencephalopathyandseizuredisordersasubtypeofbenzodiazepineinduceddisinhibition
AT bawroblewski paradoxicalakathisiacausedbyclonazepamclorazepateandlorazepaminpatientswithtraumaticencephalopathyandseizuredisordersasubtypeofbenzodiazepineinduceddisinhibition