Another important side effects of some bipolar medications that people need to be aware of is akathesia:  the sensation of inner restlessness, inability to sit still, or the constant need to pace.  I have personally suffered from a severe case of akathesia when I was given the medication Haldol for a severe manic episode.  For two whole weeks I was unable to sit down.  When I did sit, my legs constantly moved in a jogging motion.  I spent my days walking around the house.  I would eat standing up and walking around.  I was going out of my mind with restlessness, and the worst thing was, I had no idea what was wrong with me!  Now, I am prone to minor bouts of akathesia on other medications where it is not a common side effect such as abilify and geodon.  I also experienced something like it during benzodiazipine withdrawal.  Akithesia is a serious condition, and as my doctor informed me, the suicide rates in people who experience it are dramatically high.  For me, it was hell on earth, and I can take alot of abuse.  Luckily, people mainly experience this terrible side effect with the older antipsychotic medications (ones that most doctors don't prescribe for BP any longer) however, any antipsychotic medication can cause this effect.  If you or a loved one just can't sit still while taking one of these meds, please, call your doctor right away.  I would say go to your nearest emergency room, but in my case, they had no clue what was going on and actually gave me more Haldol to calm down....  As for the end of my story, I rushed myself over to my pdoc's office after skipping out of the ER.  He put me on Seroquel.  When I woke up (lol) the akathesia was gone.