Hello! This is a reprint of the latest bipolarhappens.com newsletter. Please note on the newsletter that I said a friend had trouble because she went off Abilify too slowly! I naturally meant she had trouble because she went off too quickly.
All About Abilify
Abilify is an anti- psychotic used to treat bipolar disorder psychosis as well as bipolar psychotic mania. Abilify is also known by the name aripiprazole (try saying that three times fast!) Anti psychotics are also called neuroleptics.
Abilify is considered an atypical anti-psychotic as it has less side effects than the older anti psychotics such as Haldol and Thorazine. It is also supposed to cause less weight gain.
This is a good thing as one of the side effects of drugs such as other the atypical anti-psychotics Risperdal and Zyprexa is weight gain!
In terms of side effects, Abilify can be sedating like many anti-psychotics- but it can also be agitating. This is a somewhat uncommon side effect for this type of drug as anti- psychotics are known to cause a lot of tiredness.
Akathisia: A friend of mine tried Abilify a few months ago and had an extreme reaction called akathisia – which is defined as a syndrome characterized by unpleasant sensations of “inner” restlessness that manifests itself with an inability to sit still or remain motionless. She had to go off the med- but when she tried to go down too quickly, the akathisia got so intense she had to go back up on her dose. She and her doctor monitored the reduction of the Abilify very carefully. She is now stabilized on Zyprexa.
I have akathisia when my Lamictal dose is off. It’s terrible. You know it when you have it as it feels like your body is trying to turn inside out. I get a lot of twitching with it as well. I’m actually going through it right now as I messed up my Lamictal a few weeks ago. Not fun. I am back to a regular dose and hope it goes away soon! (My mistake was going out of town for the weekend and not bringing enough Lamictal with me.)
Luckily, there is a lot of good news about Abilify- the drug is successful for many people. I hear far more positive stories about the drug than negative stories.
All psychiatric drugs have pros and cons. If your doctor suggests Abilify- there is much you can do to make sure it’s the right drug for you.
- Talk with your doctor about microdosing- if it’s appropriate (it depends on your level of psychosis/mania at the time) you can start with small doses of Abilify so that your body can acclimate to the drug with less side effects. You can’t do this on your own, so make sure you work with a doctor.
- Keep a side effects journal- it may be that the drug helps more than it hurts. In other words, living with some side effects may be worth it at first. The side effects often get better with time.
- If you have akathisia symptoms- talk with your doctor immediately- this agitation means your dose is not correct. You don’t have to live with excessive side effects.
And finally, DO NOT EVER GO OFF ABILIFY ON YOUR OWN. I can’t stress this enough. All of us who have tried to reduce our meds on our own regret it. These are very serious drugs and we need professional help to make sure we are on the right drugs and right doses.
Abilify may be a wonderful drug for you- it just takes homework and questions to find out what to expect.
Julie
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July 1, 2009
I had the worst experience of my life on Abilify. First I had a mania as high as I had ever had. I was on top of the world, never felt so good and went on quite the spending spree. After that, I had akathesia so bad that I started cutting myself severely and ended up hospitalized for the first time.
The only reason I know it was Abilify is that I had taken it a few months before and started to get a little too happy so my doctor waited a little while and then put me on a much lesser dose. Both times I cut myself which I had never done in my life. At the time, I didn’t even know people did such a thing.
Now, I take Depakote and Lamictal. Guess someone always has to be in that 15% or whatever number statistics say will have severe side effects. Lucky me! I’m doing well now and that’s what counts!
KAT
I tried Abilify and had a series of very intolerable side effects. Severe twitching, hand shaking, inability to stay still. This meant that I was also unable to sleep and became increasingly agitated and over-tired over time which led to my also becoming increasingly anxious.
My Psychiatrist has tried the conventional series of line and second line treatments of medications. He told me that I have had no positive response to any treatment with the exception of ECT. At my last appointment, he suggested I try Abilify again as I was running out of options. I have declined to do this and have been unmedicated for 3 months. All the literature says it is unsafe to use lifestyle modification in the absence of meds. However, after 3 years, I have been unable to source the right meds and actually have felt more in control of my illness and symptoms off medication than at any other time. Any comments? Colette