When I was on Tegretol, I had a lot of trouble with my eyes. I lost my depth of perception! I actually wore an eye patch for awhile in order to walk without tripping.

 So, if you’re on Tegretol and have trouble with your eyes. It’s normal. Not cool, but normal.

 Julie

================================

You may have noticed that many people with bipolar disorder take Abilify.  

 Abilify is an antipsychotic medication- also known as a neuroleptic. It’s a newer antipsychotic, so it’s called an atypical anti psychotic! Whew. It, along with the other atypicals such as Risperdal and Zyprexa have less side effects than the older drugs such as Thorazine and Haldol.

 This doesn’t mean they don’t have major side effects. They still do, but they’re easier to tolerate for many people.

 The main plus of Abilify is that it doesn’t seem to have the weight gain problems associated with drugs such as Zyprexa and Risperdal.  That is a plus.  On the down side, Abilify can be extremely sedating for some (ME!) or very agitating for others (my friend Sherri).

 It’s always a trade off. Abilify can help with mania and suicidal thoughts.

 Many people with bipolar disorder take anti psychotics. They just aren’t talked about as much as the mood stabilizers!

 julie

I just can’t seem to get my Lamictal regulated. I have had trouble remembering if I have taken my meds! It’s ridiculous. I’ve been taking this drug for three years! Why on earth would I suddenly have dosage problems?
Our bodies change over time- they change with stress too.

 I’m going back to my measured medication box- the one that says Monday, Tuesday, etc on it.  I have to get back on track as the withdrawal symptoms are really, really painful!  I’m twitching and jerking pretty badly.

I wonder if you have medication problems? Many people do. A friend of mine just went off his antidepressants- but he did well. Another friend is reducing her anti psychotic- but she had to stop for a while to let her body acclimate to the lower dose. It’s all about the liver!

 Julie

Hi Julie,

Recently, my daughter switched from Risperdal to Abilify. I am hoping Abilify will be good for her, contrary to what I have heard. Do you have any information regarding the success of bipolar people on Abilify?
T.

Hi T.

Risperdal and Abilify are anti psychotic drugs. They are often used in the treatment of bipolar disorder. If a person is really manic or psychotic and has to go to the hospital, anti psychotic are often use to get the person to come down from the mania and psychosis. The dose is often very high. When my partner Ivan was so sick in 1994, he was immediately put on anti psychotics and mood stabilizers just to get him out of the mania, so this is common.

What a person takes depends on their symptoms. Many people with bipolar disorder do well on a mood stabilizer such as Lithium. I do well on a depression, rapid cycling prevention drug like Lamictal. I can’t take anti psychotics due to side effects. Anti psychotics are often used in combination with other bipolar disorder treatment drugs.

Abilify is a relatively new anti psychotic and is known to have less side effects than some other well known drugs such as Zyprexa, especially in terms of weight gain. This doesn’t mean it’s a better drug than Zyprexa- just that it’s a good choice for many who gain too much weight.

Abilify can be agitating, so that has to be watched. It just makes me sleep!

What matters is that the drug works. Finding a right dose can take a lot of time. It’s a balance between effectiveness and side effects.

So, this is a long answer to a short question- yes, people with bipolar disorder use Abilify. It works for many. It is not a treatment for depression, nor is it a traditional anti manic drug. It is mainly for psychosis.

I suggest your daughter uses her Health Cards for psychosis and sees if the drug helps.

Your daughter has to make sure she is on all of the right meds.

She is so lucky to have a mother who looks out for her!

Julie

I’m going to do a blog series on the meds used to treat bipolar disorder. I’ve done something similar in past entries- but this time, I’m going to talk about side effects and withdrawal possibilities.

 I have a friend who had a reaction to Abilify and is now having pretty severe withdrawal symptoms to Zyprexa. This doesn’t mean the drugs are bad. It just means that getting off them has to be done very carefully!

 I recently wrote about missing three doses of my Lamictal in one week (stupid!)- I had a week of bad withdrawal symptoms and I only missed a few doses. Imagine what your body is going through if you reduce the meds!

 My first topic will be mood stabilizers- here is  quiz- what is a mood stabilizer?

The only true mood stabilizer is lithium. There are three others used as mood stabilizers- though they were not originally created for bipolar disorder: Depakote, Tegretol and Lamictal.   Lithium, Depakote and Tegretol are basicall anti mania drugs. Lamictal works especially well for depression, psychosis and rapid cycling.

 If you are familiar with my work, you know how I feel about Lamictal. It changed my life.

 I will write more soon.

 Julie