This is the first antipsychotic i took which seems highly effective on the psych.i got nightmares especially in the beginning but that showed me that it was needed for the cure.and i keep the dosage always very low max 5 mg if you increase al the time it might wear off i dont know the exact reason but it can be like this.also the side effects decrease this way definetely.

abilifycure

USA

Abilify is a medicine prescribed by psychiatrists for patients suffering from major mental illnesses. In my case prescribed for BiPolar Depression. I had taken numerous medicines since 1988 trying to control my depression. Everything I had taken in the past made me so sleepy or feel so out of it that I couldn't function. I had been on around 100 different medicines and nothing worked. Then one of my psychiatrists prescribed Abilify. The mental health clinic gave it to me for free while I lived in that town. When I moved, the new town didn't provide free medicine. I went without for a while until I found an advertisement in a Schizophrenia magazine saying that the manufacturer would supply it for free through the mental health professional. I applied for the free medicine and received it. At the present time I can not afford to go to the mental health clinic to get the free medicine, but as soon as things get better for me I will go in for the free medicine. It keeps me from having the disturbing thoughts and allows me to sleep, but does not make me so sleepy that I can not get through the day.

carol1960

Wellford, SC

About a year and a half ago, my doctor prescribed me to abilify to treat my bipolar disorder. This drug is in a newer class of antipsychotics. It can be used to treat the mania of bipolar disorder or severe depression. For the past few years, I have seen an increasing number of advertisements for it on television as well as in magazines. Like any prescription drug that is advertised, a myriad of side effects are mentioned at the speed of light and in the finest of print. Of course, every medication has a list of possible side effects and people can also react to medications in different ways. After talking to a number of other individuals who had taken Abilify, I learned that the side effects we were all experiencing were fairly common. The very first side effects I noticed were the dry mouth and the hand tremmors. These became worse the longer I took Abilify and had a detrimental effect on my fine motor functioning. After the tremors, I noticed that my eye sight was getting worse. No matter how close or how far away I would hold whatever it was that I was reading, it was nothing but a big blur. To top these things off, i developed concentration and speaking difficulties that were very apparent. Most of the time, the side effects of a medication will wear off, but these did nothing but become worse. Abilify is the only medication that I have taken myself off of without a doctor's orders and I am glad I did. This is not to say that Abilify may not work for some people. I have spoken with others who have taken it and they did not experience the severity of symptoms I did. With Abilify being a fairly new drug, doctor's are getting preasure from the pharmaceutical companies to prescribe it more often. More consideration and caution should be exercised with Abilify. Just because a medication is brand new, that does not mean that it should be pushed upon psychiatric patients without a second thought.

celesties

Canton, OH

I was 16 years old when i started taking Abilify. I couldn't control thought patterns, had frequent mood swings, and got tired a lot. At first everyone thought I was depressed, but i tended to have frequent extreme bursts of happiness-- so the doctor decided I might be bipolar. As soon as i started taking Abilify, my entire life changed. I could concentrate better in school, I stopped being extremely hyper and then suddenly down, I wanted to be productive and proactive. I would reccommend taking the smallest dose possible, however; I started out on 5 miligrams and it made me jumpy! I now just take 2.5 milligrams a day and it is perfect to keep me under control and happy at the same time (it doesn't actually depress you like other "antidepressants" can do that i've tried.) The pills are small and blue, so they are sort of hard to see if you're older. They can also be difficult to split with a pill splitter (about three of them can fit on my pinky nail.) i am now 18 years old, by the way, and still happy with it.

gabbiet

Winston Salem, NC

I have two different experiences with Abilify. One is the fact that I use this medication myself and the other is my 6 year old daughter with psychosis who uses it. Both experiences are favorable. I use it for Tourette's Syndrome as well as depression. If i run out of it my tics become very noticeable within a couple days. I try really hard to stay on this because it makes everyday living much easier for me. My daughter is finding relief from hallucinations (both visual and auditory) by using Abilify. She was hospitalized because she had become almost 100% non functional due to her condition. After trying some medications she found the quickest relief from Abilify and now is functioning very well (she takes a couple other medications as well). People that spent time with her before the medication are very surprised at how well this worked for her. For anyone that is struggling with mental health issues I highly recommend approaching your treating doctor about the possibility of adding in Abilify. I've had no side effects, my daughter has had some nausea which seems to have resolved.

pawsalmighty

Lewiston, ME

I have been taking abilify, and lamictal for my bipolar. The abilify is helping with the depression, but it also makes you tired. When it hits bed time, you either are wide the hell awake, or so tired you cant even attempt to move around. I have mine perminentally switched to bed time to make sure that during the day Im not like a zombie.

Amandademanda

Molalla, OR

Abilify was the first antipsychotic drug I was prescribed for my bipolar with psychosis.  I was being prescribed 10 mg a day and found the medication so sedating that I found myself asleep for much of the day, waking up briefly to talk to my doctor.  It also caused me to salivate an uncontrollable amount.  My doctor should have prescribed me an anticholinergic to get rid of this side effect, but he never did.  In addition, Abilify made me sensitive to light and gave me migraines.  I was hearing voices and had delusions when hospitalized that first time.  After a few days, my delusions went away, but I continued to hear voices for some time.  Eventually those too went away and I discontinued use because of the side effects.  When I triggered another psychotic break the side effects from the medication made me think that I had taken RU 486, an abortificant.  I think there are better antipsychotics out there and that the side effects for me were not worth it.

pokumon

River Grove, IL

I was prescribed Abilify for Bi Polar.  I had terrible results.  The drug effected my system so while I was taking the drug I was diagosed with diabetes.  I also became more anxious preventing me from sitting down for anything long than a couple of minutes. I had voices more intensely. I finally had to stop taking the medication. 

Abundantistic

El Monte, CA

Abilify is a fairly new medication prescribed in addition to other antidepressants.When common antidepressant medications such as zoloft prozac or paxil are not enough doctors are adding abilify to the agenda.  Abilify is an FDA approved method of treating depression as an add-on treatment when the antidepressant medication alone is not enough.   The main component of abilifyis aripirazle usually administered in 2mg. 5 mg tablets.  While it does aid in helping symptoms of depression there are precautions and negative side effects a possiblity as with all medications.  Some of these inclue suicidal thoughts, worsening symptions,  or unusual changes in behavior.  Patients should be especially observant within the first few months of treatment and it is approved only for adults 18 and over with depression.  You can find out more about abilify at their website. Abilify is a product of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

auntcathy

Bloomfield, NJ

    Although there seem to be many side effects possible with Abilify,  I have experienced very few since my doctor prescribed it for me for bi-polar disorder.  I take it with 2 other medicines,  but it seems to be the main one for me to maintain an even mood and a calmness I have not experienced previously.  I would definitely recommend speaking to one's doctor about Abilify, for the treatment of bipolar disorder. For me the pro's outweighed the con's in taking it.  It has been wonderful for me. I haven't felt this good in a long time.  I have no mood swings.  I am very even-tempered and good-natured since I began taking Abilify in a higher dose.  My doctor recommended that I take 30 mg. once daily.  Since I have been taking it in this dose I have felt very well.  The bipolar disorder hasn't bothered me.  Of course this has not been accomplished with Abilify alone, but it has been a great help.  Without it, in my opinion, I would be lost.

missbiggie1

Colts Neck, NJ