Antidepressant Abilify Information

Antidepressant Abilify Facts

Questions and Answers

can the antidepressant abilify be taken with prozac? I am bi-polar and handicapped, depression get's worse when fighting depression with chronic pain.Can abilify be taken with prozac,lexapro e.t.c.?

Katherinee replied: "you should talk to your doctor about taking medication with other medication its important, some drugs react to eachother Please answer mine its INCREDIBLY important"

do you know me? replied: "I'm pretty sure it is a supplemental anti depressent so yes. But dont take my word for it ask a doctor"

Tweek replied: "You can mix those but never mix sleeping medicine with bipolar medicine like lithium it may cause seizures"

purplebell replied: "The only people to take advice from about your medications should be your prescribing doctor or your pharmacist filling the scripts at your chemist. Mixing your meds can be dangerous & sometimes fatal. PLEASE don't start messing with your meds til you have talked it through with a qualified health professional."

Unload the Clip replied: "When they use abilify for depression it is in a situation where a person is already taking an SSRI and they still have symptoms of depression. That is when the abilify is added to knock out remaining symptoms. You can take any of those drugs you mentioned, prozac, paxil, lexapro, with the abilify"

Has anyone tried the antidepressant Abilify? I am having problems with its side effects. I get very restless? and jittery, like my blood is boiling internally. Does this side effect go away, or is it permanent?

gjkishere replied: "If this bothers you get on something else--there's so many good anti-depressants that no one should have to settle for unpleasant side-effects."

jackyt07 replied: "You seriously need to speak to your doctor about your side effects they can be something serious"

indigojerk replied: "Abilify is not an antidepressant (chemically, anyways). It is an "atypical antipsychotic", the new generation of antipsychotic drugs. Nonetheless, it is sometimes used as an antidepressant, or combined with one, for treatment of difficult depression. The sensation you are having is called "akathisia". It is a sense of inner tension, anxiety, and restlessness, often combined with physical symptoms such as constant foot-tapping, hand-wringing, and even pacing back and forth. For many, akathisia is the worst emotion they have ever experienced, worse than the blackest depression or most florid, angry mania. I had akathisia on an antipsychotic, and it was horrendous (I've been through many black depressions, too). Akathisia normally resolves with stopping the drug, and my experience with stopping Zyprexa (a fellow atypical antipsychotic) has supported this (at least in my case). It is difficult to stop akathisia without withdrawing the drug; some doctors have had luck treating patients with the addition of another med, such as a beta blocker (e.g., Inderal), benzodiazepine (e.g., Valium), or anticholinergic (e.g., Benadryl). hope this helps"

Doh! replied: "First off, abilify is not an antidepressant. The side effect you are experiencing is not that uncommon with abilify and similar medications. Most likely you are having what is called Akathisia. It can go away quickly in some people but sometimes it does not so the answer is to talk to your doctor asap and either stop the medication if you can't tolerate it or there are medications that will stop or lessen the side effects that they could prescribe. Good luck."

Who takes Abilify along with another antidepressant? How is it helping you? Not helping? What happened to you after taking it. Do you feel like you cannot sit still and need to keep moving and working and moving around? This is what is happening to me. I cannot sit still. I go crazy and do different things keep moving.

Proud American replied: "Talk to your Psychiatrist that is Rxing it to you. There are other options. Abilify is a mood stablilizer. Possibly you are bi-polar. You may still have some mania going on. You don't say what else you are on. So really can't give you an answer other than talk to your doctor"

Lindsay S replied: "i used to take abilify depakote and lithium bicarbonate. the combo worked very well for me. but then again i was on the lowest dose possible for abilify. defiantely talk to your doctor. i have been on so many medications and combos you wouldnt believe it. but it takes time to find the right one. Have you been diagnosed bipolar?"

Jo Anne J replied: "Abilify is a mood stabilizer, not an antidepressant. It can work in conjunction with an antidepressant if you are bipolar. That is how I take it. I take Cymbalta for depression/fibromyalgia and Abilify for mood swings. I also take Klonipin for anxiety attacks. There are other mood stabilizers out there. I took Seroquel for a while, which worked wonderfully, but I was not satisfied with the weight gain that came with it."

Andy replied: "The feelings that you cannot keep still and need to keep moving and working and moving around is what I believe is called akathisia. I had that on Abilify and had to switch medications. There are 3 things that can be done when you have akathisia. You can 1, reduce the dosage of Abilify (but not too low where your symptoms return), 2, add a side effect medication (called anti-anticholinergics) such as Cogentin or Artane, and 3, change the medication. I couldn't handle the akathisia. It got too out of control for me so I changed medications. I'm bipolar though and not taking it with an antidepressant so I can't comment there but I'm feeling much better now. Do contact the doctor and let him/her know what is going on. He/she should be able to come up with a plan on how to reduce/eliminate this side effect. I wish you best of luck..."

Has anyone tried the Abilify along with your antidepressant to help your depression? I am on 5 mg. and it was working great and then it's like someone unplugged me again. Samaraui, you don't have the credentials to make that analyzation.

lil bit replied: "That happened with me too - at each increase too. BUT it really prevents me from being exhausted all the time and also helps with obsessive worry. So, even if it did seem to work "great" in the beginning - it's still been the best med for me"

Samurai replied: "Do yourself a favor: Google: the harmful effects of fluoride and what it does, and how it is used to "dumb people down" Now, google what anti-depressants are made of."

JoseyRam replied: "It made me gain weight and didn't do much for me. But I know it has helped a ton of people, and maybe they don't have the dosage right yet?"

Mercedes Herrera replied: "Yes. Abilify is actually MORE effective if you combine it WITH one more anti-depressant. It works well. Why not try Abilify by itself and go to 10mg. ? I read that it takes like 6 weeks to get the full positive effects. Good luck."

NightShifty22 replied: "I'm on Abilify, but I use it for psychotic symptoms. It might be used to help with major depression (which is one source of psychotic symptoms) but I'm not sure. Anyways, it took a couple of months for it to "kick in". It was good for a while, and then I started to feel like crap again. But it really worked for me during that short while. Good results. Also, don't raise it too high or you'll -literally- turn into a zombie. I learned that the hard way.10 mg's is what I recommend. I would wait a couple of months for it to have -drastic- effects. Good luck."

Does it matter how much Abilify I take to help Zoloft (antidepressant) work better? I used to take 5 mg of Abilify but went down to 2.5 mg because of a side effect of muscle spasms that I cannot stand or function with. I suspect that might be why my depression is getting worse? If that's the case, then would an even high dosage than 5 mg help with the depression? (I'm open to the idea of taking Benztropine to counteract the muscle spasms.)

lil bit replied: "Yes, you may want to try it. I take 10 mg of Abilify along with another anti-depressant. Abilify has been the best in fighting fatigue (residual depression)"

shaneris5 replied: "Check out medications at: * & & & & A medication interactions function is here* See: MEDICATIONS INTERACT: DANGERS OF MEDICATION INTERACTIVITY! in section 81, at Drugs.com - Abilify: Side Effects of This Medicine Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Check with your healthcare professional immediately if any of the following side effects occur: More common Difficulty speaking; drooling; loss of balance control; muscle trembling, jerking, or stiffness; restlessness; shuffling walk; stiffness of limbs; twisting movements of body; uncontrolled movements, especially of face, neck, and back ~~~ You are already suffering the side effects of one medication, and the risks of interactions multiply with every new one added. There are alternatives to Abilify, but your mental health care provider may be receiving an incentive to prescribe, or have a close relationship with the drug co. I suggest that you check out: MEDICATIONS. SHOULD NEUROLEPTICS USE BE RESTRICTED? and, although Abilify is not an antidepressant, also see: ANTIDEPRESSANT USE, in section 1, at ezy build. A multidimensional treatment for depression is shown is section 2, at ezy build; see page R first, and: DEPRESSION: PAGE Z.2 - DRUG TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION IS WRONG! Eventually, read the rest of the section. Schizophreniform disorders are addressed in section 40, and bipolar disorder in section 10, with non medication based alternative, and complementary treatments shown."

Ahorn replied: "I would recommend you to watch following DVD that is available online if you have fast internet. It's told by psychiatrists, psychologists and people who worked for pharmaceutical companies. It informs you - beside other things - about side effects that are not often being told by psychiatrists. It also suggests an alternative in the end. When you then make a decision to take antidepressants, you may be better prepared, educated and understand what's going on when you encounter some bad side effects. I would say that these information are actually vital. The link sounds a little scary - that’s because many antidepressants have suicidal thoughts and impulses as side effects which you can also read inside the pack of some antidepressants. Watch trailer 1:55 min The whole DVD Fox News about pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly (Prozac and others) 3:36 min"

Adding Abilify to your current antidepressant? I am wondering if anyone has done this yet; it has just been approved by the FDA as possibly boosting the effectiveness of an SSRI or SSNRI. If you have, how is it working for you? I'm the son of a Doctorate in Pharmacy and am a PharmTech myself, so I'm kind of skeptical about adding something that could negate the effects of an antidepressant (Abilify is an antipsychotic). But I have heard that it modifies dopamine and serotonin receptors, instead of completely blocking them like others in the atypical antipsychotic class. Please elaborate and use technical terms, perhaps I could understand an explanation better that way.

Vernazza replied: "Why would it negate the anti depressant? All I know is I take Seroquel and Lexapro and think they are both incredible medications."

el1116 replied: "Abilify made me gain 30 lbs, I did not like it. I took seroquel as a replacement for my night time anxiety along with zoloft and I thought it worked wonderfully. Beforehand I was on lexapro and abilify concurrently and I started having full body tremors and had to be rushed to the ER, me and all extra 30lbs. The lexapro and abilify did not help my depression or anxiety. Sorry there are not many technical terms but I thought I'd share a personal experience."

Janaki G replied: ". i am please write in full words not SSI ssnri. people seeing this site may not be connected with pharmacy or psychologists only,anti depressant in more doses increases serotonin effect which is good for depressed persons. why do want to poor depressed and psychotics dear son?they may become violent and harm you. please be careful"

YA Junkie replied: "The 2nd answer just goes to show the idiosyncratic nature of psych meds. I put on 20 poounds in 2 months with seroquel. Plus I developed edema and hip pain. Goodbye to seroquel. Also, I doubt it was the abilify that added the 30 pounds for that answerer. Lexapro has more of a reputation for weight gain. Maybe it was the combo of lexapro and abilify that added the weight. Abilify has NOT caused any weight gain for me. On to my case study. I am on abilify, lamictal, cymbalta and klonopin for chronic major depression. None of the SSRIs or SNRIs helped me with depression. Klonopin helps me to sleep, but lamictal was the first psych med that had any impact on my depression. Then it started to konk out after about 5 months. My shrink first thought of adding more lamictal and then changed his mind. Besides a small dose of lamictal, he added abilify, saying he had seen impressive results for it as a booster drug for depression. The addition of abilify has so far (about 9 months) been VERY helpful. I don't understand why you think an antipsychotic like abilify would negate the effects of an AD. However, I guess you have your technical reasons. Sorry but the only big biological & scientific terms I know are elephant, whale, tyrannosaurus rex, and the universe :=)"

Is abilify an antipsychotic or an antidepressant? and if it is an antipsychotic then why can it be used in conjunction with an antidepressant?

Trojan8408 replied: "It is an antidepressant that is normally put with another as an amplifier."

Cut Throat B**** replied: "I don't know what it is but I took it with an antidepressant. I had to stop because it didn't really work but it does work for lots of people."

kenalou replied: "antidepressant"

Mom2Chase replied: "Abilify is prescribed for a variety of reasons. It can be used for depression, bipolar, schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. You can visit for more information."

Taking Abilify for BiPolar and still depressed. Anybody know of an antidepressant that works well for BiPolar? or a combination of medications that works on the depression and keeps you from going into the manic? The doctor I go to is open to suggestions.

Sunshine replied: "Take herbs or yoga instead of medication just a thought"

Ferrari Babe replied: "How long have you been taking it? Most antidepressants take around three weeks before they start to work. Exercise is the best natural source of endorphins and really does help you feel less depressed."

mggr8g replied: "EFA's are recommended among other nutrients"

doug k replied: "My psych doc met with me last week and was telling me about some new research that suggests that Wellbutrin can be effective on a short-term basis for bipolar depression. She wants me to think about trying it in case I begin to crash as winter approaches. I'm actually kind of scared of the idea - I've had too many experiences with antidepressants flipping me into a mania. And, for me, the one thing worse than being depressed is being out of control manic. Anyhow, I'd thought I'd pass that on to you. We all react in different ways to meds. My best wishes to you. Good luck!"

marija b replied: "As Ferrary babe said - it takes about three weeks for most antidepressant to work. Wellibrutin is a great option if you want a quick fix, but if you are bp1 ti would probably turn you to mania. It helped me a lot, but I had to get of it a month later coz in a matter of few moments I went from being totally depressed and anxious for months - to totally happy and energetic - and I am bp2, I don't cycle in one or two days, my cycles last for months at a time. My pdoc wants me to get on Paxil, when I start getting down the next time - which we suspect it will be a month from now. She thinks it is good for depression, not many side effects and doesn't cause mania! Good luck!"

AM i the only person in the world who have felt a stimulant like antidepressant effect from abilify? generically Aripiprazole? Actually almost immediately I became energised and considerably less depressed on ABILIFY

Ms Cat replied: "Abilify is actually an anti psychotic but it does have activating properties. They are using it for people who don't get enough relief from anti depressants. Some people do become sedated from it but lower doses will make you less depressed. It's very common."

How is Abilify alone for depression? I've heard of Abilify being used with antidepressants for depression but because of the bipolar/mania risk, I can no longer take antidepressants, but Abilify I am currently on 5mg. How good is Abilify alone for depression? Does anyone here take Abilify by itself for depression? How does it work for you?

stickyfingeredurchin replied: "I was on it for a while , as I understood it is an anti-psychotic and I was just on it at the time to stop me getting manic. I have never had any medication aimed at the depression side of things, ,just the manic though I actually have manic depression. I was on 5mg for about a year and a half and didn't really notice any side effects. I stopped taking meds of any kind a couple of years ago. It had the least effects of anything I've taken ,I couldn't really say that it cheered me up though!"

American Women replied: "Abilify main purpose is used as a mood stabilizer, and it's usually used to treat bi-polar disorder, I have heard of it being used for depression when accompany by severe anger. If your having manic moods then abilify should help the mania and the depression that comes along with it."

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