Abilify and lamictal
Common Questions and Answers about Abilify and lamictal
abilify
Lamictal is in a completely different drug class than Abilify, and tends to be very weight neutral. All of the atypical antipsychotics, like Abilify, can cause weight gain, although some are less likely to. That drug class is known for it. Lamictal is an anticonvulsant, and a lot of those (except for depakote) are weight neutral. I don't think you have anything to worry about in the weight department.
Make sure to take your Lamictal exactly as prescribed.
HI,I have been off abilify and trying lamictal for a week now and feel terrible.I thought the abilfy was causing me diziness but even after stopping it im still dizzy and more deprressed and having sweats on this lamictal so dr said i should go back on abilify..everyone that knows me said i seemed so much better on the abilfy...i just sit around on this ;lamictal,,,,,,,,,so im gonna try abilfy again i ws on it for 3 months,,,,,,,,,,,,,my question is does it seem to affect sexual desires?
Not necessarily, no. The better way according to my research is to successfully withdraw from a drug before starting a new one. Most psychiatrists have their own way of doing it, and so you have to accept that they have had success doing it that way. But I believe in erring on the side of safety, and that means tapering off a drug at a pace that suits you, not one that suits the psychiatrist. Everyone is going to have their own experience and stopping and starting meds should reflect that.
Once I reached the therapeutic dose of Lamictal, I stopped Abilify and immediately experienced rapid fluctuations between depression and mania and my therapist told me to go back on Abilify at a reduced 2.5 mg. In addition, since beginning Lamictal + Abilify I have consistently gained 40 pounds.... 10 of which were gained within the 2 weeks I restarted Abilify at 2.5 mg. As someone who has a history of body dysmorphia and eating disorders, I NEED a different treatment.
I was taking Lamictal 100mg,Abilify do not remember how much and 18mg a day of concerta a few years ago and I found that when it was my time to take te abilify I was so tired, so my Dr. told me to take it at night before I went to bed and then I noticed weight gain from it and I stopped taking the meds all togther and lost the weight but felt horrible mentally and emotionally, so 6monts ago, I went back to the DR.
As anti-psychotics can create diabetes and tardive dyskinesia if a person has straight bipolar (as opposed to bipolar with psychotic features where an anti-psychotic is absolutely needed) there is the potential to change to a mood stabilizer, none of which have the risk of creating tardive dyskinesia and out of all of them Lamictal has the least potential for weight gain and is generally safe and effective. Perhaps you could ask your psychiatrist about Lamictal.
Hi all, I've just found out I am pregnant and I have been taking Abilify (Aripirazole) and Lamictal (Lamotrigine) for the last year, against bipolar disorder, my doctor recommended to reduce it slowly and then stop it. He said that I have taken it so far wouldn't harm the baby. I am still very worried and wondered if anybody has any experience with this. Thank you!
When I looked up weight gain and bipolar medications, Abilify was at the bottom of the list for weight gain, Geodon people gained the least then Abilify. I'm on 2mg. of Abilify and in the begining you tend to feel sleepy, that's why they start you on it at bedtime. I would be surprised if Abilify caused a racing heart but you definately have to tell your doc about that. I was also on Wellbutrin and had to come off because it caused to much anxiety.
I started taking Abilify this weekend with my Lamictal and I was a stoned out wierdo all weekend! I wasn't sure if it was the Abilify, but I didn't take the dosage last night (I started at the daytime and switched to night because I was so sleepy!! - my pdoc told me to do that if it happened), and when it left my system, the fog lifted. I swear my husband told me that I looked stoned all weekend.
My Dr and I discussed it and he said i may be a good "candidate" for Abilify. Right now im taking 100mgs of zoloft, and .05mgs of lorazepham. Been on those meds for 2 months now and while im not having as much panick attacks, its still there and im having trouble sleeping. Im seeing a threapist tomarrow as my Dr told me to do,cause he wants to get a second opioun on weather i should take abilify or not...Has anyone here taken that medication? What are your thoughts?
I had the same experience with SSRIs in the beginning. I started taking Lamictal and ramped it up to 200mg along with Effexor and Abilify. That's my list for now with no complaints. I still feel myself cycle up and down but the highs and lows are much less. I'm definitely more balanced and much much less depressed.
Finding what works for you is the hard part. Just don't get frustrated and give up looking for relief.
Have you considered Lamictal? It doesn't cause weight gain, and when I take it alone, I don't feel any negative effects at all. I take a low dose...
i do better on medication but still struggle with focus, completeing tasks, starting new projects, anxiousness, worry. the doc and i are considering adding Abilify to the Depakote. anyone out there tried it. my understanding: it works best added to an antidepressant which Depakote isn't. Side effects?? thanks. keep takkin' your meds, don't miss your appts. and keep building your support group. Be careful who you share your mental health with, people love to pigeon-hole you.
I agree. the abilify and lamictal should control the manic episodes for you. I too was on depakote and hated the weight gain and confusion -- and it was a very gradual process to decrease the dosage (with my doc's help) until I was finally able to get off it.
I am now on lamictal 200mg and lexapro 20mg.
There are many other mood stabilizers such as lithium, Depakoate and Lamictal and Lamictal generally has less of these side effects (for general information on mood disorders google "Depression Central"). However, if your psychiatrist believes you require an antipsychotic, Abilify is generally the most tolerated out of what is available now though if you read through my posts you will see in the coming years there may be more options that are easier to tolerate.
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