Abilify and lithium

Common Questions and Answers about Abilify and lithium

abilify

Avatar n tn my 10yr old son has been on a regimen of 1300mg lithium and 5mg abilify since age 7 due to aggresive behavior towards family and self mutalation.Was hospitalized at Walker Art,Needham Mass to get satabilized..meds worked for the better part.He was recently taken off abilify 5 wks ago-the past 3plus wks he has returned to his behavior not seen since age of 7.Drs wanted to try him on triliptal which been on over wk now,nothing has improved more so worsened.
Avatar f tn I take 5mg Abilify for about 21/2 months. Lithium 900mg for about 5yrs., and Klonipin a long time at diff dosages. Current dose for the last 21/2 month is 1mg plus one 0.5mg. I I havent't a clue so could you give me a ball park. I do realize everyone is different.
Avatar f tn so long story short, say my doc yesterday and she took me off the lithium (last night was the first night i didnt take it) and wants me to wait 3 days and start Abilify. I'm reading lots of posts and seeing some pretty severe side effects. I already have really low blood pressure and it seems that is a side effect. I'm now scared to death to take this...any advice? What has it done/not done for all of you. I'm bipolar II with more noticable depression than mania. Please help.
918275 tn?1254068752 I take 20 mg of Abilify and have found it helpful in both controlling my psychotic symptoms and in giving me more energy. What other meds are you on? Another medication I take as a mood stabiliser is Lamogitrine (Lamictal) really helps to guard against the depressive side of the illness.
Avatar f tn How is it to you???
Avatar n tn I went off Seroquel and tried Abilify and one other (cant remember) but they did not work. I am now backon Seroquel 300 miligrams along with my Lithium and Pexeva. I feel like it doesnt work as well as it did the first time. I went up to 450 with Seroquel, but I am just way too sleepy. Does anyone know a drug that works well with Pexeva and Lithium? My biggest problems are racing thoughts and anxiety when I am off of the Seroquel. Help!
2010625 tn?1329372056 Different people has different side effects. I take Abilify (its not Ambilify) and it hasn't caused any weight gain and helps with depression. Abilify has caused me to have akathisia (restless movements of legs/feet). I take propranolol for it and found that it also is used for anxiety without being a benzo. It is a beta blocker which is primarily used to lower blood pressure.
1011752 tn?1269241519 1, and he thinks I am having significant symptoms. He raised my Lithium to 1500mg, and bumped up the Abilify to 5mg. I know it takes time, but I haven't noticed any difference yet.
3248163 tn?1354847640 You can also try calling the the makers of Abilify. Many drug companies will help you if you call them. Also everyone's body reacts to drugs differently and I have tried many. I take Lithium and I don't have any side effects. Have been on it 4 yrs. I did have side effects at the beginning that took 2-3 weeks to go away but they did and it has been fine for me ever since. Try the websites above too. Also some Mental Health Clinics will dispense certain meds, they may have Abilify.
12043143 tn?1423151465 If I get on an anti-convulsant/mood stabilizer like Depakote or Lithium will she take me off of Effexor and Abilify and just have me on one - say Lithium? Until then, I just want to take my non-threatening and easy going Effexor until she switches up my meds to Depakote for example.
Avatar f tn I took Abilify for almost a year for Bipolar Disorder II, both in combination with Lithium and on it's own. When I was on the Abilify alone, I noticed uneasyness and racing thought, similar to what cowgirlnerd said. I felt more hypomanic than usual, so I suppose it had kind of an "upper" effect for me. When used in combination with the Lithium, I felt much more balnanced and steady.
337492 tn?1212458836 I read on it and saw that it is bad for my kidneys and causes Lithium toxicity. So, I decided not to take one today. I took one yesterday morning because I am scared of all this. Today I saw my Pdoc and she said it was fine that I cut my sodium down to the normal 2,400mg a day. It amazed me that some days, especially when I made stir-fry I was taking in 13,000! So, I know part of it is my sodium intake.
337492 tn?1212458836 She wants to wean me off of Lithium onto Abilify. I am supposed to take it for a whole month along with my entire dose of Lithium (1450mg). She also wants to keep me on Wellbutrin 300mg. Will this feeling go away? I tossed and turned with this crawling feeling all last night. I am having it bad right now.
1276940 tn?1564515084 I had pretty bad hand tremors like you described when I was on Lithium, and my feet did jerk occasionally when I was sleeping. Like you my pdoc knew all about it. I also was on Abilify concurrently. When my feet and arms were constantly moving or restless, my dr. took me off the Abilify. He identified and dealt with it as soon as i reported that it was going on for a week.
Avatar f tn I was on lithium years ago. It works well in combination with an antipsychotic. I can only add the standard advice to make sure to get the blood tests each month and be careful to drink enough water and as that an antipsychotic together can cause weight gain to monitor sugar intake. For myself it was a bit difficult with cognitive blunting and I found Lamictal more tolerable but each person is different.
Avatar f tn So yesterday Abilify(2mg in am) was added to my 600mg(3002xd)Lithium, 1mg(1xd)Xanax and of course 50mg(1/2 or 1@bedtime)..Has anyone had any experience with Abilify?f it's something bad..nevermind.
Avatar f tn You are on a lot of meds. I was like that yrs. ago; way overmedicated and way overweight. I'm now down to 2 antidepressants and 1 mood stabilizer. (I am also a rapid cycler). Everybody is different and responds to medication differently. The best and most all-around useful mood stabilizer for me has been Topamax. It is an anti-convulsant, also indicated for propylaxis of migraines (which I also have). The great side effect, if you're overweight, is WEIGHT LOSS. Be careful, though.
Avatar n tn I started lamectal about 2 months ago and take abilify and trazadone as well. I have lost my hair significantly in the past 2 months. I take Lamectal twise a day 150 mg. Abilify 15 mg & 50 mg of trazadone. I also take 1mg of klonipin as needed. Could any of these be causing it - a combination? Any suggestions? Depression will never go away if I am bald. Please help. I would like to discontinue the one that is causing this.
Avatar f tn It would be interesting to find out how many people are on more than one medication for their mental health. I am currently on 3 medications, Depakote and Lithium for my BP and Zopiclone to aid sleep. I realise this is a very basic poll as it does not show how many different types of mental health problems are being experienced but depending on the response this could lead to a further poll about diagnosis etc.
1696867 tn?1312609591 They put her on Lithium and then added abilify a week later. The abilify gave her horrible side effects and I never want to see my daughter in that condition again! I detest the drug Abilify. It is a reckless drug in my opinion. I have been prescribed Lamictal now for 3 years. It is the right med for me. I am not on the floor with depression and do not gain weight. I wish some could challenge their docs.
574118 tn?1305135284 He substituted tegretol with Abilify as my MS. I heard well of Abilify and I happen to have come across http://www.askdrjones.com/2005/02/14/ranking-the-mood-stabilizers/ . To tell you the truth I became happy because I know tegretol needs blood tests, etc…while abilify has a few side effects except some anxiety. I only became suspicious about its potency as a mood stabilizer. Otherwise why do pdocs recommend always one of the triads (lithium, depakote, tegretol) or lamictal lately.
Avatar f tn 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.
497950 tn?1255863927 I am bipolar I with mixed episodes. (Also with rapid cycling :) fun stuff...) Has anyone tried any medicines that didn't cause weight gain and didn't cost a fortune. I am on Abilify right now but I am very quickly going to have to change because my insurance isn't that great and it cost me $100. I am on Neurontin and Celexa right now which is great but I can still feel myself going up and down all the time.
Avatar f tn I have had him evaluated more than once and have had him to alot of doctors with no real success. His diagnosis is adhd, bipolar disorder. he takes 5 mg abilify 2x a day 300 mg of lithium carbonate 2x day and 150 mg lithium carbonate at bed time it helps some but he still seems to have no control. what can i do to help my son before it is to late.
Avatar n tn once you sleep ur 8 hrs its in you but the sleep part is gone...to me lithium and serquil are brother and sister...but lithium dont sedate you like serquil does..i belive what everyone say..what one med would do for them might not you..were all difft chemasty!! there's another one thats popular lamictal..they say this wons a winner..you have to take it in stages cuz of risk to a serious rash..but never heard of anyone getting it..hey good luck to you..ever need me just mail me...