Wow - I just got this information. When I was on Abilify for years, I was also on Tegretol and a few other meds.
I knew that Tegretol reduces the peak plasma concentrations of Abilify, I thought that it was at least 40% or less - Last night I was online doing some research, and a few reputable sites wrote that Tegretol (carbamazepine) reduces Abilify by 70%!!
This means that I was only on 4 mg or so of Abilify and for a short while at its highest - only 7.5 mg of Abilify - No wonder Abilify did not work for me so well!! I have been giving it a lot of thought, my liver is not the healthiest, my pdoc said that its probably fatty liver disease - I have diabetes, high bad cholesterol, high triglycerides, I am overweight and find it very difficult to lose the weight. When I was on Abilify, I managed to lose over 50lbs - my blood sugar levels were normal, I was physically doing fine - maybe this is what I need. And now with the information that Tegretol reduced the effectiveness of Abilify by 70% - I am going to ask my pdoc about revisiting Abilify. I am no longer on Tegretol. Abilify made me activated and anxious, but I think that all types of antidepressant meds do this to me, I will just take more Klonopin.
Yeah I think that I will ask her for this change - giving Abilify a second shot - my physical health is on the line.
I like Risperdal but not at the expense of my physical health - Going to switch, I will see what she tells me
i might give it another go too. it made me nervous too but i’m going to ask for gabapentin to go with it and c what that does. won’t know till september when i c my shrink. good luck on it. let us know how it works out. xxx
I will Jayne, going to post updates. Good luck to you as well, hope it works out for you 
I take the generic brand of Aripiprazole, no weight gain nor weight loss. I think Aripiprazole causes less side effects compared to other psychotropic drugs. Hope you will make it.
@Wave I think you will do good to give Abilify another chance. I had a relapse on 15mg of Abilify in February but soon got better when my dosage was increased to 30mg. I’m doing just fine on the higher dosage. My psychiatrist really like Abilify and she recommend it above all other anti psychotics. The way I understand it is that ap’s block the dopamine receptors but Abilify makes the dopamine receptors to work better. Abilify is a dopamine agonist. I also suffer from high cholesterol and diabetes. I had my blood work done last week and everything was good. I’ve also managed to loose about 10 kg’s on Abilify.
Huh. I’m going to ask my pdoc about Abilify next time I see him, I really don’t like Risperdal. Especially the weight gain, I gained 45 pounds since before I was on any anti-psychotics. Besides, it doesn’t seem to be helping any more at the current dose, and I don’t want to go higher.
Yeah the weight gain from the Risperdal is getting to me - I like the way Risperdal makes me feel mentally, but there are too many physical side effects that comes a long with Risperdal for me.
Good luck with the Abilify @RowanAmethyst
I gave Abilify a second chance and I was free of my positive symptoms for well over a year. They did make a come back for a couple of weeks earlier this summer when I moved but have since subsided again.
The stuff seems to work for me.
By all means, protect your health. It will make the difference in your old age. I took Abilify and it did some good things for me, but it got me a little too amped up. I would be careful with it. Maybe you should start on a small dose and work your way up.
I have lost almost 15 pounds in 3 months since taking 5mg abilify and I am still on invega
Starting on a smaller dose and working up slowly makes sense - Last time the doctor started me on 15mg right away - it was too much for me really. Abilify is activating for me too, just got to play it slow and cautious
Oh, it works as a stimulant too? That’s actually a good thing, I usually have low energy and something that amps me up might do me some good, get me out of the house and exercising or working on projects more. I really hope I can try it out, it sounds like a good match for my situation!
**Good luck Wave!
Why didnt your doc know this? You did the research-shouldnt you get paid? 
**
Hi @bridgecomet Previous psychiatrists put me on the Abilify - Tegretol combo - My current psychiatrist is unaware of the details with my Abilify use - She never prescribed me this med
UPDATE I received my complete blood test from my new family doctor - it shows high blood glucose levels, higher than normal prolactin levels and low testosterone levels.
These hormonal changes are a direct cause of taking Risperdal.
I am on a lower dose of Risperdal but I am still experiencing health issues - directly caused by Risperdal.
When I was on Abilify in the past, I had zero health issues and I managed to lose a lot of weight.
My doctor thought that by lowering the Risperdal dose some more, my health will show some improvements, this has not been the case.
So now I will most likely be switching back to Abilify, I really have no choice, she has to understand that my health is not improving even being on a lower dose of Risperdal, and she made it clear to me that I should remain on an antipsychotic - so switching back to a safer familiar drug, makes the most sense. I see her in 2 weeks