Abilify: how to cope with the anxiety?

Medications
1

Hi!

I’ve been on abilify for about 2 and a half months. The akathisia was awful at first, but it seems to be fading somewhat, so I’m hopeful it’ll go away. What I’m concerned about is the anxiety - it’s crippled me! I’ve been unable to sleep, have fun, or relax. I even had to quit my job. My doc has had me on 0.5mg xanax for a while now, and it helps, but not for long enough to be effective.

Is this still the akathisia at play? Should I ask about changing meds? What are your guys’ experiences with this, and were any of y’all able to find a way to cope?

I was thinking about asking about mirtazapine, seeing as it seems to help with both akathisia and anxiety, plus it’s safe to take with abilify compared to SSRIs.

2

That is such a good question I am filled with this horrible nervous energy whenever on abilify.
I think time reduces it somewhat in my case since I’m on a low dose but also regular exercise and not binge eating helps somewhat for me. But it is still there and I absolutely do not like it.

3

I had worsening paranoia(positive symptoms) on both abilify and risperidone.

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4

I tried Aripiprazole a couple of years ago. However, it made my depressive symptoms worse. I think you should talk to your pdoc and see if there’s something they can do to improve your quality of life.

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