How long does it take for Aripiprazole (abilify) to start working?

Medications
1

5 miligrams (first time)

2

If I remember correctly, it started working in less than a day for me. I think you are taking a pretty small dose.

3

I am already one week on this medication. Still nothing.

4

10mg is where it starts working as an antipsychotic. 5mg will NEVER work as an antipsychotic .

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5

Do you have any side-effects from this medication (how long does it take to start feeling them)?

6

Do you have any side-effects from this medication (how long does it take to start feeling them)?

7

Everybody is different. The side effects I suffer from are

  • Anxiety
  • Restlessness
  • Increased appetite
  • High blood sugar

I’m on 10mg.

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8

so sorry everyhopeful for those nasty side effects

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9

It’s OK. I take metformin for high blood sugar, I take a bcomplex to curb the increased appetite, and I take 400mg l-theanine to help me survive the anxiety and restlessness. So I’m coping.

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10

i was on 10mgs and my symptoms worsened while on it so the doc quickly switched me to latuda

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11

Be warned - in my experience l-theanine was hard to stop. For me I pretty much got withdrawal symptoms.

12

I remember reading aripiprazole could take about as much time as clozapine for a full therapeutic effect. For some people. Like 6 weeks to several months…maybe longer. Idk. I’ve been on Abilify Maintena for 5 months now and I’m happy with it. Almost no side effects except ortho static hypo? or is it hyper?tension where you almost pass out in a major way if you rise up too fast from sitting or lying down. Big time I take propranolol too does anyone know if that is making it so bad? I have to take a knee sometimes it can feel a little bit terrifying once in awhile

13

What were those symptoms?

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Anxiety and irritability. Also kinda like electric brain shocks - hard to describe.

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Thanks for reminding me @jimbob. I nearly went bananas when I tried to quit l-theanine cold turkey. I’ve tapered down to 400mg now from 800mg. But it took me 4 weeks, dropping 100mg each week.

I’ll probably stay on 400mg as I need it for the anxiety.

16

It took like 4 to 6 months before Abilify was fully working for me (I know a long time)
Abilify is a slow working AP.
Usually taking a couple of months or more to start working fully.

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17

it reaches serum concentration at about 14 days. so two weeks until you should start getting side effects. 5m is a really small dose, you might not notice a difference or it will be placebo.

18

I felt a difference within hours. I am currently taking this medication, and, while it doesn’t seem to control positive symptoms as well as seroquel did, it doesn’t have as many side effects. In fact, the only side effect I have is akathisia, which is controlled fairly well by cogentin.