I have been taking 5 mg of abilify, and it hasn’t been working.
I was supposed to go up to 10 mg but bailed out and told my pdoc I wanted to be settled with 5 first. After a recent bad episode, I have agreed to take the 10 mg.
So, I wasn’t experiencing any weight gain or severe side effects (just some restlessness and upset stomach etc) from the 5 mg.
Is it possible that I won’t get them as harshly? I am also trying to loose some weight before I go to college. Does abilify hinder this ability? Thanks guys.
Abilify is usually associated with weight gain after long term use. But, as we know, it’s all highly individual. 10mg is the start of the therapeutic dosing for the antipsychotic effects. Anything below is usually not enough. So, you would likely stabilize more. Just be aware that it can cause anxiety.
I was moved up to 10 mg and responded very poorly. Got tons of serious/negative side effects that increased in severity over time. Saw no improvements in psychotic symptoms. However I believe this all may be due to it interacting with my Zoloft, as Zoloft makes Abilify more potent. If you are on Zoloft I would strongly recommend against Abilify. I’m not sure how it interacts with other antidepressants. Hopefully you’ll be ok if you’re not on any!
I’m losing weight on abilify 10mg, but I’m on a calorie controlled diet. Also, I have to take a small bcomplex everyday, otherwise abilify gives me food cravings. No food cravings once I take the bcomplex.
Get regular blood tests to make sure everything is OK under the hood. Abilify raised my blood sugar and I have to take metformin. A blood test caught that.
I actually got a substantial increase in physical strength when I took abilify. I worked out after I was put on it, but not that much. It did make me more agitated. They eventually had to take me off it.