I started 5mg two years ago during psychosis and the paranoia went away within 3 weeks. Works as good as Risperdal for hallucinations.

When I started Abilify after a major psychotic episode, I went on a 5mg increase every day but I got a bit of muscle tightness and couldn't take a deep breath and my hands were shaking really bad so I stopped it and then started it again because it worked so well.

Then they put me on the injection at 300mg and then 400mg from every 4 weeks (Max) to every 3 weeks and added 10mg Abilify a day with 6mg (Max) Cogentin for side effects but I slowly stopped it myself because the Cogentin made my pupils large and I needed glasses and I built tolerance to the Abilify side effects.

I've been on the injection for a year now 400mg every 3 weeks which is about 20mg a day plus 10mg a day oral Abilify and it's amazing. I'm thinking of having the 400mg injection every 2 weeks and stop the oral 10mg which still equals to 30mg a day.

My injection is due today and I've never been this non-symptomatic on the last day before. It took a year for it to build up in my system like this.

Every injection is worth around 500 dollars and used to be 750 dollars but I have it covered under disability which took a really long time. I had to use sample injections from the pharmaceutical company. The oral is around 170 dollars a month but it's covered.

Also, it makes me feel pretty damn good. Very good for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia such as anhedonia which I had pretty severe.

I do get a bit sleepy on the first 1-2 days of the injection.

I also take max Prozac which is supposed to increase the Abilify quite a bit and max Concerta (Ritalin XR) and I'm doing very well.