[dogwood]

2 weeks ago I took myself off 20 mg of Abilify and stayed on 5mg with plans to quit that this week .I havn't told my doctor I did this but I am doing great.My reason for quittin was the restlessness and jitters were so bad I never had any peace.It was worse than being depressed. I also take Lamictal and Topamax for seizures anyway and they are both mood stabilizers as well. My appt. with my pdoc is not for 4 more weeks and I don't know how to say this to him or if I should call him before that and tell him.

[musikcrazy]

I would probably call him and tell him. There may be a med that works better for you. It's always best to check with the pdoc. Good luck!

[allme]

Hi there

Without a doubt tell him ....

I had some bad side effects from risperidone but spoke with doc about coming off them before I stopped taking them.

Wishin you well

[meg_901]

Hiya. i thought i could come off my mediacation and do it on my own. i didn't tell my doc that i come off, and i suffered really badly, i now realise i need my meds. talk to someone close to you i u dont feel like telling ure doctor yet. i would advise u to stay on them.
Meg x

[thinker22]

I had a similar problem with Abilify. It made my heart race and I was all shaky and in the midst of a mostly manic mixed episode. I also was still having invasive thoughts. So basically, not only was it not doing what it was supposed to do, it was also causing new bad physical symptoms. A bit like what Effexor did to me.

When I told my p-doc, she said to come off of it and we tried a new atypical. That one also had bad side effects, but we eventually found one that still has problems, but is actually getting rid of my symptoms.

The doctor will not condemn you for telling him/her about bad side effects. He/she may tell you to lower your dose (as you already have) or take you off of it completely. Either way, you win.

[Perna]

It is your life, health, and responsibility. If something isn't working/is "harming" you, I wouldn't take it. I would maybe call his office, since your appointment is so far in the future, and try to talk to him or a nurse and let them know what you have done. They may want you to come in sooner or have some other insight. When you do see your doctor, discuss it with him and ask what to do in the future if a med seems to be causing a problem? The two of you should have backup plans.

[questionable]

If you're doing fine (and let's acknowledge that whole 'insight' thing and hope others also agree you're doing fine), then there isn't really a need to tell the doctor right away is there? It's not like him saying "you shouldn't go off medication without approval from me even though this time I do agree" is going to change things.

Unless something happens in the meantime and you need a sooner appointment, then don't worry about it. When you see him just mention that you stopped taking the Abilify and why and that you're doing well without it and feel no need at this point in time to add an antipsychotic.

Doctors may have a lot of knowledge about how drugs work and for whom, but it is important to listen to yourself and your body as an authority on how that drug is working for you. If you're doctor can't accept that, then it may be time to find a new doctor. The last thing you want to do is end up over medicated taking antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, antidepressants, seditives, stimulants etc. when all you may really need is the right mood stabilizer.

[RRU96]

I would like to disagree with questionable.

then there isn't really a need to tell the doctor right away is there?

You have made a concious effort to be seen by a Doc. This is a great step. You have entrusted in someone else their help and guidance in a matter you cannot control yourself. By not telling your doc, you go against all the reasons why you went to him/her in the first place. While we ALL I am sure understand the problems with side effects from certain medications, there are others out there to try. Possibly titrating in doses to be able to eventually reach a therapeutic level might help, but it is your doc who can help you with these problems. Something drove you to the doc in the first place, last thing you want by self-medicating or de-medicating as the case may be, is to get back to a point where you feel you dont need your doc anymore, dont keep appointments, and risk burning any bridges that they may have had with you.

I tried it once, as I am sure many others here have. And I am back on meds now because I understand that this is what is best for me. I hope that in the future when I get those feelings again of stopping my meds, my wife will help me again realize why I am on them, and how things ended up before when I was off of them by my own doing.

Take care of yourself, and be honest with your Doc. This is key I feel to maintaining a good healthy relationship with those who are there to help you.

[whatsurname]

I work in healthcare and I see people every day that tweak their meds, omit certian details and even say that they're taking things when they really aren't. My personal philosophy is that first and foremost you have agreed to be cared for by this doctor and you should make every attempt possible to follow the plan of care (within reason--I DO NOT beleive in blindly following someone's advice simply bc they're a doc). If you feel a change needs to be made don't leave your doc out of the loop. Talk to him/her about it and weigh out the pros and cons together.

[gravyyy]

I had that issue with Wellbutrin last month. I was feeling really on edge and knew I was going to have a problem so I dropped back down to a lower dose. I didn't call the doc b/c I figured if I did he would just tell me to drop the dose so why bother him? My situation is a little different b/c pdoc is my boss' husband and he knows I'm a nurse. When I went for the follow-up appt I told him exactly what I did and what my rationale was and he said, "you're right, I would have told you to decrease the dose." He also said he doesn't have a problem with me changing things up with my meds if it's not right, but I know this would be different if I wasn't a nurse with connections so-to-speak. If I were you, I would probably just call pdoc and tell him you were feeling really anxious and uncomfortable on the Lamictal and you went ahead and decreased your dose. If you had an appt coming up sooner I'd say just wait but pdocs hate it when patients start messing with their own meds. They will label that as "noncompliance." You can tell him you're feeling fine with the other meds and if something changes in the next month you will be sure to let him know, but you just weren't tolerating the Abilify. He probably won't be mad at all about that. Good luck in whatever you decide!!

As my t says, my pdoc is the guy holding onto the ropes when we are repelling. He needs to know what is going on at all times. Just a heads up. That way if something does go awry, he'll be in the loop. He has prescribed those meds and will assume we are taking them as prescribed unless we tell him differently.

[questionable]

My doctor doesn't mind me changing dosages either. He said I am knowledgable enough and that as long as I don't just quit the medication again he has no problem either. I'm not a nurse, nor do I work in the medical profession and I don't have connections. He's just a reasonable dude, thus my opinion to just tell him later.