Any luck with abilify?

Hi I started Abilify 3 days ago and wondered whether it helped you with the psychotic symptoms and as a mood stabilizer. Any advice would be much appreciated

Abilify did pull me out of the deepest depression I had ever been in. As far as psychotic symptoms, I would say yes it has helped. I think it is an all around good med for me so far. I was doing so good for so long that I thought I was somehow cured and didnt even have bipolar. Thought maybe I was just a happy go lucky person until weeks after I quit taking it and here I am on the couch again. Started it back up two days ago and praying it works as well as it did the first time.

Thankyou moremi its amazing it did so much for you I'm hoping it will work for me as I'm in the deepest depression too I'm not taking care of myself properly, have no motivation, I feel numb. I spend all day pretty much in bed just because I can't face yet another day like this. I'm paranoid as hell and can't venture outside. I've been like this for 2 years now and the anxiety is really bad. Sorry if I'm not making much sense I can't really think right. But thankyou for your help and I hope you start to feel better soon

I was in the same boat, just not as long. Had been in the deepest depression for 7 months and felt there was no light at the end of the tunnel. I was on the couch every day and never left it. I slept there. Like a safe spot or something and I was very suicidal, I thought about it non stop i just couldnt imagine going on like that. Then one day all of a sudden I was up and out of the house and I know it was the abilify because I had just started on it. I cant remember how long it takes though. Keep the faith I sure hope it works for the both of us.

I know exactly how you felt my bed for me is the only place I feel safe. I too have suicidal thoughts but the only thing that stops me from doing it is my partner and children I couldn't do that to them it would mess them up for their whole lives and as pathetic as I am I do try very hard to be a good mum and hide my illness from them as much as I possibly can. I pray the meds work for both of us and soon the depression will ease up a bit. I'm hoping I,ll have a hypomanic episode so I can actually DO things and take the burden of the housework, cooking, shopping etc off my partner I don't know what I'd do without him. I know its a horrible thing to say and I pray you get better soon but its such a relief to meet people who feel the same.

I really am not hoping that you will want to talk about this on the forum, but I would
like to ask you if your psychiatrists ever gave you a reason for you to have the negativity that accompanies bipolar illness?

My psychiatrist let me know early on that it was my mother who was the cause of my sensitivity to negativity and that all I needed was to be around healthy people. I've struggled with it, though, almost since I was a teenager and have taken medications for many, many years.

Now, it seems as though the world is much brighter after finally accepting the realization that it is the negativity that I can't manage because of the attitude of my mother when I was just a toddler.

Abilify is a wonderful medication, just as Lamicatal is, in my view. I could not take either one, however, for long, because they sparked elevated activity, like buying things for myself and others.

I hope it continues to work really well for you.

The illness is an inconvenience, isn't it?

Take good care of yourselves.

I enjoyed the posts.

Genetic

Hi Genetic bipolar runs in my family both my mother and father and their mums and my cousins and one aunt all have it. I think it was inevitable that I got it too. Growing up watching my mum go through it was tough she was also in an abusive relationship my uncle used to beat her and us he emotionally and sexually abused us all except my brother he was like a prince to my uncle. Because of that I've also got ptsd and borderline personality as well as bipolar I'm a mess lol just want to be happy. I'm hoping my psychiatrist will put me on lamicatal too at my next review. Its funny you should mention being around healthy people helps somewhat as I love my family and can talk to them on the phone but whenever I visit and stay with them for just a few days it makes me even more ill.try to stay positive

Yes, sjane23, being around healthy people is so important in this illness for me.

I really didn't expect someone to come right out with an honest expression of what the psychiatrist found as a cause of bipolar emergence because, well, some things are private. You seem to be very open about everything--I find that very admirable.

And, yes, the illness can be inherited, and I wonder, too, if it can also be exacerbated by experiences in life when one meets people who have problems in their families that are hidden---it always turns up, though, in actions--sooner or later. But that's another story.

Being kind and helpful, knowledgeable and sharing are so valuable for me.

I hope you are able to get beyond the past, too, and see it as something that happened, could cause lingering anxiety, but gives us strength in the long run.

I'll bet you are someone who is far stronger than those in society who never seek help or try to learn of their own inadequacies--so that they become gentle people,but then, that's part of the human condition, I guess.

Thank goodness for the good doctors who are compassionate and help us through
the negativity.

One reason I think that anonymity is important is that social forums have become (according to some reading I did on this) prime targets for con artists. I won't say anything more than that, but give that as a reason why I thought someone might not wish to discuss counsels with psychiatrists.

Hope your day is filled with goodness and contentment.

Genetic

i agree outlook can have a lot to do with it but there also in most cases is the underlying disease. I too have a family full of bipolar people. My mother, grandmother and all 5 of my siblings. All diagnosed younger with adhd to have it turn into bipolar as adults. My youngest sister is 19 and just recently was diagnosed. Positive outlook and attitude can do a lot but its damn near impossible to put on a happy face and pretend everything is ok when its just not. When depression grabs me, its got me and I have to have meds pull me out. I help the meds by doing things like walking out in the sunshine even when i feel like im just going to roll over and die. I think too with having bpd as I also have has a lot to do with the depression too. Not feeling worth it for others, scared of being left by loved ones because we dont deserve them. That list goes on and on. Just saying its sometimes to hard to put the positive in your mind when your depressed.

Yep, moremi, that's the truth and you're a strong person, in my view.

There are times when this illness makes me feel like a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs. But then, I ease up on myself and rest well.

Take care.

Genetic

Moremi I'm like that too only I haven't yet found the right medication that pulls me out of depression only mania. I find it very difficult to see the positives in anything right now hopefully when the meds kick in I will feel the benefits here's hoping any way! You've an awful lot of family members with this disease its soul destroying. Hope your meds kick in soon

Abilify is a good one to pull you out of it. What else do you take? any anti d? I think the combo of zoloft and abilify is what helped me because I think the abilify aides the zoloft and also acts as a mood stabilzer. Weird but it works for me. I cant wait to be back in my life again. Hope we both are up and at it tomorrow....

For the moment I'm just on abilify as adding in an AD this soon could trigger another manic episode. So I ha e to wait 3 months before tthey will prescibe Cipralex she also wants to put me on a mood stabilizer depoke or something like that but I'm gonna ask for lamactil instead. Indeed! Here's hoping tomorrow were upbeat again

I tried it but ended up with unstoppable muscle movements so they stopped it.

I was running a bit on the low side of hypomanic but thats around where I like to stay because I feel at my best without actually being sick. I was lucky Moose I didnt get the muscle movements the way many do. I think its just a med that really goes well with my chemistry because I dont believe I had any side effects at all from it.Abilify....

Abilify to me is kind of like a miracle medication! My pdoc says its great as a mood stabilizer and gave it to me for that which it has worked I used to be angry alot and get real agitated and it has helped with that but for my the most benefit has been from the anti-psychotic side of things I used to be super paranoid and worry about people coming after me but after being on abilify for a while that has almost all stopped which is great. So I would say yes huge success Im on 22.5mg a day 7.5 in the am and 15 at night. I am also on other meds to help with mood stabilization though.

Clinte89 thank you for sharing my paranoia around people gets really bad I also suffer from delusions and hallucinations that's good abilify helped you with those symptoms. I was on abilify before with a high dose of ADs and went from hypo to manic although it was a nice manic psychotic episode I was in hospital when it happened I heard angels whispering to me believed I had psychic powers and could read peoples thoughts but then I started to get very paranoid and went to hit a nurse when she wouldn't let me out for a cig I burst into tears and raved about how they were all conspiring against me I actually scared the other patients then for about 2 weeks I coulnt go out as I could hear other peoples negative thoughts about me and the voices turned nasty then I had an appointment with my psychiatrist and she switched my drugs and turnerd me into a depressed zombie a year later she has put me on only abilify and were looking into introducing a mood stabilizer and maybe cipralex if abilify doesn't pull me out of this depression.

What dose of abilify are you on? I go to the doc on the 19th and if I am not better I am giong to ask for an up in my dosage. Im only on 10mg. I think I need more bc Im not feeling any better yet.

When I was on 10mg, I was feeling a lot better. My pdoc upped it to 15mg and now I'm having all sorts of problems.

Hi moremi they've only started me on a measly 5mg after a week I go up to 10mg then after 2 weeks I go up to 15mg. Only the highest dosages of medication do little for me abilify with sertraline made me manic last time but because I'm on only one drug ill be able to tell if it actually works. I hope the drs up your dose and you'll start to feel more human again x

Borntoroam I'm sorry you're having problems on 15mg could they give something to stabilize you for now then put you back on 10? X

Abilify and I do not mix well. I took it for maybe a week and it made me much more depressed so I came off it real quick.

Ability has worked really well for me

Abilify is one med you would have to pry me off of. It completely cured my rages and paranoia, plus enhanced my antidepressant so much I could cut back on it. It is a life-changer for me.

I can relate with the elevated activity! I was so freakishly hyper for nearly a week and now I'm finally calmed down, but I'm worn out. I dyed my hair on a whim and ended up drinking a ton at a party because I felt crazy and my thoughts just wouldn't slow down, in addition to not being able to focus on a darn thing.