Has anyone had any positive experiences with abilify for bipolar depression?

I'm researching meds online, on crazymeds.us to be exact and it says abilify can be used for bipolar depression. I am fine on geodon but I need something to lift me out of the depths of despa. I also take seroquel but it makes me a zombie even at 300 mg. I'm going to talk with my pdoc tomorrow but was looking for some feedback here.

I think being on 3 APs at the same time isn't a good idea or were u thinking of dropping one? I had bad side effects with Abilify so never found out if it worked but I've noticed a lot of people on here take it and like it. Good luck

It helped me, but only for a month. Then my depressive symptoms returned. Abilify also made me feel really agitated all the time, and caused me to vomit. What really did wonders for my depression was Zyprexa.

I doubt that your pdoc will let you take 3 antipsychotics, so you'd probably be replacing either the seroquel or the geodon with abilify.

Have you tried lamictal? It's a mood stabilizer with well-documented antidepressant effects. It also may be worth considering adding an antidepressant for a short time, just to get you out of the slump. Wellbutrin has a low risk of switching into mania, which makes it a good choice for people with bipolar. It didn't help me, but maybe it would help you.

Also consider exercise. I attended a neuroscience convention in November, and one of the talks I went to presented data showing that physical activity can be as efficacious in treating depression as Zoloft! There are a lot of physical and cognitive benefits to exercise too.

I had good luck with Abilify at 15mg but as soon as we tried to up it to 20mg I started getting akathasia (sp?) It stabilized me for a while when I took it with seroquel, but once I stopped taking the seroquel, it wasn't as effective for me. I'm currently trying it with geodon instead since it doesn't make me as tired as the seroquel but it's only been a week.

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I want to drop the seroquel for a.few.reasons. lethargy and weight gain.

anti depressants and me are bad news. I've been on most of them and they have caused me to go manic after a while. I want to drop the seroquel if possible and hope to join a gym after Christmas.

Hi. I had good results with abilify until I couldn't afford to pay the $400 a month copay. Prozac kept me in a bad manic state so my Dr replaced it with lamictal. Today I take 100mg seroquel with lamictal. I think I'm repeating a lot of what's been said except Abilify is very expensive.

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thanks. I find geodon works great for mania.

I did not do well on Abilify, interestingly I experienced visual and olfactory hallucinations on it. Lamictal is very helpful to me. It takes the edge off, as I am generally very irritable and I feel that my dysthymic affect has diminished. Wellbutrin has been a very welcome addition as well. It seems to be an appetite suppressant and lifts the mood.

Pages 17-19

Nivoli, A., Colom, F., Murru, A., Pacchiarotti, I., Castro-Loli, P., González-Pinto, A., ... & Vieta, E. (2011). New treatment guidelines for acute bipolar depression: a systematic review. Journal of affective disorders, 129(1), 14-26.

If you can't access the article, I can email it to you.

And the authors recommend against using Abilify (aripiprazole) as monotherapy for bipolar depression.

I considered it. I was SUPER afraid of akathisia, because I had akathisia (which is like torture) on high doses of Seroquel, and Seroquel is not known that much for causing akathisia, so, as my psychiatrist friend told me, I would be especially likely to develop akathisia on Seroquel. As to support for depression... the likelihood of finding relief from depression on Abilify is LESS than the likelihood of developing akathisia. Still, you might luck out - these are just the probabilities.

I very much doubt, also, that your pdoc will combine Geodon with Abilify. If the pdoc wants to try Abilify for depression, the pdoc will likely titrate you down on Geodon and up on Abilify, hoping that Abilify would work with both poles.

Bad for me, akathisia, irritability & worst sui thoughts I've had yet.

I read something to that effect on a different website. I'm looking for an add on to the geodon because it works well for my manic episodes without side effects.

I take both Abilify and Tegretol. Without the two together, and a good sleep schedule, I am a moody mama. I don't think Abilify is the answer for everyone though.