Hi again, everyone,

I just posted a "Success Story" about getting off Abilify and Seroquel and onto Lexapro. But this post here is about my experiencing a mild form of Parkinson's while on Abilify. Perhaps you will bear with me as I tell about it. (After getting off the Ability, the Parkinson symptoms went totally away!)

See, here's the scoop. I play the mandolin. I've played for about 7 years, started out in the 1970s and played 3 years then; then, about 4 years ago I started up again. For the 1970s years, I was never happy with my technique. The strings "buzzed" against the fingerboard, and although I played in bands where the buzzes didn't show up, I myself knew they were there. I did not feel comfortable playing solos, and was frustrated when I practiced at home. Four years ago, when I took up the instrument again, my skills came back soon, but the strings still buzzed. So I started occasional lessons from a great teacher and player. I didn't need weekly lessons -- I had plenty to practice ifI took a lesson every 2-4 months. Being a teacher myself, I just asked the mandolin teacher questions, and he showed me what to do with my hands. Still, however, the strings buzzed for me. And my frustration with practicing grew so bad that I even considered quitting and selling my mandolin. But at least I had the good sense and experience to realize that would have been "bipolar impulsive action" and also action based on depression. So I held off and kept taking lessons. Since my technique always buzzed the strings from the very beginning, though, I just thought it was "me." But -- I was learning a lot of skills from my teacher, despite the buzzing strings.

Exit Abilify, enter Lexapro!

Suddenly, I could play well! No more buzzing! I am completely satisfied and pleased with my playing.

I asked my pdoc of Abilify or Seroquel could have caused the lack of coordination with my mandolin playing. She said," Possibly." But a few weeks later, my cousin, who is a psychiatrist in another state, came to visit my sister and me. I told him that story about the buzzing and no longer buzzing, with the timing of discontinuing Abilify and Seroquel. He told me this: "Abilify can cause the symptoms of mild Parkinson's." What a shock!

Thought you'd all like to know this about Abilify. The dysfunction of my hands was not noticeable except with the mandolin playing. So if you are taking Abilify and are having even a slight coordination problem, you may wish to share the info with your pdoc.

[hamster-bamster]

I had Parkinson-like side effects on Risperdal, another antipsychotic.