[agma]

I just recently switched from Seroquel XR to Abilify. I was having a lot of negative side effects from Seroquel, and it wasn't helping my mood very much. I have been on Abilify for almost a month. It has helped a ton with my mood, however I am having some side effects. I am starving ALL the time. I will eat a meal and still feel hungry. Has anyone else ever experienced this? It has also made me very restless; I have a very hard time sitting still, I feel like I need to be up walking around and pacing. That doesn't bother as much as the increased appetite since I have been gaining weight. Anybody else experience the big increase in appetite, and if so, what did you do????

[~Christina]

Hiya Agma ...
I am in the same boat pretty much,, I was on Seraquel Xr and gained 20 lbs and had alot of hand tremors and over all body muscle issues... so they have switched me to Abilify10mg ,, UGH UGH UGH ,,, I cant sleep i feel the need to move all the time,,im constantly dealing with nausea and just feeling worse .. Im waiting to hear back from my Pdoc ( probably monday ) i have just decided to stop taking it til I hear back as i cant sleep and if i dont sleep i get Stupid

Im sure others will have more useful information for you .. Im just getting annoyed that im taking medications for bi polar I that should be helping my symptoms but it seems im having more problems on the medications than i was before i started on the medications LOL

Good luck and I understand the constant starving feeling ,, really sucks ,, alot !

Wishing you some peace ~

That feeling like you can't stop moving is called akathesia and it will drive you nuts! My P-Doc gives me benadryl for that and it helps a lot. The eating part...well if I go to bed early enough I tend not to over eat but otherwise I would clean out the fridge.

[Umbral_Seraph]

I never had any problems with Abilify or Seroquel, save one time I missed a dose of Seroquel and nearly passed out from a blood sugar crash. I've never had an appetite change but I've had that restlessness with a couple of other meds, so I know how bad it is. I was so twitchy it actually hurt. If the side effects are interfering with your functioning go see pdoc.

[Oxidopamine]

Originally Posted by agma

I just recently switched from Seroquel XR to Abilify. I was having a lot of negative side effects from Seroquel, and it wasn't helping my mood very much. I have been on Abilify for almost a month. It has helped a ton with my mood, however I am having some side effects. I am starving ALL the time. I will eat a meal and still feel hungry. Has anyone else ever experienced this? It has also made me very restless; I have a very hard time sitting still, I feel like I need to be up walking around and pacing. That doesn't bother as much as the increased appetite since I have been gaining weight. Anybody else experience the big increase in appetite, and if so, what did you do????

The restlessness is a common side-effect not just from Abilify but from many anti-psychotics as well, atypical and older ones (i.e. Haloperidol). Some atypical ones less frequently cause such symptoms, such as Lonasen, Fanapta, Latuda and Geodon/Zeldox (may cause weight gain and should be avoided if diabetic).

Alternatively, you may find relief in azapirones, a type of anti-psychotics which also act as anti-anxiety and some muscle relaxation. For example, Lullan, Umespirone and Tandospirone (not sure if it's approved for use outside China and Japan).

Lastly, you may find relief in "non-benzodiazepines". The name is a bit odd because it means the medications have similar effects as benzodiazepines without the high risk of dependence and withdrawal, so it can be used long-term. Like benzodiazepines, they can treat anxiety and restlessness, although some more than others will have stronger sedation effects. I'm not a huge fan of these medications, your doctor may also agree with my view because most have been found to cause liver damage in a very short time. Only a few have not so they're still used, such as Taniplon, Pazinaclone and Suril. They're relatively new, Suproclone is among the newest with little understanding of its mechanisms, so I don't know how available it is.