[Equine Aria]

I'm bipolar II rapid cycling with anxiety and more issues with depression than mania. I have been on Seroquel and Valium for 8 or so years. There have been attempts to add anti depressants over the years, but none have been effective.

My valium was always as needed and I would go days without taking any. However, it's lost its effectiveness when I do need it, so was recently changed to xanax as needed. Due to the mounting side effects and my own desires, I'm being weaned off the Seroquel. I've gone from an initial dose of 600mg PM down to 100mg currently.

Honestly, I feel better than I have in decades. No more being dopey half the day, weight coming off reasonably quickly and a "normal", upbeat mood for over a month. I haven't had more than a day or two of not feeling depressed nor manic since i was in my early 20's! A month is a miracle.

Anyway, my pdoc's plan is to taper me fully off the Seroquel and then provide Abilify to use as needed. Basically, I won't take anything daily. However, if I feel any serious mood issues developing, I can take the Abilify for three or four days to stabilize and then stop again. It sounds like a great plan to me, I'm just really, really hoping it will work. I'm curious if anyone has done anything like this with Abilify or a similar med and if it had been successful? TIA!

Yeah, Seroquel can make you hella drowsy

For me, Abilify is activating. I took it at night once and it kept me awake the WHOLE night. So the good news is, you don't have to worry about being drowsy anymore

My pdoc says it takes 7-10 days before it really kicks in, but he also said you'll start feeling its effects within 3-4 days.

I don't use Abilify on an as needed basis, though. I'm taking it everyday

[Equine Aria]

Thanks for the input, Blue! I've been on Abilify before, but then I've been on dozens of meds over the years. I don't remember how it impacted me at all, so knowing it may "activating" (good way to put it!), is very helpful. I'm so used to taking the Seroquel at night, I might have done that without thinking!

[BlessedRhiannon]

I haven't used Abilify on an as needed basis, but did increase the dosage when my depression was worse.

I also found Abilify very activating. It was a fine line for me between pulling me out of depression and pushing me too much the other way in to hypomania. I was having to adjust my Abilify dose so often that my pdoc took me off of it and we're trying something else.

[*Laurie*]

I don't find Abilify either activating or tiring. It's a good med for me because it does help my depression/anxiety. I do take it every day, though.

[Blue_Bird]

I've never heard of taking it as needed, I would think it needs to build up a steady level in your bloodstream and is not fast acting like zyprexa wafers for example

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