[Guiness187055]

I am on 20mg of zyprexa now but need to come off of it due to my diabetes being out of control. Dr. offered me Invega or abilify along with a very slow taper of the zyprexa. I am stable at the moment with the meds that I am on. Has anyone had experiences with these meds?

[catnip123]

Abilify has worked well for me

[Angelique67]

Abilify , I'm not sure if it ever really worked for me. I was on it well past a year.

Invega worked well, but I had creepy side effects, like the snapping turtle jaws (involuntary biting of my tongue and cheek).

From that they put me on risperidone, where one of the worst side effects is apparently restless leg syndrome. But hopefully that won't be every single night. I hope you can get your meds to work better.

[still_crazy]

i take abilify. id recommend you try abilify 1st. it can and does sometimes cause weight gain, but its not usually as much as many other "atypicals." i find abilify to be an effective tranquilizer, but it is not sedating for me. if you end up being prescribed abilify, id try to take it in the morning. sometimes, when i wait too late in the day to take it, i have some difficulty sleeping at night (abilify can be somewhat stimulating...that effect depends on the dosage and on the individual...).

i dont know the long term tardive dyskinesia risk. ive been told that its low. ive read online that some td-specialists are a bit concerned because of the increasing popularity of abilify for depression and other indications...it seems that they're seeing td cases where the patient did not have bipolar I or a psychotic disorder.

in big studies, akathisia seems to be a major problem. for me, zyprexa triggered intense akathisia at 5mgs, but abilify has not caused akathisia. a psychiatrist told me once that abilify is easier to tolerate than many other tranquilizer for a large subset of people. your mileage may vary, of course.

abilify doesn't cause metabolic problems as often as many other 'atypicals.' some people are switched from another tranquilizer to abilify to help facilitate weight loss and management of diabetes, elevated cholesterol, etc. abilify also does not raise prolactin levels, which is a big problem with risperidone and invega.

in addition to akathisia, start up anxiety+agitation can sometimes be a problem. never was for me, but ive heard+read that its more of an issue for people who were on long term treatment with other tranquilizers. if you and your psychiatrist decide to give abilify a try, id personally ask about some extra as-needed/prn xanax or...something...just in case the first couple weeks of treatment bring up some anxiety, agitation, over-stimulation, etc.

back in the day, 15mgs was the recommended starting dose and the "target" dose. i think now the official recommendation is 10mgs+ for Bipolar I and Schizophrenia, with higher doses used for people lots of (hypo)mania, agitation, etc.

i hope this helps. have you ever tried an older tranquilizer? not my cup of tea, but some doctors have been prescribing perphenazine more often, ever since that big study that showed it to be almost as effective as zyprexa, with far fewer metabolic problems. i think some people on this board have used loxapine at low to moderate doses. some experts think low to moderate doses of loxapine act similarly to newer, more expensive 'atypical' tranquilizers.

i hope you+your psychiatrist find a work-able solution.

[Guiness187055]

Dr. was leaning towards abilify and I really trust his judgement.

[MelKay6969]

I tried Invega at the beginning of the year. Super crazy appetite, especially sweets and carbs. Got off because of the weight gain. Thought I would try to just do a mood stabilizer and antidepressant but just went through a horrid depressive episode. Started Geodon last Friday. I haven't really had any side effects so far but I do make sure and take my morning and evening doses with at least 350 calories. Never tried Abilify.

[Blue_Bird]

I'm on 234mg of Invega Sustenna every 3 weeks. It works amazingly well for me. No side effects either. I still have some issues from time to time (nothing like before) but thats as to be expected with mental illness. I think its a great med

[Blue_Bird]

Abilify never helped me. It made me hyper and restless

[Sometimes psychotic]

Originally Posted by Guiness187055

Dr. was leaning towards abilify and I really trust his judgement.

Abilify works great for me.....

[bpforever1]

Abilify works wonders for me. Without it, I'm a mess. With it, I'm able to function independently and work. I went off it several times due to non-compliance and each time ended in the hospital. As a result, I just take it daily now and am doing fine. I do have some side effects of akathisia, blurry vision, and also had a gout attack which may or may not be due to abilify. Overall, I highly recommend abilify. I take about 15 mg of it daily. I only take abilify so without it my psychosis returns immediately. I used to take many meds too. But, I weaned off all of them except for my antipsychotic. I did this because I was sick of having weight gain, sedation, sleepiness, etc. I lost most of the weight I gained now and am occasionally sleepy. However, I am doing fine and can survive on my own. Best wishes!