Does Abilify cause drowsiness?

I was thinking of changing Risperdal to Abilify if my doctor lets me, since a lot of people have told me it is not an antipsychotic that makes you gain weight.

So the only thing that worries me is the drowsiness. I was on Seroquel once, and it made me so tired and drowsy that all I did was dissociate all day and I was awake for only 8 hours each day.

Risperdal, I think, makes me feel a bit drowsy, but I can somehow function. During the daytime I always feel a bit tired.

What are everybody's experiences on Abilify? Does it cause the same kind of tiredom that Risperdal does to me? All input is appreciated. Thanks.

i was on abilify before ..... it made me dizzy and a little drowsy.......

OH yeah, I can deffinitely say abilify causes drowsiness. when I was first on it, oh wow, I was sleeping all the time, actually had to be put on something else to try to help keep me awake.

I reacted different to abilify. I have been on it for a couple years and it has never made me drowsy. Mater of fact, I take it in the morning in the hopes it will help with my energy. Of course, everybody is different. I'd ask your pdoc.

I take 5mg Abilify in the morning. It was started at 10mg in the am and I was energetic all through the day but then couldn't fell asleep at night. That is why I am at 5 now. I went from Risperdal to it because I started lactating on the riserdal. I have only lost weigh on abilify

Thanks for the replies! They have been very helpful.

I'm not sure if I will ask to change to Abilify, since I was just told to up Risperdal, but if it makes me feel worse, I don't think I will be any worse off if I ask my pdoc to prescribe me Abilify.

Katie

I know this thread is a little old (ok...a LOT old), but I was going to bump it to see if anyone has had this problem recently. I feel like I'm dragging. I take it in the morning. Will I get the same benefits if I take it at night?

I take 5mg and am extremely tired a few hours after I take it, I've heard of people taking it at night, you could ask your doctor about having it at night instead

How long have you been on it? Does the tiredness go away?

I've been on it for about 2 and a half months, so far it hasn't gone away. It usually doesn't bother me too much as long as I'm up doing something but if I'm just at home I end up falling asleep a few hours after taking it.

When I first started taking Abilify I found it hard to sleep well at night so drowsiness certainly wasn't as issue. But overtime I've found it to completely switch - I now sleep rather easy and find myself rather drowsy after I take it and it starts to kick it. Its like a general low energy sort of tiredness. I personally think its because of the dopamine blocking...

I believe in the side effects it lists both insomnia and drowsiness so it all depends on how it effects you.

I go into complete zombie mone on that, makes university dreadful

I thought abilify was a weight gaining med? I was on it for a while and I took it before bed because of the drowsiness. I suggest that if it makes you drowsy because then you can sleep off most of the sleep side effects.