[perpetuallysad]

I am currently taking Welbutrin Sr 200mg 2x daily. 10 mg lexipro once daily. .5 mg of xanax 3 times daily and now my pdoc wants to try adding Abilify to the mix. I am bipolar II with OCD, GAD, and seriously bad MDD. Right now I am about as down as dirt. Not to mention that about a month ago I cut off the middle finger of my right hand, so I am sort of a convelescent right now and am not really able to do much of anything worth a crap. So anyhow, after reading what everyone has to say about abilify and the side effects, I am pretty much terrified to take the 5 mg he gave to me try.

Has anyone else ever had this combo before (I know its random, but maybe one of ya'll have)? I really hate the side effects you have to go through to get some relief and right now with the misery of my finger beating down on me I am not sure I can add to that with all the side effects described elsewhere.

So, anyhow, if anyone has any grand words of wisdom, please share. I would much appreciate anything anyone has to say.

[tracy33]

I have been taking Abilify for many years. (5 mgs). I like it. I don't recall any terrible side effects. It helps me alot, I think. I'm also taking Welbutrin, which I just started about 2 or three weeks ago, not sure if I'm liking it or not. I take Topamax and Lamictal also.
Hope you feel better soon.

Originally Posted by perpetuallysad

I am currently taking Welbutrin Sr 200mg 2x daily. 10 mg lexipro once daily. .5 mg of xanax 3 times daily and now my pdoc wants to try adding Abilify to the mix. I am bipolar II with OCD, GAD, and seriously bad MDD. Right now I am about as down as dirt. Not to mention that about a month ago I cut off the middle finger of my right hand, so I am sort of a convelescent right now and am not really able to do much of anything worth a crap. So anyhow, after reading what everyone has to say about abilify and the side effects, I am pretty much terrified to take the 5 mg he gave to me try.

Has anyone else ever had this combo before (I know its random, but maybe one of ya'll have)? I really hate the side effects you have to go through to get some relief and right now with the misery of my finger beating down on me I am not sure I can add to that with all the side effects described elsewhere.

So, anyhow, if anyone has any grand words of wisdom, please share. I would much appreciate anything anyone has to say.

I have been on Abilify 20-25 mg for about 10 years & have found it VERY helpful (dxed bipolar I) but know it is added at lower doses as an addition to other dxes as depression. Also take Lamictal--very good results.

I know how scary it is to take so many meds (I take 6) but you know, when you get to the point of feeling so badly & doing irrational things like hurting yourself or overdosing, you just need to do what needs to be done to take care of the situation. I personally believe believe I have to "bite whatever bullet" I have to to make myself quit doing dangerous & self-destructive behaviors. I mean, why should I ruin my kids', my husband's lives by my behaviors? They don't deserve that.

My mother committed suicide. You'd think I'd be able to control myself from that devastating event. I work hard every day at it. It's too bad that I have a mental illness & I'll try my best to get the treatment to help me but my family & others are not supposed to be destined to a life of misery because of me. Do whatever it takes--20 pills, ECT's--don't suffer & don't make them suffer. My opinion from seeing it from both sides--Suzy

[AchieveInnerPeace]

My two cents -- I've recently started taking Abilify (2 mg 2x day) for agitation due to chronic PTSD. My emotional blowouts have decreased, thought at that time not entirely disappeared. My psych doc upped my dosage to 4 mg 2x day and also gave me the okay to start weaning myself off Wellbutrin SR (been on it for years and I thought it was no longer helping my chronic depression). I also stopped taking the Strattera. Sure, I didn't have anymore blow-outs but my moods almost flat-lined (there's a name for it, but I don't remember what it was). I had extreme apathy and it was a real effort for me to do anything. I also had moderate unspecified anxiety. I definitely was not in a good place. I re-established my prior dosages of Wellbutrin (back up to 200 mg. 2x day), decreased the Abilify back down to 2 mg/2x day and started taking my Strattera again. What a difference that made! I am feeling a lot better and the apathy and anxiety are gone. I'm not crazy about the prospect of being on psych meds for the rest of my life, but I'll do whatever it takes.

[trippinmickey]

Its not what you are on ! But understanding what each one dose which will help you adjust them to fit your current bipolar moods and since bipolar is all ways changing you may have to adjust them to meet your needs at that time .

Abilify works to help bring your manic phase down. So if your are dep. its may work against you and so on . Since meds. work different for everybody i cant tell what will work for you . I would talked to your doctor and there are meds. that can be taken or adjusted as need to fit your mood swings and there some you cant mess with . Its trial and error and takes time their know fast way to figure out the right combo.

I take 6 different meds. and 3 of the 6 I can adjust myself to fit my needs and my current bipolar needs . The other 3 I cant mess with because it could be harmful to do so. Wellbutrin is one that i take . I take 150mg. twice a day but if im to manic i skip the second dose since it works on dep. and has a speedy side affect on me .OK THIS WITH YOUR DOCTOR !

[yutzman]

Originally Posted by perpetuallysad

I am currently taking Welbutrin Sr 200mg 2x daily. 10 mg lexipro once daily. .5 mg of xanax 3 times daily and now my pdoc wants to try adding Abilify to the mix. I am bipolar II with OCD, GAD, and seriously bad MDD. Right now I am about as down as dirt. Not to mention that about a month ago I cut off the middle finger of my right hand, so I am sort of a convelescent right now and am not really able to do much of anything worth a crap. So anyhow, after reading what everyone has to say about abilify and the side effects, I am pretty much terrified to take the 5 mg he gave to me try.

Has anyone else ever had this combo before (I know its random, but maybe one of ya'll have)? I really hate the side effects you have to go through to get some relief and right now with the misery of my finger beating down on me I am not sure I can add to that with all the side effects described elsewhere.

So, anyhow, if anyone has any grand words of wisdom, please share. I would much appreciate anything anyone has to say.

About two years ago I volunteered for a clinical study in which I was given Abilify 5mg along with my usual meds Cymbalta 90mg & Wellbutrin 150mg daily. Abilify is marketed for manic/depression, but this study was to see if it could afford a positive effect on just depression meds. I had no side effects at the 5mg dosage, but, as amatter of fact, I didn't feel that it did much for me. My psych said Abilify claims to be much safer than lithium as far as side effects go. 5mg seems to be a pretty safe low dose to start out with. If you were manic at the time of your accident, that may have been the cause. Something to level you out may be in order....

[whales75]

HI
I have borderline personality disorder, but I have been paranoid in the past so they put me on Abilify. I started on 10 mg a day with no side effects and have been doing so good in 2 years, I'm down to 2 mg per day.. It's a good drug that has worked for me..

I also have been on Lexapro, 20 mg per day, and I like it.. And like you, I just recently was put on Wellbutrin 150 mg per day, It suppossed to help with the Lexapro, hitting all 3 neurotransmitters.. So far, I have had good results.No side effects so far.

I was told by one psychiatrist that Abilify is a powerful drug, that one dose would last in a person's system for 96 hours, so even if you forget a day, you're fine..

Hope that helps..

Whales75