Hi all, I went to the doc yesterday and she prescribed me 10 mg of Abilify by itself. In the past I had taken Wellbutrin and Lamictal combo. She’s been wanting me to try Latuda but the price has always been a huge issue for me. It I told her it might be something I could try. Before my insurance will allow me to switch to Latuda she said I need to try a generic, hence prescribing me Abilify. I was doing some research and I don’t see a lot of cases where people were only taking Abilify. I know you can but it doesn’t seem that common. Anyone have any experiences taking it by itself? It kind of seems like she’s just going through the motion so she can get me on Latuda but I’m still a bit nervous about what the cost will be.
Has anyone taken Abilify by itself? My doc just prescribed me 10 mg?
Question posted by Secret12 on 23 May 2018
Last updated on 7 November 2019 by Karen2931
6 Answers
Karen2931
7 Nov 2019
I was on abilify for a number of years and for me i hated it. It caused uncontrollable jaw movements that even after stopping it the movement never went away. It also caused extreme fear of everything for me, especially fear of riding in a vehicle with anyone but me driving. I felt like I was becoming agoraphobic because I didnt want to leave the house. I am on latuda now and have a positive outlook on life so far.
Kinmatoby20
3 June 2018
Be careful with this medicine. My daughter was only taking it and well she tried to commit suicide in April. She's never been suicidal ever. It causes suicidal tendicies in people who have never been suicidal up to 4 months after starting to take it. Also it causes major impulse control of gambling or sexual nature or spending money. It has a moderate interaction with Bipolar Disorder too. It's for type 1 from what info I found not type 2. My daughter has been rediagnosed as type 2 like my husband her dad is. I wish you the very best on this medicine. She also slept constantly on the 10mg. She could go to sleep at 5:30pm after school and not get up until 6:15am to go to school. On weekends she could sleep from 6:00pm after school on Friday's until 1:00pm to 2:00pm. Please read the side effects on here about the suicidal tendicies from the FDA. There was 4 people who committed suicide during the drug trials. I hope you don't have any of these issues on it. Best of luck. I hope my info helped you out.
allie79
2 June 2018
yes,and it truly was a answer to most of my mental disorders.im bi polar 1 and I have intense mood swings from very sad,extreme sadness or extreme anger.i mean down right evil,no in between and i dont get manic happy.Abilify has changed all this for me,no not perfect but so much different.im even with my moods,no rapidly cycling.im more level headed.the crying stopped,and I dont feel so angry i won't to hurt someone.I have other mental disorders,but as for bi polar,Abilify changed my life.im on a high dose,30 milgs which is the highest but im on the highest of all the meds i take.don't give up if 5,10 or 15 doesnt work.sometimes u just need a higher milg.im very happy on this med.no side affects for me either,good luck to you!!!
Rideout
27 May 2018
Hello Hun, I myself have bipolar disorder, and I also have major depression disorder..and I have been on a lot of medication..I've been on abilify also but; here is the kicker... usually abilify is given to patient's that have depression and they will prescribe you A depression medication and IF YOU don't think that it is not working that great THEY will then add abilify with the depression medication ie..Zoloft and ability together.. but I have never ever heard of doctors prescribing it to patient's ALONE.. that is crazy..as far as I know it is supposed to be used with a antidepressant to boost the depression medication..I don't know what your doctor is doing seriously!!! I'm a CNA and that is something that I never heard of..I hope that this is helpful to you...
Secret12
27 May 2018
it was approved for treating bipolar by itself. She and I want me to go on Latuda but in order for my insurance to pay we have to try a generic first. That’s why she’s having me try Abilify. I go back Tuesday and will let her know if I’m seeing an improvement, if not we will try something else. Not sure if I can afford Latuda though... even with insurance.
Abilify4toolong
19 Sep 2018
Must say your comments are spot on. In 99 cases out of 100, they won't just put you on Abilify solely because it is indicated for schizophrenia, bipolar and an additional drug for depression. Luckily I don't have any of those.. just anxiety disorders. And I say in tongue and cheek. To the writer of the question, I hope you get relief from Abilify and Latuda. My combination is Abilify and Lamictal while I'm being cautiously withdrawn off Abilify. As to all fellow Abilifites, I say please don't go it alone. Do your research on this drug on this site and from googling "atypical antipsychotics" adverse effects. Tapering off is a big problem for so many. in time it will work out.
Winston1001
24 May 2018
I have been on abilify 5mg for six weeks. It gets better day by day but anxiety and fear is still a problem.
However, I have seen changes take place that are promising. Communicating here helps a lot.
10 mg is not high . 5 mg is also a low dose. I see the doc in two months so I hopefully will have more to report after that but I am sticking with it meantime. More positive than negative IMO.
Secret12
24 May 2018
Thanks for the reply. And you are just in Abilify?
Winston1001
24 May 2018
Yes. I’m on abilify 5mg on it’s own. I was on Trintellix 20 mg before this but I had a bad reaction.
I’m using abilify for depression. The anxiety is another thing but it’s only been 6 weeks. I have noticed an improvement I have to say.
Secret12
24 May 2018
Awesome to hear. Anxiety is a huge issue for me so I hope it doesn’t increase on the abilify. She prescribed me Ativan but I’ll only take benzos as a last resort. I hope I start to see some improvement by Tuesday when I go back to see my pdoc
WildcatVet
23 May 2018
Hi, Secret! Are you being treated for Bipolar disorder? Type l or type 2? Major Depressive disorder?
"Abilify is used to treat the symptoms of psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder (manic depression)."
"Abilify is also used together with other medicines to treat major depressive disorder in adults."
I've taken aripiprazole (Abilify) for over five years, first with an antidepressant then with lithium when my diagnosis was changed to Bipolar. I'm not sure how effective it will be for you if you take it alone.
My psych nurse also wants to try me on Latuda but my Medicare co-pay would be $534 (YIKES!) for a 30 day supply, whereas my aripiprazole only costs $263 for a 90 day supply.
You could try Googling "drug price comparisons" to find the cost of these drugs at your local pharmacies. Walmart is often the cheapest. You'd have to figure out your co-pay depending on the percentage your insurance covers... usually 80%.
Hope this helps you some.
WildcatVet
23 May 2018
Oh, BTW, my aripiprazole is 30mg so your 10mg will probably be less expensive.
WildcatVet
24 May 2018
"How Long Does It Take For Aripiprazole To Work?
It is very important to tell your doctor how you feel things are going during the first few weeks after you start taking aripiprazole. It will probably take several weeks to see big enough changes in your symptoms to decide if aripiprazole is the right medication for you."
"It can take a few days, or sometimes a few weeks, for aripiprazole to start helping you. If you have had no change by the end of 2-3 weeks, you could talk to your doctor about other medicines. However it can take 6-8 weeks for aripiprazole to take full effect."
Secret12
24 May 2018
Thanks for the reply. I go back in a week and will let her know how it’s working. First day was yesterday. It just made me sleepy about an hour after taking it. I took a nap. I’ll take it at bed time today. I feel fine this morning. Not much different but no real side effects.
WildcatVet
24 May 2018
Cool! Yeah, drowsiness/sedation are the most common side effects so maybe you should take it at night. It really doesn't matter when you take it as long as it's approximately the same time every day.
Let us know how you do, okay?
Related topics
abilify, lamictal, wellbutrin, depression, bipolar disorder, latuda, prescription
Further information
- Abilify uses and warnings
- Lamictal uses and warnings
- Wellbutrin uses and warnings
- Latuda uses and warnings
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