drowsiness, clouded thoughts and poor concentration. This is my second day and it seems as though I had more energy and motivation to get things done before starting the abilify. I was taking lamictal which actually worked rather well with my depression and unstable mood, but it gave me the rash so I had to stop taking it. Does anyone know of another good mood stabilizer similar to lamictal. I'm thinking of calling my doctor and telling him the abilify is not working for me and should put me on a different mood stabilizer, because my next appt. is not until January 31 and I don't want to go that long feeling down, tired, and lazy everyday. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
Has anyone ever experienced these side effects from abilify because I am...fatigue, no motivation?
- Posted:
- 23 Nov 2011 by jajones02
- Topics:
- abilify, lamictal, depression, bipolar disorder, side effect, fatigue
Details:
Responses (2)
LaurieShay
slattery27 Nov 2011
Hi jajones, I had been taking 10 mgs of abilify along with 500mg depakote, another mood stabilizer. I was taking the abilify as an anti-psychotic, having bipolar I. Honestly, after taking zyprexa for years before the abilify, it was like night and day - I was a spaced-out zombie on the zyprexa, whereas I felt great - perfectly normal - on the abilify. Right now I am just on depakote, due to health issues caused by the abilify, but which may not happen to everyone. I don't know if depakote would be suitable for your type of bipolar, but it's an idea to throw out at the doctor anyway. I really would give the abilify another bit of time, or maybe even ask the doc to lower the dosage a bit, if it's makng you excessively fatigued. 10mgs worked like a gem for me, no side effects at all. Hope you can figure this one out!
jajones02
27 Nov 2011
Thanks Slattery, yeah I'm going to give the abilify another week or two. I felt better on the lamictal than I do on abilify, but had to stop taking the lamictal because it gave me the rash. If the abilify doesn't work out I'm going to ask my psyciatrist to put me on another mood stabilizer and see how that works out. Thanks for the advice though, I will take depakote into consideration too next time I talk to my doctor. Thanks again.
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Thanks Laurie, yeah I was going to give it at least a week. My big thing is with my medications is that I take them to make me not feel bad or feel at least normal to above normal. I'm actually still trying to figure out if its more depression than bipolar II disorder. I mean, my mood does change quite often and I lose interest in things whether I enjoy them or not, very quickly, so I'm trying to find the right combination of meds so I can feel good, can concentrate on whatever I need to get done during the day, and not feel down like I do quite often, which is not normal. Everyone gets stressed out and things happen in life that can make anyone depressed or sad, but when it goes beyond a certain extent I know there's more to it than just feeling bad. I know there is something wrong with the chemicals in my brain which is why I take medication in order to alter the abnormal chemicals in my brain to get them to normal levels.
Expand this post...
I sure you know what I am talking about, being on medication yourself. Question though, when you started taking Abilify did you have any side effects in the beginning that eventually went away and how long did it take?? Also, what have you been diagnosed with and what other medications have you been on? I'm trying to learn from other people who have a mental disorder and take medication because I don't know anyone personally who knows what I'm talking about. A lot of the people I know are so closed minded and look at having to take medication as either a weakness or unnecessary which really bothers me. I can actually feel the chemicals being off in my brain, the right side of my brain mass feels heavier than the left. I've learned that the hippocampus of the brain is responsible for emotion and mood, so I'm thinking maybe this part of my brain is abnormal. Everyday I try to research and learn something new in order to help myself and be able to help other people as well. I'm finishing up my degree in Psychology and want to do something in the medical field, its my passion. Anyways, thanks for the tips on Abilify and best of luck to you.
Hey jajones,
I, too, am bipolar type II. I have been on many, many different meds over the years. Presently I take Abilify, Pristiq, Wellbutrin and Nuvigil. The combination works wonders for me. I have little in the way of mood swings, I can concentrate and function at a much higher level than when I was depressed. For most of us, it is a chemical imbalance with the neurotransmitters in the brain.
It may take as much as two weeks for the side effects to stop and for you to feel better from the Abilify. I would give it a good trial before giving up. Stay here for support, there are lots of us who understand what you are going through. Congratulations on the psyche degree.
Laurie