Abilify worked so well for me so quickly, but there was extreme muscle pain which caused me to discontinue... I see that others have taked 2 and 2.5mg doses -- my doctor tells me that it only comes in 5 mg (lowest) and that halving it manually isn't recommended. Have others found lesser doses? I desperately want to give it one more try...
How can you halve the 5mg tabs of Abilify?
Question posted by lkb1976 on 2 Aug 2011
Last updated on 4 August 2011
4 Answers
LiverLips
3 Aug 2011
Hi lbk1976 & welcome! Glad to have you added to our family here!
Isn't Laurie totally AWESOME? Or, as sweet lemon would say, DA BOMB! Pretty soon Laurie'll be hanging out her shingle! HA HA HA
Anyway, I found your circumstance a bit odd as well. That being said, the best way to split a pill is with a pill splitter. (Bet you thought I didn't know that one, eh? LOL) I have to split some of my Warfarin meds every week. You can easily buy a small, plastic splitter at a pharmacy for a couple of bucks. Look at the dollar store first just in case they carry them. This way, when the pill is split, it'll be more uniformly even. Some pills are imprinted with a mark that you can easily see for splitting. lbk1976, if you're splitting the blue 5 mgs Abilify pill, it doesn't have this feature so be certain to line up the pill as evenly & exactly as you can in the splitter. Push down in "one fell swoop" motion to get a clean(er) cut.
Easy to do (sometimes I even do it myself! LOL)
Abilify does come in 2 mgs dosages. Your pharmacist can also affirm that for you~~~they are normally very knowledgable & sometimes more helpful than your doctor concerning medications & dosages & side effects. Another way to find out about meds is to contact the manufacturer or distributor, however, in your case I wouldn't deem it necessary. Drugs.com has a pill identifier whereby you can type in Abilify, for instance, & all the known matches will be displayed. There will be a picture of the med (if available) & descriptive details. Some pills aren't meant to be halved or broken or chewed or dissolved & you'll find this information in the consumer leaflet that accompanies your drug. Also, your pharmacist can tell you that too. And, my final thought (was that a sigh of relief I just heard? LOL), is that it can also depend upon which country you live in. I live in Canada & for example, some of the drugs in the U.S.A. aren't available here.
The website here at Drugs.com is very extensive & also user friendly. As well, medical professionals are available to answer any emails to them.
Best of health to you! from Wendy :)
Inactive
3 Aug 2011
Umm that is not true, cutting it in half is perfectly fine. I ask my pharmasxcist they do know best. I cut my 10 mgs in half to make the 5. Was given to me that way from the doctor and okayed by the pharmacist.
Inactive
3 Aug 2011
hi ya, this is not a helping answer to you but you can help me though. Your getting muscle pain 97% of people can get that and I thought I was the only one but I have to check it out first for me if... wait wait wait that was for Cymbalta . Are you on Cymbalta too? Im on both. Im on 10 mg of abilify and not 1 person said it can cause muscle pain and I even called the pharmascist up since doctors dont know anything sometimes. You think it can be from the Ablilify. Please PM me about this. I am very confused now cause I have been getting muscle pain too. For me It might be the lack of vitamin D not absorbing my calcium I take too or not enough water or the 3 % of people on Cymbalta. But Abilify you think??? I have to wait it out for 2 1/2 weeks while on vitamin D.
lkb1976
3 Aug 2011
Hi Eclipse 2,
Yes, everyone seemed surprised by my muscle pain but I see on here than many have reported it. Mine started as joint pain in my knees and then what was a strange tendon-like pain in the bottom of my feet. After a few days it was throughout my body and instead of being real muscle pain it felt more like I was bruised - everywhere. I have to attribute it to the Abilify because the very day I cut the dose in half to begin going off those systems began to cease - and the disappeared in the reverse order they came - the very last thing to improve were my knees and the bottoms of my feet. I'm also taking Lithium, Wellbutrin and Klonipin - no Cymbalta. Hope that helps!
Inactive
4 Aug 2011
lkb1976 Yes you helped me very much I hoped I helped you by my answer about cutting the pillls in half for you. Let me wait it out the 2 1/2 weeks anyway because of my not enough water and that vit d problem i got then we'll see what happens I 'll let you know. ANd you let us know after you take your 2.5 mg. I have been on Abilify for a very long time though and its a good drug, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I had a pain I rememebr a long time agao for a while in my foot than my legs. No joint pain though. Its like a throbbing aching type of pain where my percocet or soma does NOT help??
Oh to add on LauraShay... Hi hun, I'm very sorry but I was on Lamictal to find out after 3 years it was causing my platelet coint to be off the wall and me bruising very easily if someone just touched me I would bruise. It looked like I got beat up everyday. It was a very good drug till I found that was the drug causing that. I am allergic to Serequel. Sorry me and lkb1976 seem to be having the same problems.
LaurieShay
2 Aug 2011
Hey lkb,
Abilify comes in a 2mg pill. To see the specifics about this pill, go to:
https://www.drugs.com/imprints/a-006-2-8962.html
Hope this helps,
Laurie
lkb1976
2 Aug 2011
Thank you Laurie! Are you aware of anyone taking this amount twice a day, for a total of 4mg? The 5mg worked so well, but the muscle pain was unreal at 5mg, and when I was going off them altogether I was biting them in half for a week before I went off completely - I noticed that although the muscle pain was gone, so were the benefits. (I apologize for typos).
LaurieShay
3 Aug 2011
Not aware of anybody taking a low dose, the theraputic level is usually 10 to 15 mgs. Are you sure the muscle pain is from the Abilify? Not a common side effect is why I ask.
lkb1976
3 Aug 2011
Hi Laurie-
My doctor also thought it was odd. About 10 days in I started having strange muscle/joint pain that increased markedly over the next 5 days. After 7 days it was excruciating so a call to the doc had me biting pills in half for a week and then none after that. The very day I went down to 1/2, I had more mobility and within 3 days the only pain left was in one foot. The pain was such an odd nerve-like, bruised paid - I'd never felt anything like it. I can only attribute the paid to the medication due to the coinciding onset, and that fact that it stopped the very day the medication decreased. A true shame as I have been on every anti-depressent under the sun for the last 19 years-- this was my key. Thank you for your help!
LaurieShay
3 Aug 2011
Strange indeed, but given the way it happened, I would guess it to be the Abilify too. Why do you need the Abilify? Have you ever tried Lamictal for mood swings and to help control the mania? It works very well for some people.
lkb1976
3 Aug 2011
Hi LaurieShay - Never tried or heard of Lamictal. I have sever depression and not bipolor so I never see the mainia or mood swings associated. The abilify was prescribed to be as sort of an off-lable script because apparently doctors have seen great results for depression as well. And I can second that! In my 19 years on every anti-depressent under the sun this worked wonders in mere days. Quitting because of the side effects is eating at me and I want to give it another try. I'm wondering also if Lamictal has any off-label uses as well - is it an anti-psychotic do you know? I'm currently on Seraphim (and Lithium, Wellbutrin and Klonipin) with no luck at all.
LaurieShay
3 Aug 2011
Hey lkb,
The Abilify does enhance the effects of the two antidepressants you are taking. Since the Abilify didn't agree with you, I recommend Seroquel. It too has antidepressant properties. The Lamictal I mentioned is more for mania so probably not for you. I too have more depression than mania and I take Abilify. You are presently taking Sarafem (fluoxetine) which affects serotonin and Wellbutrin which primarily affects dopamine, has your doctor ever thought about switching the Sarafem to an antidepressant which affects serotonin and norepinephrine such as Cymbalta or Pristiq? I take the Pristiq with Wellbutrin and have had excellent results. Just a thought. I recommend talking to the doctor about Seroquel and whether switching to Pristiq or Cymbalta is an option.
Laurie
lkb1976
3 Aug 2011
I've tried Cymbalta but not Pristiq - I will most definitely ask. About the Seroquel as well, I know my doc has mentioned that before. I'm just so frustrated with the fact that Abilify was better than anything I had ever taken and I wasn't able to make it work - I don't want to get back into the cycle of trying one thing after another. It took so long to get where I was and then I hit a hole, and the abilify popped me right out of it and then some. But I will write down Seroquel and Prostiq and do some research and be sure to ask him. Thank you so much for your help!
LaurieShay
3 Aug 2011
You are welcome and best of luck!!
Related topics
abilify, depression, pain, muscle pain, doctor, muscle
Further information
- Abilify uses and safety info
- Abilify prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Abilify (detailed)
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