Abilify for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews

• Jay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2020

"I just started this Abilify at a 5mg dose and am going up to 10 mg today. Side effects were - nausea briefly - restlessness that might keep waking you up at night. Both of these went away. I was told by my psych that I might feel shaky but that should pass. Positives so far are less rumination and constant thinking. Less daydreaming. It doesn’t affect my actual ability to think. I haven’t gone manic on this yet. My temperament seems to be even and my energy level is good. I'll check back in in a month with the 10mg review. Thanks all."

• Andrea
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 24, 2020

"I've been struggling with bipolar II my whole life and have been hospitalized twice. This last time they put me on abilify in addition to my lamictal and lexapro along with trazadone for sleep. First, the side effects. They were pretty bad in the beginning super restless, high anxiety, couldn't concentrate on anything unless it involved my hands. I did a lot of adult coloring and rearranged my house a few times. I was treated with ativan for about 2 weeks, a double dose of trazadone at night, and self treated with THC. The side effects are starting to wear off and it's like I can see the world in color! My husband says I'm acting like when we first met and the sparkle is back in my eyes. If you have side effects, work with your doctor. I am so glad I did and stayed on this med. It's been a month and totally life changing."

• Ben
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 14, 2019

"Been on every BiPolar med known. Finally tried Abilify (generic) and this for me, is the VERY BEST bipolar medication in the world. No highs, no lows, NO bipolar symptoms at all. I’ve never known in my 45 years that a bipolar drug could make me feel so “normal”. Truly happy, level headed and carefree. Sleep is normal for the first time ever. I’d rate it an “11” if I could! CHANGED MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER, literally! I TAKE aripiprazole 10mg once daily, Prozac as well."

• Anony...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2019

"I feel like a new woman on Abilify! I have Bi-Polar II, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. I have tried Lithium (gained too much weight and my thyroid went wacky), Lamictal (skin rash) and Topamax (which I currently take 50 mg at night to counteract the possible side effect of weight gain with Abilify). I have NOT gained any weight on Abilify! I was hesitant to take it, and now I’m kicking myself for not starting it sooner because I feel amazing! I have energy, depression and anxiety are GONE, and my bi-polar symptoms have vanished. This is a miracle drug for me! Give it a try if you are questioning it, because I wish I would have tried it sooner! I’m 46 years old and I am 5’10” and weigh 165 pounds with a BMI of 24 (Average)."

• Parli...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 25, 2020

"I am diagnosed with Bipolar 1 and in my 20s suffered through 3 major manic psychotic episodes which led to at least month long hospitalizations each time. After the first episode, I was put on zyprexa in which I felt zombified and depressed on which led me to go off of it entirely. Less than a year later I was hospitalized again and at that point I was introduced to Abilify. Three years passed during which I was stable. I then went off of it which led to my third and final hospitalization. Ever since then I took the 20mg tablets religiously and would soon combine it with Lamictal. This combo has worked wonders for me. Years ago a doctor told me that I’m on the Rolls Royce of bipolar medication and I firmly agree. About a year ago I started taking the 400mg injection which helped me lose at least 30 pounds. I find the injection the most effective method of taking Abilify. It has been a life saver for me!"

• Lou
• January 28, 2021

"Been diagnosed 18 years ago with Bipolar ...OCD. panic an anxiety disorder. I've been on antidepressants since then then a few months ago it got worse 15 panicked attacks every single night an I walked floors all night long. Every night still sleep sitting up all night. I dose off an on, all night. I've suffered all my life feeling different since I was old enough to remember say 5 yrs old and I'm 49 now. I would like share my experience to help someone else, since I've always been paranoid and avoid people. I always felt shy an awkward and I guess since my new blue pill Abilify I feel so much better. After taking my first pill my racing thoughts disappeared and my moods got better and I finally feel normal. Everything seems so enjoyable now it saved my mental well being ..."

• Joe
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 5, 2019

"I had so many horrible experiences with meds for my bipolar. It scared me to try one more but I'm now on 2mg of abilify once daily and found my old self again after a very long time living an unbearable life. The only side effect is slight insomnia and I'm losing the ton of weight that I gained while on seroquel. Abilify saved my life."

• Berpk
• August 10, 2014

"I was ready to walk out on my husband because of his hateful stressful presence. I sent him to the doctor and he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and started on Abilify. It was a lifesaver for our marriage and family. He is happy, fun, and hopeful again. I thank God my prayers were answered."

• melf
• September 4, 2008

"I started this medicine not too long ago and love it. I have been on many other medicines over the years without good results. The one thing I would like to say to others who have written comments here is, do not say you would not recommend this to someone because it doesn't work for you. That is the reason there are different medications, and just because it doesn't work for you, it is ridiculous for you to say you wouldn't recommend others take it."

• Welco...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 30, 2019

"On Abilify for Bipolar and it is the first time in my entire life that I have felt stable. I have no side effects from this medication. I take it at night and it makes me a bit sleepy which is good for my sleep anyways. I have tried a few other mood stabilizers without success and finally tried Abilify and it works fantastically for me."

• Subject
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 17, 2020

"I am a 24 year old male with Bipolar II. Depression is what I struggle with 98% of the time. I have been taking this med Abilify for about a month now, so long enough. I switched to this from Zyprexa, and that switch was rough. My anxiety came back worse than before on this med and the restlessness was too much for me. I took 5mg and I would get an hour or two of sleep per day and not be able to sit still during the day. I will say that it cured my depression completely, so for that I am grateful. As far as my anxiety, sleep, and overall mood it has not improved. Moving up in dosage caused more restlessness and moving down to 2.5mg or less made me tired and didn't do much for my mood. This med didn't work for me but its not the worst med, give it a shot. I'm switching to Latuda, wish me luck."

• Hello...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 6, 2020

"This medication has ruined my self esteem and essentially my life. I have gained 50 lbs from this medication. That wasn’t a typo 50 freaking lbs!!! I’ve recently stopped taking it but no weight has come off yet. I’m beside myself. I don’t know what to do. I hate the way I look now."

• Loco...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 11, 2015

"I am 40. I was diagnosed bipolar 15 years ago. My mania manifests itself as aggression/rage. My rage has been a problem since I was young. My violent outbursts consisted of me punching myself, bashing my head against walls and other horrifically embarrassing and dangerous actions. I was extremely verbally abusive to anyone unfortunate enough to be near me during my rages. I have been on many meds throughout my life. Every benzo. Mellaril. Thorazine. Every SSRI. Depakote. Lithium. NOTHING curbed my rage. In fact - SSRI meds INTENSIFIED my rage. 10 years ago, my psychiatrist put me on 20mg of Abilify. Within 4 days - I felt like I could finally breathe. My rage literally disappeared. But I don't feel "zombie-ish" like with other meds."

• Cookie
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 7, 2020

"Abilify and zoloft work well for my bipolar depression. My mood was never been so controlled, I feel like a new and normal person. It kills my sex drive so I also take a supplement for women which helps a lot."

• Nick
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 19, 2020

"Have been on Abilify (Generic) for about a month now. My lows are higher and my highs are nonexistent. I’m mostly flat emotionally, lacking interest in everything, including people. Good for my irritability and delusions, but the side effects are tough."

• Babyg...
• January 5, 2021

"Absolutely amazing has changed my life I absolutely love this medication. It helped with my anxiety, depression, has helped with all around social anxiety, very highly recommended. I got to put down three other medications just to take this one pill a day awesome."

• Life-...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 25, 2024

"Taking Abilify for 10 months now has been life-changing for me. I barely have any more bipolar symptoms. It has helped my anxiety. I feel like I can do things and interact with people. I feel stable. I will warn that the adjustment period was difficult for me; the only way I can describe how I felt during the beginning stages was weird. But now I feel great."

• Better
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 31, 2023

"I don't know how to describe what I was going through other than to say I was miserable. I was angry, resentful, and sometimes reckless. I opened up to my doctor, and she prescribed Abilify. It worked within days of taking it. I first noticed I was sleeping better, like almost deeper if you will. Then I noticed I was seeking out socialization with others. I was staying awake past 7/8 pm. Then some of my more obsessive behaviors were gone. Freaking out over dirty dishes or too many clothes on the floor, like ruining the rest of my day, stuff before. I then noticed I was saying yes to spending more time with my kids and wanting to do holiday stuff. Now, after weeks, I'm reconnecting with old damaged relationships and generally am way happier than I've been in many years."

• Chels
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 15, 2015

"I am a 28 year old female diagnosed with Bipolar 1, Generalized Anxiety Disoder, Panic disorder and Agoraphobia. A little over a week of taking this medication in conjunction with Lamictal and a benzo (Xanax, Klonopin, or Valium depending upon doc's decision) I felt like a million bucks. I could leave the house. I had a normal sleep schedule. I had energy for the first time in a long time. It was a miracle for me. Stopped taking it and downward I went again. Restarting now and I couldn't be more excited. I will say it made me feel restless and that includes Restless Leg Syndrome types of feelings. But, I would rather be restless and functioning. You have to weigh the pros and cons --for me it is a PRO!"

• Rose
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 28, 2020

"I suffer some depression, some OCD traits and may be mildly Bipolar. I take Zoloft which hugely helped my mood swings. Lately my mind has been at great unrest......consumed by worry....unable to focus. Fatigue set in and I was tired all the time....even after a good nights sleep. My Dr put me on Abilify 2mg once daily. I thought to myself.....How will such a tiny little pill help? Well I am so IMPRESSED!!!!! The brain fog and worry is gone. I wake up early every morning with energy that lasts all day long! I would totally recommend Abilify!"

• Anonymous
• May 28, 2016

"I have only taken Abilify for about 2 weeks but it has been the best experience yet with meds. Very mild side effects that only lasted for 2 days. I wake up early with tons of energy and motivation. The thought of leaving the house during the day doesn't make me want to crawl in a hole. I have not had ONE depressing thought or episode and for someone with Bi Polar, that is AMAZING."

• Liz
• December 29, 2020

"I took trileptal by itself for a long time. That helped at first but I never quite felt normal. I then hit a stressful point in my life and began having A LOT of mania and depression. I started neglecting my meds, feeling hopeless. My Dr. then suggested I take abilify 5 mg in addition to the trileptal. After seeing reviews about weight gain, increased mania, etc. I was wary about trying it but I decided to. I have not gained any weight from the med (I am 5’4 115lbs young female). The first few days I was switching rapidly between manic and depressed and had a lot of insomnia. However after about 3-4 days I noticed for the first time in 5 years I feel like myself again. I haven’t been this levelled and happy in so long. I rarely have depressive or manic episodes which is something I thought was impossible. Definitely give this a try and don’t be discouraged by the first few days. It’s so worth it."

• ailik
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 28, 2020

"I took this medication for about two months I'd say. The highest I ever went to was 5mg. While it did work on the depression, it made the mania a lot worse to the point where I went psychotic and ended up in the hospital. The biggest issue I had was that the doctor was very intent on keeping me on this drug despite the fact it was not working."

• RidinHi
• December 18, 2019

"Ability was the first medication prescribed following my bipolar diagnosis, I was told it had a side effect of weight gain. When I first started it, for 14 days, I was MISERABLE...I couldn't eat, sleep, use the restroom, lay down without fidgeting, focus or stop thinking super fast. But on day 15, all those awful effects disappeared. I never experienced anything bad other that weigh gain. I had the same side effects weaning off it. (That was 300+ pounds ago. I didn't change my eating or exercising habits) In 2017 my new psychiatrist changed medications and I dropped 41 pounds in two years the Abilify slowed my metabolism. I mainly noticed how it gave me a sense of controlled well being. In the 15 years I took it, I only missed two doses. I figured if I did my part, medication and stayed actively involved in my own therapy then life would be best it could."

• TJF
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 22, 2022

"My first week I felt like a whole new person. I had an extreme amount of energy & wanted to get out in the world again. Week 2- it all went down hill. I felt like I was trapped in a body that wasn’t my own. I couldn’t eat, I wasn’t thirsty, I lost weight, my legs WOULD NOT sit still. Like to the point I wanted to cut them off. They constantly were twitching uncontrollably or aching. My dr gave me a shot of Benadryl then I had to take Benadryl everyday for 2 weeks to get any sort of relief even then it was a 5/10 of uncomfortableness. My anxiety started to sky rocket where basically I felt like I was living a constant panic attack. I stopped cold turkey & after a week I’m still having chest pain & my legs aren’t back to being completely still but now down to 2/10 so, tolerable. I seriously will never ever recommend to anyone. Maybe it was just me, but I would never wish the way I felt on anyone. I never want to feel that way again"