Abilify User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

• Eliza...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 7, 2023

For Depression "A light switch has been turned on! Actually, ALL of the lights in the stadium are on!! I have suffered from depression for 20 years. Was I suicidal? NO, but I realized after the 10mg dose began to work that I have not felt like myself for over 10+ years. For the last 7 to 10 years, I have been on Prozac 40 mg, Wellbutrin XL 300 mg, and 40 mg of BuSpar per day. I have never had the kind of success with any drug that I have had with Abilify. I feel like my creativity is back, I feel like my desire to get out of bed is back, I feel like my motivation to do projects and organize in my house is back, and I feel my desire to communicate and reach out to friends and family is back. I really do hate it for anyone who has negative side effects with Abilify because it has changed my life in three short weeks! I highly recommend it."

• Berpk
• August 10, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• TJE
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2013

For Depression "I have been dealing with a bout of clinical depression since roughly November 2012. It followed a surgery gone wrong, which messed me up physically & mentally. I ended up admitting myself to a psych hospital where spent 9 days. They upped my Zoloft from 50 mg to 100 mg and did nothing else. I left there feeling just as bad as when I was admitted. Upon seeing me following my hospitalization, my psychiatrist recommended Abilify 2 mg as an add-on. He indicated that he'd been very impressed with the quick response a number of his extremely depressed patients had adding on Abilify. I started taking 2 mg two weeks ago. I cannot believe how good I feel after about 7 months of Major Depression. Must try if you take an SSRI!"

• gbs...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 23, 2015

For Autism "My high-functioning ASD son started taking 5mg of Abilify at age 11 to control his irritability and aggressive outbursts ( never hurt anyone else, but would throw himself repeatedly into the wall when he became frustrated ). The Abilify helped immensely. At age 14, a new physician wanted to see how he would handle being off the medication. Seemed okay for the first month, but by month three he ended up in the emergency room on a hold for suicidal ideation. He was immediately put back on Abilify and things started getting better. Now at age 16, he takes 15mg once a day. He's more social, more conversational, and just doing well overall. His weight is ideal for his height."

• APano
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 6, 2019

For Depression "Abilify caused my eyes to roll to the back of my head, convulsions and completely killed my personality. It removed my desire to self harm but it also removed every trace of personality that made me myself. Enough to make my peers notice when I finally got off it. The side effects are horrid and have left me terrified of prescription meds."

• melf
• September 4, 2008

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• LALDO
• November 9, 2015

For Depression "My lexapro stopped working so I was switched to prozac. While prozac did help some it didn't help enough. My psychiatrist prescribed abilify at 2mg to add on to 60mg of prozac. Within 2 days I was pulled out of the dark hole I was in and my crying spells were gone. This pill is a miracle pill."

• Sapp
• February 26, 2019

For Depression "I think that 2 MG's does not cause weight gain. On the 5 mg I noticed weight gain. I took 2 mg and when I needed a jolt I took 2 of the 2 MG's for a few days then went to just 1 of the 2 MG's tablet. It's like after 2 years it wasn't working as well but I will not go off of it again. It pulled me out of the bed for over a month I was just laying around not wanting to do anything and after 2 days of 2 mg tablet, it felt like the lights were turned on again when nothing else would help. I have not gained weight at all on 2 MG's."

• JFW
• December 21, 2016

For Depression "I was in a deep depression about a year ago. I was taking Lexepro and Ativan. I saw very little improvement after five months. My doctor added 2mg of Abilify. Within two days, the clouds had lifted. The worrying started to dissipate. I was able to think clearer with each passing day. I did notice a weight gain, but my doctor said this was because I was feeling better. I dropped the Abilify after about six months. My advice is to stay with it. As with most drugs, you start to feel better and don't need it any more. Wrong. Circumstances come up and you are in the pits again. I started back on Abilify last night."

• Rake
• November 16, 2014

For Depression "I have been struggling with postnatal depression for nine months; really, for the last 2.5 years as I had two babies 19 months apart. I was placed on Wellbutrin which helped with the physical effects but did not improve mood, I was then placed on Lexapro, then Prozac, then Zoloft and although some did improve my mood they all made me so tired I couldn't stay awake. They also made me feel disconnected and like I was observing emotions instead of feeling them. I was cold. Finally my doctor gave me Abilify to use with the Wellbutrin and it has completely changed me whole aspect. I feel like myself, for the first in years. I am awake, working hard, engaged, focused... it's my miracle! Even if it is $800 a month!"

• invol...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 18, 2013

For Autism "After much deliberation and many, many meetings, we finally decided to put our 7 year old on low dose Abilify. My child is officially diagnosed PDD-NOS, which is an autism umbrella disorder. At first the low 2mg dose seemed pretty effective in controlling the anxiety and outburst. However; when our doctor prescribed a higher dose, 5 mg, the exhaustion and weight gain were out of control. My child gained roughly 45 pounds in six months. Even when we stopped the medication for the summer months. Abilify seems to make my child very hungry, but unable to convert any calories into energy, simply storing all food as fat. We came to the decision that the side effects were out weighing the desired effects, and are trying a new medication. "

• Somoa
• November 29, 2016

For Depression "I take generic Cymbalta and have for 2 years. One day it just sucked, I was like really down, depressed and living like a hermit. I have been taking 10 milligrams of Abilify on top of the cymbalta 60 milligrams and so far I actually feel normal for the first time in my life. I am now smiling and going out , looking forward to fresh air and conversation again. Thank you Abilify, I am now getting back to life."

• dymnd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 27, 2016

For Depression "Was on Prozac for the last 4 years to treat my depression, anxiety and intrusive thoughts until my Prozac pooped out. I upped my Prozac with no relief. I tried other ssris Zoloft,Celexa Lexapro which only made my condition worse. I even tried an snri Cymbalta with no relief. 7 months later I finally got to see a psychiatrist. He put me back on Prozac 10 mg and augment with Abilify. It took a month before I decided to try it because of the cost ($110.00 for 30 2mg pills) I felt it working 2 days later. After 1 week my intrusive thoughts went away and my depression lifted with anxiety gone. I had zero side effects. Its been 10 days now and I feel myself again, going out and doing things. For me Abilify is a perfect fit, I hope it lasts."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Ender...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 26, 2020

For Schizophrenia "When I was first diagnosed with psychosis, about six years ago, they put me on risperidone. It was only recently that I discovered that, for all that time, even a moderate dose like 3.5mg/night was making me sleepy ALL DAY, I had no motivation, I became completely inert, I gained a lot of weight, maybe 50 or so pounds, which is a lot for my height. They recently switched me to abilify, and I’ve gotta say, it’s a hundred times better! I’m back to being “up”, I’m interested in things again, in being productive, I can even work. As for the weight, it doesn’t give me the appetite that risperidone did, nor does it mess up my blood sugar levels like risperidone did. There’s still a bit of fatigue, but my concerta, prescribed for ADD, nips that in the bud, and besides, even without the c, the fatigue levels are just nowhere near risperidone levels. TL;DR in terms of fatigue, motivation levels and weight gain, abilify is, by FAR, the better choice over risperidone."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Sharo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 11, 2012

For Depression "I have a longstanding history of Depression and Anxiety. I've taken many medicines with some horrible experience. I also seem to "wear out" on a medicine. That is, it's effectiveness diminishes over time. I had a recent severe episode of Major Depression so my doctor decided to switch my anti-depressant (Lexapro to Zoloft with Wellbutrin unchanged) and add Ability. Having gone through this before and warned by my doctors not to expect anything for several weeks - imagine my surprise when I got to the end of the 3rd day I'd taken it and felt a little better. On day 4 I KNEW I was responding to the medication. Within a few more days ALL of my symptoms resolved. It was just short of a miracle! I have experienced no side effects which is a relief."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 19, 2019

For Depression "Abilify is not the answer. I have been taking it for 3 years. I am emotionally numb and have gained 35 lbs. I now have issues with cholesterol, blood sugar and thyroid function. I still hear voices and have gone through some of my darkest episodes of depression. Blocking dopamine levels is not the answer. It disturbs homeostasis and cures nothing. The psychiatric community is reaching for an answer when they still don’t understand the disease. They cannot measure dopamine levels and have no idea if high dopamine levels are truly the cause of psychosis. The side effects are not worth it especially when it doesn’t cure psychosis."

• SgtMike
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 30, 2012

For Depression "I was put on Abilify a month ago. I have always been manic/ depressive. I suffered post traumatic stress in Iraq in 2007. {I said NOTHING and am still serving as a National Guardsman}. I work law enforcement during the week. I USED to sleep all day on my first day off, it was a struggle to do ANYTHING on my second day off. Since I have been on Abilify my life has done a 180 degree turn. I feel so much better. I get up and face the world every morning at 6-8 am. I feel like a new person."

• Sandy
• November 17, 2020

For Depression "I was put on Abilify and it made me feel very strange. I went off it after a few days and was very glad I did. My daughter, who also suffers from depression was put on it and she went from weighing 120 pounds (at 5'6") and gained over 100 pounds in 8-9 months. During that time she voluntarily went into the hospital for suicide ideation. I could hardly recognize her personality and was appalled to see her so morbidly obese when I saw her for the first time when I visited her to pick her up from the hospital once she was released. She looked like a zombie - pale, dark shadows under her eyes - and she was only 26 years old at the time. She went off it and it took her a long time getting her weight down at a stable 150 pounds. Her poor body went through a really hard time, not to mention the bad effect it had on her mind. AWFUL!!"

• Chas
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 23, 2019

For Depression "I took 2mg dose of Abilify three days ago and within hours regretted it. It is a horrible drug with horrendous side effects. I only took one pill but due to it’s terribly long half-life of three days I am still feeling nauseated, agitated, and have a stiff neck and sore joints. Yuck!"

• DebCD
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 28, 2016

For Depression "Been on many antidepressants with little or no relief of symptoms. Was currently on cymbalta with little relief and asked my doctor about Abilify was prescribed 5 MG within a week I felt like myself again. I rarely left my house for two years. I have visited family, even able to go to public places ."

• skunky
• December 13, 2015

For Depression "I was feeling like I was in a hole and couldn't get out of it. Nothing was working. I am now on lamictal and abilify and within a week I was feeling better. I take them both at night I don't know if that makes a difference, but I always wake up early with lots of ENERGY and ready to do whatever. Which before all I could do was lay in bed. I hope I don't gain any weight, I haven't yet and haven't experienced any over eating and I'm on 10mg abilify and 200mg of lamictal. So they have both worked wonders for my depression. With no side effects that I can see yet."