Abilify for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• Baby...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 14, 2019

"I have a mood disorder and an anxiety disorder. I’ve been taking Zoloft for ~3 years, and although it helped with anxiety, it didn’t touch my intense mood swings. After a very bad mood swing that almost broke up my 7 year relationship, I sought help. My psychiatrist put me on Lamictal first, and it gave me hives. Then we tried trileptal, and the GI side effects were unbearable after 2 weeks. Finally she put me on Abilify and so far it has been great. I’ve been on 2 mg of Abilify (with 50 mg Zoloft) for a week and there have been almost no side effects. I was warned there might be dry mouth or excessive sweating but I’ve been fine. It did cause me to wake up 7-8 times during the night, but I switched to taking it in the morning and now I sleep like a baby again! It has only been a week but I’m starting to feel a difference: I have more energy and I feel more in control of my moods "

• Tallula...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 28, 2018

"I was started on Abilify as a mood stabilizer for Bipolar I manic episodes . I was afraid to take it at first (as I am with all meds), but I took 1/4 of the pill days 1-2. Felt no I’ll effects except tiredness. Took 1/2 pill for 2 weeks. Noticed immediately my mood levelled out. Still made me tired at night. Groggy in the morning but wore off as the day went on. Now, on a whole 5mg and so far it has been wonderful! I feel so much happier and levelled off with my moods. I feel normal. It’s fantastic! It still makes me tired when I first take it at night (so I can sleep finally), but the early morning grogginess is much better. Used to last all morning. Now lasts maybe an hour. Love it!!"

• Wilmar
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2018

"I felt like a different person. I felt weird, socially with drawn, and introverted. I had fogginess in the back of my head. I had no appetite or sex drive. I had shaky legs and hands. I was up all night. I would have times where my eyes were out of focus and I couldn’t see straight. Please do not take this medication. Everybody is different but my experience was horrible. As I stopped taking it, these side effects are going away. I couldn’t function or do simple tasks."

• brink...
• April 4, 2012

"This medicine works well for me and I tried a lot of medicines. It's a little pill, does a lot. People have said I seem much better and have my personality back (I was on lithium, made me like a zombie). Hardly any side effects. I take it with Lamictal. A "

• saman...
• November 15, 2013

"Today is my first day taking the medication and within two hours I am ready to pass out. I feel so sleepy and its not really "regulating" my moods. In fact, I'm more aggravated than usual and going off on everybody. I also feel slightly nauseous and dizzy."

• Whaddup
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 23, 2019

"I was prescribed Abilify after experiencing a 3-4 month long hypomanic episode. I was on Lamictal 100mg but that wasn’t helping alone so my psychiatrist decided to add in Abilify. She also said it would help with the mild paranoid thoughts I was having. This was a horrible medication for me personally. It may work for other people, but it wasn’t for me. It made me flat and I didn’t care about anything anymore. I wasn’t depressed on it, I just didn’t care about anything. Even the people around me commented on how apathetic I had become. It made my fears of psychiatric medications come true. I lost my personality, passion, and energy. I am off of it now, and feel way better. I think it served its purpose of getting me out of my hypomanic episode, which is why I gave it a 4-star rating, but I couldn’t see being on this medication long-term."

• Jules
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 21, 2019

"I was on this for over 3 years. To start with I thought it was working, the last year I had a racing head and high anxiety. Was discharged from psych so had to fight to get seen again to change medication. Realised a few months after coming off it that my finances had changed shortly after starting Abilify and not in a good way. I was never in debt before Abilify. I am 37 too. I’m in a lot of debt because of Abilify because I started taking out loans shortly after starting it amongst other things. Have since read that the FDA made the manufacturing company to list compulsive shopping, compulsive gambling and other excessive behaviours etc as a side effect in May 2016. I started it in August 2015 so was unaware when I researched this medication when I first went on it. No Dr made me aware of this side effect at any point. Please note I have been manic prior to this medication and had never taken out credit or borrowed money."

• taysh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 2, 2018

"I will love to share My experience with this medication. I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder with major mood swings affecting my daily life such as work. I tried Abilify 10 mg and it make me feel like the living dead, no energy feeling tired and really bad increase of anxiety and feeling paranoid. I was then lowered the dosage to 5mg, however is still make me tired and increased of anxiety. My physician does not want to take me off of it. I really do not wish to proceed with this medication. I stopped taking it without letting my doctor know. I really hope to tried something else Thanks"

• Codwa
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 10, 2023

"It works really well for me! Was on my deathbed with extreme mood swings every three days. Couldn't finish anything I started and had constant intrusive thoughts. Abilify really helped with the thoughts, now it's more of a static or whisper than a full-blown hit to the brain. Hard to explain, but getting rid of these intense intrusions helped to balance my mood much easier. Also, upped my lamotrigine as well. Abilify and lamotrigine work great together in my opinion."

• JKW
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 25, 2022

"Prescribed two weeks ago, 2.5 mg to start and I've been at 5 mg the last four days. I've really felt it since the increase and general early impression is: this stuff is great! A few side effects: moderate bathroom issues , a slight hand tremor now and then and - worst to me - so far my libido has been flattened. Can I give up my sex life for a luxury like mental health? Hope not but might be necessary so I don't end up in the news; the rage monster will always be there but this could really help. The GOOD effects are good: mild euphoria, a real-feeling contentment, I want to be social again, a willingness bordering on pleasure in mundane tasks. My house and garden have not been this tidy in years - love it! Final notes: I have bipolar II and I've been on 200mg of lamotrigine for six years now; it's great but was becoming less effective so my doc just added the generic Abilify. I'll revisit this review after I've been on it for a while but so far, pretty good"

• Voo
• June 21, 2008

"This is a good antipsychotic and does well for bipolar disorder. I was on 20mg per day when I suffered a severe manic episode, so it is possible to have episodes while on the medication, but I should point out that I was not taking it every day as I was supposed to. The only side effects I get from this are restlessness, anxiety and slight tremors."

• Anonymous
• August 28, 2008

"Abilify has been useful to me in terms of sleep and improving my insomnia, but I still have to be treated with a mood stabilizer, like Lithium, in order to keep my bipolar episodes under control. The good news is that it did not cause (I was at 10MG daily) weight gain like Zyprexa. Good luck to all of you!"

• Blueszz
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 17, 2017

"Excellent. Depression lifted fast. Stabilizes my mood very well, as a bonus I spontaneously los 55 lbs! All that weight came from Seroquel and Zyprexa. Con, has a negative effect on sleep, I need melatonin to be able to sleep. Also my blood pressure is suddenly a lot lower, 102/63 causing some light headedness during the day. It's however the first med that is able to stabilize my mood very well with very acceptable side effects."

• Noctu...
• November 12, 2014

"I'm a 21 year old female and just diagnosed with Bipolar I. It's been a roller coaster ride especially after gaining 10 pounds in the hospital while taking risperidone and Depakote. I'm still on the Depakote, though I hope to discontinue it as soon as my psychiatrist allows, but I just switched to Abilify. I've got to say, so far I have no complaints. With risperidone I had no "lid" to my hunger. It was endless, and that was quite disappointing. There were many other side effects, but the weight gain has added to my self loathing. Though the painful heart dysrhythmias are a close second. I'm hoping that Abilify makes it possible for me to curb my appetite back to what it used to be as I exercise the 30 pounds I don't need away."

• kaylee
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 30, 2023

"I've suffered from depression since I was 12. I'm now 36. At 31, I was diagnosed with bipolar 2. I've tried various combinations of antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and antidepressants. I've found a few that have somewhat worked, but none of them have given me the motivation and will to live like Abilify has, just in the 4 days I've been taking it. I'm doing my hobbies again, and I actually cleaned the whole house at once for the first time in a year. I'm painting my nails again and doing makeup again, which I haven't done in over 4 months now. I read the reviews on here before suggesting it to my doctor, and boy, I'm so glad I did. I have hope again for my future. I have the will to actually live again! The only side effects I'm experiencing are kinda unfortunate but worth it in my opinion - I sometimes throw up in my throat and have heartburn. I may be experiencing insomnia a tad bit too. I recommend trying this drug. I'm also taking 100mg lamotrigine once daily."

• Rachel
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 27, 2021

"Instead of helping my depression, I felt trapped in it, unable to say how I truly felt. Unable to move out of that feeling, yet unable to fully feel it either. My irritability became worse overall. I would have even bigger breakdowns over even smaller things. The frequency was slightly less, the incidents were more severe. I developed tardive dyskinsia, and pseudo parkinsons after long term use. I gained over 100 lbs on this medication, 60 of which happened in the first 5 months. My dietary habits did not change in this time. My sleep and exercise was effected. Previous to abilify, I was very active and loved to walk and ride my bike. While on abilify, I became listless and disinterested in physical activities. My poor sleep became worse, and abilify created insomnia in me, which I then needed more medications for. The I began having memory and attention issues while on abilify, so I was prescribed adderall to help me concentrate. All of this, and I am better off meds."

• Anonymous
• October 10, 2008

"I have been on this for 2 weeks (only 4 mg). I have energy again and do not feel so sleepy during the day. I am still taking seroquel at night- 100mg to sleep. Side effects are constipation and restlessness. I am now excercising again and able to drop the weight I had gained while on higher doses of seroquel."

• I...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 9, 2019

" I am on the 400 mg Abilify injection and I am miserable! My pdoc is the worst. She does not listen to anything I have to say about the drug regarding side effects. I am having muscle spasms as I am typing right now. I also have dry mouth, constipation, depression and agitation. I had this doctor with tunnel vision ten years ago you think I would have learned my lesson, but I do have an appointment on the 18th with a new proc thank god!!!! God help us all!!!"

• Jengar
• January 31, 2018

"I've suffered from Bipolar 2 and GAD and ADD for 15 yrs now. I take Lamictal, Effexor XR, Abilify and Adderall. Not until I started Abilify 3 weeks ago have I had any improvement with energy levels and depression. I have treatment resistant depression and my anxiety causes me to not be able to work and I barely want to leave the house. But since starting Abilify, I feel almost fantastic. I wake up early ready to start my day. And I've never been a morning person. I'm more positive about my life and I am even thinking about getting a job. I haven't worked in 6 years. But I do have problems staying asleep . I mean, its 3:06am and I am wide awake writing this. So yeah, restless sleep. And the sexual side effects aren't good. Total lack of interest which is difficult when you're in a relationship. But I'm not willing to stop this medication.The good far outweighs the bad in so so many ways. Good luck to all and give this med a try"

• Kay
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 12, 2022

"DO NOT take Abilify for dissociation. I got prescribed this medicine for my bipolar disorder and because I’ve been very afraid of the side effects of others but was told this one would be easier for me to handle. I took it for 2 weeks and had constant panic attacks and intense dissociation. It’s been months since I’ve been off of it and I still have to deal with intense depersonalization from the anxiety and fear this medication brought up in me. Coming off the medication as well is very horrible because it gives you constant headaches during but coming off makes them 100% more intense. It’s like withdrawing from a hard hard drug. It’s not worth your mental health. There are better alternatives than this medication. This medication has ruined my perception of other meds and I don’t think I could possibly take any ones like it again. This medication DOES NOT help dissociation, it makes you feel 100% worse."

• Juan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2013

"I found out I was bipolar about a month ago. The first pill my PCP gave me was Abilify. Starting on 2mg for the first 2 weeks. I didn't notice anything until maybe the third day. However the rest of that week and the following I have been on a roller coaster. I just started taking 5mg of Abilify and I notice the next day. I had the feeling of being normal again. Only side effect I've notice was when I was depressed I was depressed. Since upping the dose I feel way better."

• Amy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2019

"I HATE this drug! I have the more depressive side of bipolar disorder and for some reason got put on this antipsychotic instead of antidepressants. I have had irritability followed by flat affect. All of my creativity is gone as is my sex drive. I'm starting to get more and more depressed. My medicines provider keeps saying to wait or cancelling appointments! I'm probably going to taper myself off if things don't get changed soon."

• Krypton
• January 17, 2011

"I love this medicine. I have bipolar II disorder, and this medicine does everything it's supposed to do. It keeps my manic moods completely in check, and works very well in conjunction with Zoloft. I have been on both drugs for years, and I have not had any serious depression or mania for over 20 years! The only side effect that I experience is fatigue, but so worth it. The side effects are minimal. I feel and act NORMAL."

• kyloo
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 17, 2015

"I'm on Abilify in conjunction with Lamictal. In ten years this combination is the only one that has worked. While it took some tweaking it is well worth it. Two side effects, constipation and eye rolling."

• queen...
• October 24, 2013

"I was diagnosed as bipolar type II and my nurse practitioner in WA prescribed me abilify and I gained 30lb within a month of taking it. I blew up like a balloon and he said he doesn't have that side effect. I looked online and it says that it clearly does. He said to take it a few more weeks and see how I did. I gained ten more pounds and my mother insisted I stop taking it. I went from 148 to 188lb. It may have started helped with my symptoms but I was to concerned about my weight gain so he finally put me on Topamax."