Abilify and Depression: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 5, 2012

For Schizophrenia "Switched to Abilify from a high dose of Risperdal. Weight gain much less of an issue with Abilify, but drowsiness, depression, and lethargy are a problem. Does not help with any negative symptoms. Abilify maintains a mental state with minimal psychotic symptoms for me, but also causes lactation and motivational problems."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2018

For Schizophrenia "Not myself on this medication. Feel lethargic. Plus, symptoms of depression have gotten worse, and so has being more paranoid. Feel emotionless and zombified after 2 months of taking it. Will never take this medication again."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2018

For Schizophrenia "Not myself on this medication. Feel lethargic. Plus, symptoms of depression have gotten worse, and so has being more paranoid. Feel emotionless and zombified after 2 months of taking it. Will never take this medication again."

• Vir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2018

For Depression "Was good for like a month. I had energy and was waking up early. After that, I started gaining weight (25 lbs) and got so depressed that I didn't want to go out and was even suicidal. I'm off now, and in less than a month, lost 15 lbs. I'm starting to feel better and back to taking only Celexa 20 mg since six years ago."

• Hal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 12, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "Well, I started this medication 2 weeks ago, and I’m pretty sure I had a 10-day mental breakdown from it. Really dark thoughts, extreme depression, delusional thinking, I thought I was losing my mind, to be honest. Finally stopped it and am feeling 100% better."

• Hal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 12, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "Well, I started this medication 2 weeks ago, and I’m pretty sure I had a 10-day mental breakdown from it. Really dark thoughts, extreme depression, delusional thinking, I thought I was losing my mind, to be honest. Finally stopped it and am feeling 100% better."

• TJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 5, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "It did not stabilize my moods. I’m still all over the place, and the fact that I can’t sit still gets really under my nerves. I’m super paranoid on this. I feel 10x worse than I did before. It messed me up completely. Side effects: Severe akathisia, high anxiety, paranoia, delusions, mania, depression, suicidal ideation. I only took this for 2 weeks at a low dose of 5mg, and I'm done."

• Ski...
• June 5, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "My experience with Abilify was destructive. I am 25 now and have had MDD since age 10. Four years ago, I took Abilify for about 3-4 months. During that time, I experienced paranoia, delusions, worsened depression, and extreme weight gain. I'd never had paranoia or delusions before, and it brought my normal baseline from a 5/10 to a 1/10. That still hasn't changed. I also experienced an extreme compulsive desire to eat (did not go away after I stopped the medication) as well as total thyroid shutdown (atrophy), as can be affirmed by my endocrinologist. In about four months, I gained 80 lbs (more than 60% of my original body weight). I will be on multiple medications the rest of my life to treat damage from Abilify."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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!!!"

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

For Bipolar Disorder "I found out I was bipolar about a month ago. The first pill my PCP gave me was Abilify. Starting on 2 mg 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 5 mg of Abilify, and I notice the next day. I had the feeling of being normal again. The only side effect I've noticed was when I was depressed, I was depressed. Since upping the dose, I feel way better."

• Gre...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 12, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I first tried this drug about five years ago and have been on it consistently for two to three years. The good: this drug really changed my life. I'd tried a laundry list of antidepressants, and they were mostly like popping sugar pills--they didn't do much at all. My psychiatrist suggested adding Abilify, and it did something that no drug had ever done for me: it stabilized my mood (which was all over the map). It allowed me to be happy and productive for the first time ever in my adult life. The bad: I have consistently gained weight every year I've been on the drug, with no sign of a plateau. I'm experimentally discontinuing it to see if I can lose the weight (which is, counter-productively, making me depressed again)."

• Gab...
• April 18, 2020

For Schizoaffective Disorder "This is a terrible drug! I would recommend to never take this. I was on it for 3 months, and it was the worst 3 months of my life. My anxiety and depression got so much worse, and I felt as if I was trapped with nowhere to go or no hope. It also made me feel as if I were out of reality."

• Pat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 18, 2022

For Depression "My husband suffers from some serious depression. He initially was on 5 mg Abilify in addition to Lexapro. The Abilify worked wonderfully to keep him from having weepy periods and seemed to help his overall outlook. The downfall is that it worked so well he had almost no emotion at all. We almost divorced due to the lack of connection. After being off of it for several weeks (his regular doc left the practice and he was out of refills), he was re-prescribed 2 mg Abilify. Of course, the pharmacy was out of stock for days while my husband went into a deeper depression. I found it at another pharmacy and just drove across town to get it filled with a quickness because it works that well for him."

• pet...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 22, 2019

For Schizophrenia "My father was taking this drug because the pharmacy had a shortage of Navane. This drug caused him to have a mental breakdown, which caused him to have to be admitted into the psychiatric division of a hospital. His schizophrenia is much worse on Abilify, and it fails to treat the symptoms of his disorder."

• Xst...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 5, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I'm 29 and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 22 years old. I had bipolar 1, but with Abilify and Lamictal, I now have bipolar 2. I forget a lot of things, have become lazy, have gained 25 pounds in a year, have low motivation, am tired all the time, and have been feeling depressed. I plan on not taking Abilify anymore because I feel as if I've lost myself ... I don't feel unique."

• Xst...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 5, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I'm 29 and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 22 years old. I had bipolar 1, but with Abilify and Lamictal, I now have bipolar 2. I forget a lot of things, have become lazy, have gained 25 pounds in a year, have low motivation, am tired all the time, and have been feeling depressed. I plan on not taking Abilify anymore because I feel as if I've lost myself ... I don't feel unique."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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 medicine's provider keeps saying to wait or canceling appointments! I'm probably going to taper myself off if things don't get changed soon."

• ali...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 8, 2016

For Depression "I was diagnosed with depression in 2000. My doctor at the time was a bit of a quack and had no idea of the symptoms and treatments for depression. Moving forward, I have been seeing a very good doctor now for about 12 years. As you are well aware, not all meds work for all people. I am only writing this today in hopes of saving someone some time and frustration if Abilify is not working for you. I started taking Abilify as an enhancement to the Wellbutrin that I was already taking. As time went on, my depression got worse. To make a long story short, I went off of Abilify 3 months ago and life has been great. Not sleeping all day or dragging my butt, thinking clearer and having endless amounts of energy. STAY AWAY FROM THIS MED!"

• lql...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 6, 2021

For Depression "Doctor prescribed me Abilify to help augment the effects of my Prozac. After just taking one 5 mg pill, I was vomiting, shivering, nauseous. The next day I vomited again and almost passed out. It gets better each day, but the side effects are bound to last a while due to its long half-life. It also gives me horrible anxiety and is making me feel even more depressed. Honestly, this medicine is horrible. I should have just increased my Prozac dosage instead."

• Hel...
• August 6, 2016

For Depression "I was on Abilify for 18 months and packed on 80 lbs and discontinued it. It made me feel very flat and very tired. My doctor said it was weight neutral, but it definitely isn't. Seroquel also made me gain, but I'm on Risperidone now, and though I have gained a little, it's not as bad as the others. Abilify didn't help my delusions at all, and I felt quite depressed on it. I quit it cold turkey and lost 6 stone in 7 months but then became ill again. My biggest weight gains were always after I had been out and had a few drinks! Glad to be off it and might look into trying Latuda."

• Kai...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 3, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been taking Abilify for one to two years now, and I don't feel any different. I still have panic attacks. I still feel like crying and wanting to stay in bed all day. I feel scared all the time. I still feel depressed 24/7."

• vee...
• March 27, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I have rapid-cycling bipolar and have been on Abilify for a little over 7-8 months. At first, I was on the Abilify by itself, and I experienced worsened anxiety and depression. I was thinking about switching drugs after a few weeks of these negative feelings not going away, so my Pdoc added Zoloft to my mix. This combination was a lifesaver for me. I would definitely recommend using Abilify as an add-on. My mania is manifested as rage, impulsiveness, and rapid negative thoughts in my head, and Abilify stopped that for me. The only negative side effect I have now is weight gain. I've only gained 8 pounds, but I have to ignore my food cravings."

• Fri...
• September 4, 2016

For Depression "I started taking Abilify about 4 weeks ago. I am bipolar. Of course, the highs are great and the lows, well, you know. My doctor thought that this would cause me to level out the highs and lows. Not such a bad idea, but I think (no way of knowing for sure) this medication has caused me to go down gradually. Seems like it eliminated the high altogether and caused me to drift into a moderate low. Unlike before taking this med, I am able to still function somewhat better than full-blown depression. Right now, I feel pretty poorly with anxiety and depression. I have thought about stopping this medication, and after reading some of these experiences, I've decided to stop this medication (5 mg) today and see what happens. I still take Lamotrigine."

• ted...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 22, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "Abilify helped me at the maxed-out dose of 30 mg. I noticed that it made my manic episodes be more contained, however, when I was depressed, it dragged me down deeper. I actually was suicidal. It was a real painful thing since usually my manic episodes are a lot worse."

• Cou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been on Abilify on two separate occasions along with other medications to help with depression and bipolar. Both times was a disaster. This time I've tried to tough out the side effects (working on three months now), and I still can't deal with the way it makes me feel. I feel flat, tired, depressed, low motivation, worthless, hopeless. You name it. I see my doctor tomorrow and plan to demand stopping Abilify."