Abilify and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Anonymous
• October 29, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I was given this drug, and I started having pains all up and down my spine. I continued the drug because of my psychiatrist's insistence that it wasn't caused by the drug. Months later, I started having problems with paranoia and insomnia. I ended up in the hospital because I was almost suicidal, and they took me off the medications. All the side effects just melted away after that."

• Anonymous
• July 26, 2011

For Depression "I have had an extended bout of situational depression after my mother died. Abilify definitely helped with motivation for me, so far it has been the best medication in this regard. However, the constant sensation of heat and flu-like symptoms are quite bothersome (worse than a menopausal hot flash), but the insomnia will ultimately prevent me from taking this medication as I need to be able to drive."

• Ang...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2021

For Autism "Our 15-year-old son was put on Abilify to help with violent tics/outbursts. It seemed to help at first. He seemed more mellow. But slowly they upped his dosage. The tics/outbursts became more frequent, and he would not sleep at night. We took him off Abilify. The tics/outbursts still happen, but it's more of an occasional thing versus every single day - multiple times a day. He's been given Clonidine to help him sleep. It puts him to sleep - but we still contend with him getting up every night and sometimes not going back to sleep."

• KTa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 11, 2021

For Autism "I take it with Lexapro, and it’s been amazing for my depression and irritability. I feel better than I have in years. The only side effects I don’t care for are the insomnia/waking up in the middle of the night."

• KTa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 11, 2021

For Autism "I take it with Lexapro, and it’s been amazing for my depression and irritability. I feel better than I have in years. The only side effects I don’t care for are the insomnia/waking up in the middle of the night."

• Suk...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 28, 2014

For Major Depressive Disorder "After taking several antidepressants across medicine classes, my doctor prescribed Abilify to take with Wellbutrin. I took the Abilify for 4 weeks before I couldn't take it anymore. I experienced severe panic and insomnia. I am an anxious person, but I began getting extremely anxious and panicked about weird, insignificant things that had never bothered me before. Through my insurance, this medication was $75 every month. I think that would be worth it if it helped, but a complete waste to feel worse."

• Anonymous
• January 27, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "It seemed to work well, but I developed akathisia on this medicine. I took it for a few months. I felt like I could not sit still. I had to keep moving. I could not enjoy anything. I also had trouble sleeping. I tried lowering the dosage, then we tried increasing the dosage, but nothing helped. I finally had to stop taking it because of the side effects."

• Pos...
• September 29, 2021

For Depression "I have had episodes of depression and anxiety my whole life (I’m 55). I got Prozac as soon as it became popular, 1989ish. Prozac kept me fairly good for 20 years (I can only handle a small dose), then it pooped out 2 years ago. I switched to Lexapro 5mg (I’m sensitive to SSRIs) and was good till a week ago. I have no clue why, but I started crying and not sleeping. I nipped it in the bud and added 2mg Abilify. Voilà! 7 days and I have not needed a Xanax! Feel strong."

• lng...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 22, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Whilst taking Abilify, I had terrible insomnia. I never slept for more than 2 hours at a time. I reached the stage where I slept wherever I felt sleepy. I never slept in bed for the 6 months I took this horrible drug. I gained a lot of weight, probably due to the lack of sleep. Should have stopped sooner."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 12, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on Abilify for almost a month. The only side effect I have is waking up in the middle of the night a few times. I have actually lost 12 pounds. I am eating good and drinking plenty of water, so I'm sure that helps. I'm also on Zoloft and Topamax. All in all, it's a much better drug than my previous Geodon. I would recommend it."

• Evi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 25, 2018

For Autism "Took them for a year. Didn't really do much, and the side effects outweighed the benefits. It started a pattern of new insomnia where I wake up multiple times a night, so I went off of it and got really irritating and anxiety-triggering dyskinesia. Over a year since I've taken them, and the sleep problems have not stopped. It absolutely fried my short-term memory. People are always telling me the same thing over and over again because I can't remember things anymore."

• Man...
• January 13, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Total mania, could not sleep, monitored sleep showed never in REM sleep at all over an 8-hour period. Anxious, increased respiratory rate, wide awake, no hunger, racking thoughts. Unable to finally function at job related to no sleep. This drug is horrid!"

• jen...
• November 26, 2010

For Depression "It has helped me to get out of the worst depressive episode of my life (1.5 years), but I only sleep a few hours a night, my arms and shoulders feel like lead weights, and I tend to have racing thoughts. I am still trying to figure out whether to stay on it or not."

• HKa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 26, 2021

For Depression "I've been taking this along with Clonidine for a month, and they increased Abilify to 5 mg. Once this happened, after a bit, I've started to get insomnia, restlessness/anxiousness, nausea, appetite change (not hungry). I chose to go off it myself since my psych insisted I stay on, but I couldn't keep torturing myself like this. Hopefully, my body returns to normal when I could sleep and eat without worries."

• Anonymous
• December 9, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been on Abilify for three weeks now. I also take Klonopin, Celexa, and Trileptal for bipolar II disorder. The Abilify was added to control my anger and aggression because sometimes I just wanted to SNAP! I feel much better now. So far, I've only lost weight because it makes me feel queasy and kills my appetite in general. However, I give it an 8 because it costs a small fortune to be on this medication ($600 a month since I no longer have insurance). It's made my insomnia worse too. Overall, though, as long as it doesn't make me gain weight, it still rates high on my scale."

• RBa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2019

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Took it for schizoaffective and schizophrenia, so here is the review for schizoaffective: took aripiprazole 22.5 mg for 4 weeks when I was manic, and I was stable the whole time, but I couldn't sleep even with sleep medications. The only solution was to add Kemadrin to the mix (anticholinergic used for Parkinson's disease and side effects of antipsychotics). Unfortunately, I was too immature to continue this regimen, so after 3 months of going cold turkey, mania came back. Shame."

• KAT...
• April 12, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "1st day on Abilify seemed like I had energy. 2-3 days later, insomnia set in big time. Even tried taking 2 Lunesta... didn't work. 2 weeks later, I was in the ER from side effects. Tremors, not comfortable in my own skin, slurred speech, couldn't focus or concentrate. Spouse thought I'd had a stroke. They gave me Ativan and Benadryl. I got a new psychiatrist after that. Just starting on Lithium now. We'll see."

• Dal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 9, 2021

For Depression "Antipsychotics are awful in my opinion, while aripiprazole helped a little with agitation in some regards, I cannot sleep on even a low 5 mg dose. I have tried every recommended method and was even given zopiclone, still no sleep. Appetite increased unnaturally, and nausea ensued. Also, unbearable restless legs and feeling weak."

• Key...
• October 9, 2021

For Autism "First 2 days on this, my 27-year-old son is agitated. Doesn’t know what to do with himself. Can’t sleep. Wants to eat all the time. Cries and self-injures if left alone. He is nonverbal, so analyzing by observation, I would say this is the wrong med for him."

• Gap...
• November 22, 2017

For Schizophrenia "Stop using it! I've been on it for 2 years and feel like I'm dying. I've had hives, diarrhea, racing heartbeat, dilated pupils, etc., hair loss, insomnia, weight loss, and I'm scared for my life. It has worked well up until the last two weeks. I'm aboriginal, and so no cost to me."

• Anonymous
• February 13, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "The first day when I woke up, I felt like my body had been hit by a Mack truck! But the second day, my body felt fine. It took about 2 weeks for side effects to go away (trouble sleeping, headache, stomach upset). The motivation has been wonderful. I take it with Wellbutrin and Lamictal. I never wanted to try it because of the weight gain, but I have not found that to be true. In my case, motivation = exercise."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 24, 2023

For Schizophrenia "Abilify, also known as Aripiprazole, is a pretty good med. It helped with my symptoms and, as a plus, it reduced my appetite slightly. But it also caused restlessness and insomnia (as side effects), so I had to switch meds, unfortunately."

• OWE...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 30, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "This medication was the worst experience of my life, and I've been through a lot of rubbish. I experienced insomnia, depression, anxiety, and pseudo ME on Abilify. I was on it for 3 months, and I spent my time feeling lobotomized and wanting to give up on life. It took me 3 months to fully get back to my old self, going between depressed and manic. I found a medication that works for me without professional help afterwards."

• Cod...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 14, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "For some people, this medicine makes them worse, but for the handful of people out there that have positive reactions to it, oh my god, the creator of this medicine is a genius. I've been on this medicine off and on since I was 15 years old, I am now 26, and it still is just as effective as it was when it first came out, and I take the generic version of it at that! Vivid dreams? Of course. But it got rid of my insomnia, racing thoughts, mood swings, any mental health problem I had, gone. The only issue I had with it was on the first night, and I was a little agitated. Once your chemical imbalance starts to adjust, things go along smoother. And I never mix this medicine with anything, as nothing good ever comes of it for me. Plus, you have to watch being out in the heat for extended amounts of time. And they have to monitor your blood work every six months, but hey, if it works for you, totally worth it!"

• Sca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 11, 2021

For Depression "I was on Abilify for a grand total of two days. I'm sure it's a great drug for some, but I started twitching and having lots of muscle spasms randomly. I was on 2.5 mg and would just twitch so much it drove me crazy. I couldn't sit still and was restless and unable to sleep."