Abilify and Restlessness: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Bip...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 21, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I am a 42-year-old woman and diagnosed with bipolar and ADHD. I highly recommend this medication. I was at 10 mg, and it rescued me from a manic episode that was so bad that I was psychotic. It not only cleared that right up, but it improved my concentration. I did suffer from minor akathisia. I was able to control it without a problem. However, three years later, I have gained a lot of weight. I am now taking 5 mg and monitoring with my doc. After a month, the weight is coming off, but I am now hypomanic...a beautiful yet scary place to be. Where to go from here, I’m not sure."

• Anonymous
• January 18, 2011

For Depression "After just about a couple of days after taking Abilify, I feel much better. It has taken me from thinking about suicide all the time and not having any hope to actually wanting to go out and do things. The bad side is the restlessness I hear so much about. I almost feel like it's making me manic, and I cannot sit still. It's a very uncomfortable feeling. Sometimes I just pace around for no reason, so I cut down to half a pill. Overall, I feel like it's helping."

• 86K...
• May 20, 2020

"I took this medicine, Abilify, for two weeks. It gave me energy like never before. It was good energy. However, I was too hyper, and the medicine caused me to have restlessness and caused my left leg to hurt badly. I could only sleep for 3 hours a night."

• You...
• January 18, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "One day and done. I've never experienced side effects like this before. I took it before bed and then was up every few hours, restless, mind racing. Finally, I shot up at 4 am and NEEDED to shower. While in there, my head was so heavy, I couldn't stand anymore. I had to rest my head. Then I got so nauseated I started to dry heave. Now I'm heavy-headed, blurry, dizzy, restless, and afraid to stand up or drive. I will never take this drug again."

• Anonymous
• July 31, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I think this medication has really helped my state of mind and my ability to cope with new situations that I come across. Some side effects, mainly the restlessness, are something I have an issue with, but it's entirely manageable. I feel like this medication has dramatically improved my quality of life."

• Jac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 3, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "First started the med, my sleep, appetite, and energy started improving. At 5mg, it helped my moods a little bit. I thought finally, a medicine that works. Side effects were restlessness, a little daytime drowsiness. Then increased my dose to 10mg, from there, my depression got a lot worse. I was so restless, and my tiredness was very bad, I was disoriented. I wasn't driving. All I did was lay in bed, going crazy."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 12, 2019

For Depression "On Abilify, I felt great for about one month, then began feeling blah. About 6 weeks in, I felt very restless. I was afraid to have any downtime at work because it made me feel crazy. I don’t feel like myself anymore. Weaning off currently. Only ever took 2.5 at the highest dose."

• Anonymous
• December 8, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I took 10 mg tabs in the morning for like two and a half weeks. It had me believing in myself again. Almost manic-like. Thinking I'm a genius, maybe I am. So also, my emotions are deeply repressed, like I don't ever cry. After taking Abilify though, it seemed I was consciously aware of my own duality and that my emotions and thoughts are separate. Now that I'm on Abilify, I can switch between what I want: emotion or thought. That's new for me. Then the side effects stopped me cold. Akathisia or whatever hit me bad. Physical tiredness. Stopped taking it."

• 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."

• Whi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 2, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I was on Abilify for just over 2 years. At first, I was started at 5 mg, then increased to 10 mg and finally upped to 15 mg. At 15 mg, the psychotic symptoms vanished, and it prevented almost all manic episodes. It did nothing for my depressive symptoms, though. I also developed terrible akathisia within a few months of reaching 15 mg, and they didn't stop when we briefly tried going back down to 10 mg. My legs bounced up and down every minute I was awake, I rocked backward and forward, I paced, and one of my arms even trembled too. I couldn't read, eat with a knife and fork, and strangers would give me funny looks. I had akathisia for two years. Other than that, I had no other side effects with this drug. No weight gain or tiredness."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2016

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Having increased hallucinations and paranoia, and feeling isolated. This is making it hard to get out with people, and I have been on 10 mg. Good things are I am feeling more active in general, taking better care of myself. Not too happy with the amount of voices that occur when on this med. It has made me more hungry and restless."

• Abi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 9, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "I had gone through most standard antidepressants without seeing much benefit, and Abilify was the drug that finally pulled me out of depression... at least initially. I had so much energy on 2 mg, but the depression came creeping back after about a month. Upped my dose to 4 mg, and I am now so restless that it’s affecting every facet of my life. I need to constantly be on the move because sitting still for more than a minute makes me feel like I have a mild electric current running through all of my muscles. It works so well for my depression, though, that I’m currently seeking treatment for the side effect rather than stop the Abilify completely. Not a fun place to be. I’m currently also on Lexapro and Adderall - the Abilify seems to negate any benefits of the Adderall almost completely..."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 28, 2020

For Schizophrenia "I was on Abilify for constantly thinking disorder, it made me gain a lot of weight. I have a lot of thoughts, the medicine did nothing to stop them. I feel like it just created more anxiety and akathisia."

• Anonymous
• June 26, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I didn't notice a big difference on Abilify. I feel more level-headed, but also I feel more indecisive, dizzy, and restless. I was on 10 mg for 3 months, and the restlessness was so bad I couldn't sit still."

• Jul...
• May 5, 2011

For Depression "I've been on Abilify for about 2 weeks now. As most everyone else has said, this medication does miracles when it comes to fixing depression. My depression struggle of 4 years is gone. But also, it comes with side effects. It's this restless, agitated feeling that just won't go away. When I sleep, it seems to be better, but other than that, it's always really bad. My vision is also really bad, but that could be because of the Seroquel XR that I'm coming off of."

• Cal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 20, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I started Abilify recently, and it makes me restless, like my mind is awake, but my body is asleep. But for the bipolar, I feel so much better and like a new person. Besides the restlessness, I love this pill."

• Bro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 5, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Abilify levels out my mania like nothing else, but does nothing for my depression. Causes regular chest pain, weakness, and awful akathisia. Works for the most part, but I would definitely not recommend it due to side effects."

• Gan...
• January 25, 2021

For Agitated State "My son was prescribed Abilify for 'aggressive' behavior at age 6. It didn't really change his behavior. Within a year, he began showing symptoms of ADHD, despite no signs before starting the med. Is the restlessness really ADHD, or is it akathisia caused by the med? He also became compulsive on Abilify, which I learned only recently is a known side effect of the medication. His BMI is now borderline obese, and his metabolic labs are all elevated. I'm now tapering him off of it after more than 3 years. I've noticed a reduction in his compulsive and thrill-seeking behavior, though he still can't sit still for the life of him. Hopefully, those withdrawal side effects will subside with time. If a doctor recommends your child take a mood stabilizer, remember that a calm parent is the best mood stabilizer for a child. This stuff isn't FDA approved for use in children for a reason. I'm not anti-medication, and I'm sure this med works for some people, but this med did not work for him."

• Par...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 18, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I have a love-hate relationship with this drug. On one hand, it immediately stopped my paranoid thoughts and delusions and made me feel normal again, mentally. On the other hand, it gave me this unshakable, restless, and irritated energy. I wasn't able to sit still, complete anything I loved, or even listen to friends. If you don't mind feeling like you have to run a marathon an hour, this might work for you."

• dog...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 7, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I have very mixed feelings about this medication. I was given this for mood stability about a year before I was diagnosed bipolar. It worked really fast. My mood was very stable. But at what cost? It started out with slurred speech and constant drowsiness. Eventually, that faded away, and then it turned into perhaps the worst thing I've ever had to deal with called internalized restlessness. It is also called akathisia. If I die and go to hell, it would be to the land of akathisia. I recommend this drug if you're lucky enough not to experience akathisia. It works really fast. They tried to prescribe me Cogentin to help, it barely did."

• TJL...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 30, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I was given this medicine by a regular medical doctor in tandem with Prozac and Ambien. What a horrible combo! After being on Abilify for several weeks, every nerve ending in my body felt like they were on fire. I was hyper and couldn't stay seated. I found out that this medicine was burning my brain and causing akathisia. I called my doctor and told him what was going on, and he wanted to double the milligram. I said... ohhhhhhhh no, you're not! Because of this medicine combo, things got so bad I tried suicide back in February of 2015. I took 13 sleeping pills. The hospital doctor in the psych ward said the combination I was on was wrong, and he was surprised I wasn't in the hospital earlier!"

• Bip...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 23, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Was put on Abilify to control hypomania. I'm very, very sensitive to pretty much every medication. Initially, I had a stomach ache that only lasted one night and some tiredness the first two days. However... after this, I had severe hypomania and restlessness that just didn't go away. It wasn't akathisia, though. Unfortunately, I can't reach the mood stabilizing effect - being at least 10 mg - since I can't go any higher than 1.25 mg without having side effects such as emotional numbness, numbness of my face, twitching, increased eye blinking - which, of course, scares me since there is a risk of Tardive Dyskinesia. It's definitely a very powerful drug. But it really did help my depression and anxiety, just didn't help control my hypomania. LOL"

• Pap...
• November 27, 2020

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I’ve been taking Abilify for years. I had to restart it about a month ago after being off of it for about four months. I started getting a really terrible appetite where I just wanted to keep on eating. I think I’ve gained a bit of weight while on it. I have WAY too much energy and have found I’ve become a bit impulsive. Although any hallucinations I used to have have lessened quite a bit, so that’s a plus! I feel like the longer you’re on it, the less bad side effects you feel. If you’re feeling too energized and like you constantly need to move, it may be a thing called Akathisia; a need to always be doing something or a mental unrest. Any anger I used to have has lessened or is gone pretty much. I do feel pretty spaced out a lot and very forgetful, not myself, but at least the psychotic symptoms I had have lessened."

• Cha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 5, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "Sadly, Abilify didn’t work for me, and I could only stand it for two weeks. The restlessness people describe is what got me the worst. It feels like you have to be doing something all the time, but you don’t know what. It caused me to get around 3 hours of sleep a night and gave me horrible nausea. After quitting a few days ago, the brain fog is starting to lift, but I’m still not sleeping. The nausea is also bad enough that I’ve had to call off work, but I don’t know how much of that is due to not getting any sleep. This seems to be a very 50/50 medication, so it may work perfectly for you. Sadly, it wasn’t for me."

• 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."