Abilify and Restlessness: What Users Say (Page 4)

• ntc...
• May 7, 2010

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on Abilify for about 3 weeks, along with trazodone for insomnia and anxiety, and tapering off Paxil. I've noticed a significant improvement in controlling my emotions, and for the most part, I am a lot calmer. Suffered some side effects such as restlessness and the shakes, but overall the positives outweigh the negatives. I started off on a very low 2.5 mg dose but expect to have this raised at my next appointment with the doctor."

• 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."

• Seb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 1, 2021

For Schizophrenia "I have schizotypal disorder. A lot of other medications have slowed my thoughts and caused restlessness at a schizophrenia-recommended dose, such as 10 mg Zyprexa. But none of them have caused that at one-fourth the schizophrenia-recommended dose the way Abilify did. I didn’t get many benefits from this drug. Going back on Zyprexa."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 27, 2021

For Schizoaffective Disorder "This drug works for the paranoia and hallucinations. It helps me organize my thoughts and not forget everything I'm doing when I walk into another room. I lost 20 lb on this drug, but I was on a higher dose of Seroquel before... so not sure if I just lost weight because I came off the higher dose of Seroquel. Now I weigh 118 lb at 5'3", instead of 130-140 lb. It's great, other than some restlessness. Push through the initial restlessness, it gets better."

• Nut...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2023

For Agitated State "I was on this very briefly, in July 2020, for repeated anger rampages. My psychiatrist prescribed me this, and it helped reduce my anger and anxiety. However, I was so restless that I kept pacing, walking fast back and forth, throwing my legs up, and moving my legs around awkwardly, making me sleep all day. I gained 50 lbs. I stopped taking this 3 days later, and I’m now on Trileptal and feel a lot better."

• Ano...
• June 4, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I couldn't really tell whether it worked or not for bipolar I disorder. I was on a few different medications at once: Lamictal, lorazepam (as needed), and for a brief time, Seroquel with the Abilify. The dose was 5 mg since I was experiencing a mixed episode with some paranoid thoughts. I didn't notice it being particularly helpful for depression. Maybe there was some slight mood stabilization, but not enough for me to really feel relief. I was taken off of it for this reason. Also, even at 5 mg, it caused me some restlessness and a sensation similar to a headache. It's expensive too."

• Anonymous
• June 19, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been prescribed Abilify and Loxapine for a manic episode on May 19th for slightly more than three weeks. It worked well, but early June I started to feel unable to sit still at some places. Around June 10th I had terrible anxiety and panic attacks, it was pure torture, so back to the institution. Had to wait two days until a doctor showed up, gave me something that stopped it all and removed the two drugs. It might be Loxapine. Fact is, since then, there is another torture: akathisia in the form of wanting to walk all the time. It's been one week now and, thank God, it stops at night. I want to live (I'm not even 20). I pray it stops fast, I've suffered enough. I really hate Abilify or Loxapine."

• tur...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 1, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "DO NOT TAKE IF YOU HAVE ANXIETY. It was a never-ending panic attack. It made my mania worse because of the anxiety and restlessness. It also made me extremely nauseous to the point where eating my favorite foods was a chore. The only positive was that it got me out of my depression that Seroquel put me in and made me feel like a normal human being again. The weight loss was a plus too, considering Seroquel made me gain so much weight."

• dou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 29, 2021

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Garbage, switched from Invega to Abilify. Major side effects even with 5 mg are fatigue, stiff muscles, restlessness, horrible insomnia, akathisia with higher dosages. What is good about it is that it doesn't induce sexual dysfunction like other AP drugs, and it lowers prolactin, which is a plus. Seems to enhance the anhedonia caused by the Invega in a bad way. The half-life is pretty long, about 3 or 4 days, it can overload your system if you are a poor metabolizer. Seems to lift depression but also seems to induce waves of depression, the drug itself is pretty schizo in that regard. The drug itself isn't that bad, but its metabolite has a lot of negative effects. All antipsychotics are crap in general, but as long as it prints dollars, they will keep getting prescribed. Don't go above 5 mg unless you want akathisia. Disregard comments about it being weight neutral, you will gain weight nevertheless. It's just overall less worse than other APs regarding weight."

• dou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 29, 2021

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Garbage, switched from Invega to Abilify. Major side effects even with 5 mg are fatigue, stiff muscles, restlessness, horrible insomnia, akathisia with higher dosages. What is good about it is that it doesn't induce sexual dysfunction like other AP drugs, and it lowers prolactin, which is a plus. Seems to enhance the anhedonia caused by the Invega in a bad way. The half-life is pretty long, about 3 or 4 days, it can overload your system if you are a poor metabolizer. Seems to lift depression but also seems to induce waves of depression, the drug itself is pretty schizo in that regard. The drug itself isn't that bad, but its metabolite has a lot of negative effects. All antipsychotics are crap in general, but as long as it prints dollars, they will keep getting prescribed. Don't go above 5 mg unless you want akathisia. Disregard comments about it being weight neutral, you will gain weight nevertheless. It's just overall less worse than other APs regarding weight."

• Nop...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 5, 2022

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I was recently diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar I type. This was an 'upgrade' from just plain old bipolar I, so I tried antipsychotics. I was tried on risperidone, which gave me RLS; olanzapine, which made me hear even more voices and believe my right arm wasn't real; latuda, which was okay but VERY expensive. My insurance started becoming a hassle. Then Abilify. At first, everything was okay. I went from 2mg to 20mg over several weeks. The 20mg was too stimulating, so we backed it down to 15mg. I didn't notice at first, but I started losing my appetite. I started losing weight. I thought it was good, but noooooo. I started also becoming fidgety, skipping meals, and becoming tired during the day and awake at night. This is not good for me. I had to taper off after three months and almost 20lbs lighter without trying. I'm starting to feel better already."

• sep...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2023

For Schizophrenia "Completely got rid of my hallucinations (auditory, visual, olfactory, and gustatory) pretty quickly, and after my dosage was increased, my delusions likewise subsided. However, what ruined it for me is after the dose was increased, I had rapid-onset severe akathisia, which made everyday life impossible. I recommend trying it out, just be wary of the signs of this side effect."

• Sid...
• May 11, 2010

"This really works, although there is some restlessness, but considering the options, this is a miracle drug, quelling the delusions, body dysmorphia, and insomnia (so far, so good). This is the second time taking this. Compared to the others, this is the best. Can't get fat because you're restless. It's just the omnipresent worry about the long-term effects, so I gave it a 7."

• Abi...
• June 15, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Started taking Abilify in August of 2016. The day after, I wanted to drink. I'm a recovering alcoholic, called my psychiatrist, and she switched Seroquel to Thorazine. And I got over the next couple of days. I just received an inheritance, somehow I ended up with 191 Groupons. Online shopping I couldn't have controlled so much in an amnesia state. Wouldn't have known this was happening. Went to the doctor and hospitals 8 or 9 times with different things of Abilify! I had a suicide attempt in March. I stayed awake for 4 days afterwards. I've wrecked my car 4 times. I have TD and akathisia now. I've never had a drug complicate me as much! I was also severely anorexic."

• soo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 30, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "I took Abilify for about two months after Zyprexa was making me incredibly sleepy and hungry all the time. After a few weeks, I became unbearably anxious and restless in a way I'd never experienced before and have never experienced since. Switched to Geodon because I couldn't tolerate the extreme anxiety anymore, and Geodon does the trick. Didn't become manic, so I guess it worked, though."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 24, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "This has helped extremely with my bad mood swings and irritability, but I am having nightmares and waking up multiple times during the night feeling restless."

• Anonymous
• January 9, 2011

For Schizophrenia "So far, so good. Abilify is extremely strong, so I have found I am fine with just 5 mg daily. Taking a lower dose gets rid of most of the unpleasant side effects (restlessness and constipation)."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 20, 2017

For Agitated State "Gave me akathisia that still does not go away 8 days after quitting, while it should. I need to be moving all the time (in a car or something like that counts), and it's unbearable."

• Edd...
• October 27, 2010

For Depression "Abilify worked wonderfully for me when taken with Effexor. If it weren't for the restlessness I felt, I'd still be on it."

• Lex...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 21, 2015

For Schizophrenia "I took Abilify since I was 19. I'm now 33. It makes you feel restless. I plan on getting off this medicine as soon as I talk to my doctor."

• Bmz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "This is one of the nastiest drugs I've taken for BP. It gave me major depression, major anxiety, restlessness, and major mood swings. I wouldn't recommend this drug to my worst enemy."

• Abi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2020

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Abilify is the worst possible drug. Gain weight, zombie, restless, no sleep, really, totally insomnia. It's horrible. Stay away from this. Holy moly."

• Aki...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 3, 2019

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I got akathisia (intense agitation/restlessness) on the lowest dose of this drug! Was horrible, do not recommend if you are prone to akathisia."

• Aki...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 3, 2019

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I got akathisia (intense agitation/restlessness) on the lowest dose of this drug! Was horrible, do not recommend if you are prone to akathisia."

• Anonymous
• July 27, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I developed akathisia after being on Abilify for 2 weeks. A rare side effect. I was really hoping the drug would work. Because of the side effect, I can no longer take it."