Aripiprazole for Schizophrenia User Reviews (Page 2)

• Dan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2022

"I took Invega for a year, and it was a nightmare: depression, erection problems, yellow semen, blood in semen. Two days ago, the doctor switched me to Abilify Maintena, and I have to tell you it is the best drug till now for me: no deep sedation, erection is there, I feel normal again. I have some side effects like a little less sleep, but it should be only a couple of days; headaches, nausea, but you can feel normal again with a smile on your face and a great feeling. And also, I noticed that I don't want to smoke that much, and I read that one guy, after one week, had no desire to smoke, which I can feel already now. :) If you feel bad on Invega, like I did, maybe give it a try."

• Aby...
• March 24, 2020

"Been on aripiprazole for a year and a half now. I cannot sleep, only getting about 3 hours a night, restlessness, and spending money. My lifestyle is completely different from before. It might not seem it, but I was aggressive and hearing voices. Also, the TV would interfere with my actions. Now, taking this medication, I feel somewhat better. Really, I don't get myself into so much trouble, like arguing and shouting, but now I am calm and confident and can laugh again."

• Dou...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 18, 2023

"Incredible drug. Having been on it for ten years at 5mg, my life is balanced and it acts quickly, to the point you think you're cured. But it requires dedication to a daily dosage without fail, and you cannot take recreational drugs of any kind or you could do irreversible damage to the brain. Don't yo-yo this medication, be stable in taking it daily without fail and give it a chance to work if all other drugs have failed you."

• bla...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 31, 2018

"My dear lovely Abilify... where should I begin? And what have you done? You feel deeply ashamed, Abilify... who made you Abilify? Are they as poisonous as you are...? I would like to know... because you have destroyed my health and my life... no way back from here. Anxiety, suicidal thoughts, depression, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, confusion, apathy. I am not myself anymore... Abilify, what have you done? Who made you? And why so poisonous?"

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

"I started Abilify in January of this year, 10 mg. I'm now taking 15 mg. This medication has given me back my life. No voices, no visual hallucinations. I still struggle with mild paranoia, though. I can get through the day, and that's saying something!"

• Mei...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 23, 2024

"I had my first case of auditory and visual hallucinations when I was 26 and wasn't sure what I was experiencing. It quickly went downhill from there when the hallucinations would interfere with my ability to sleep, creating a spiraling cycle for me. I was finally hospitalized and given Aristada Initio and Aristada Lauroxil in the hospital. I get one 882 mg injection monthly, it does taper in effectiveness after a two-week period. I then supplement during that two-week period with 10 mg of Abilify oral medicine daily. Abilify and Aristada gave me back my common sense and my pride and keep my schizophrenia symptoms at bay. I would not be stable without this medicine."

• Aun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 30, 2019

"I have taken 15 mg of Abilify for 5 months, no side effects or weight gain yet, so that's good. I don't crave food and gain weight like I did on Risperdal and had bad side effects on Zoloft. I feel tired for 2 hours after I take Abilify. It's hard to stay asleep. I wake up and do the same thing over and over all night long."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 28, 2020

"I’m on a 400 mg shot for schizophrenia NOS. I don’t recommend lowering the dosage because you get tolerance to it. I was very impulsive and erratic before going on this. I’m on disability, so I could not even maintain working. Doing much better, thinking clearly and hardly any side effects besides tiredness the first month, that is all."

• Dud...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 15, 2019

"For my schizophrenia, opted in for Abilify Maintena as an alternative to Invega Sustena. Granted that I was on Invega Sustena for between 6-12 months prior with bland emotions at that time, I did some research and gave Abilify Maintena a chance. That was late 2014. Now it's early 2019, and I want everyone to know that by this time, I have regained some emotional ability. I am also able to focus on complex tasks with a significantly better ability than I would be without an antipsychotic. I have concerns, though. I have a physical standing job and I walk to work, and all I can do is maintain my weight within a 10-pound range. I felt good, and the Abilify Maintena kept me resilient when things got tough. For the record, I used to have suicidal thoughts long before starting Abilify Maintena, but I never contemplated it while on it. One last thing: I have always taken a low dosage of Abilify Maintena. I do not ever recommend medium or high dosages to start with."

• Wes...
• October 31, 2019

"I have been taking Abilify 10 mg for a little over a month, and it has helped my motivation compared to Haldol 2 mg. I had lost interest in food and dropped to 100 lbs. I've gained 25 lbs in 6 weeks since starting this drug. My hallucinations and voices are still gone. I always feel wide awake and have been taking various things to sleep. Hoping the insomnia will pass because I am full of energy. Started working again, hopefully will continue."

• Sur...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 7, 2022

"I see and hear things when I’m completely clean, sober, and not taking my medication. I take Abilify 5 mg now in addition to another prescription, Cymbalta 30 mg. Started off years back at Abilify 10 mg in addition to Cymbalta 60 mg. Abilify is the reason I can lead a normal life without hearing other auditory voices and seeing holographic figures. Please at least give Abilify a try if you share these symptoms. I have heard from other people that share my symptoms that Abilify works for them too! Always in addition to another prescription, as I understand it. I wish you all the best in your journey to find peace. Keep hope alive! You can do this and be happy if Abilify works for you too. Everyone is different, so be willing to try, and you’ll find the prescription that works for you too. Abilify is amazing for many!"

• Hel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 14, 2020

"Abilify made me completely out of control. I acted in ways I never had before and were completely out of character for me. I was not in control of my emotions, I cried hysterically all the time. I had to be put on something similar to Xanax because I guess my mouth moved uncontrollably. I developed a gambling problem and was out of control with a lot of different things all at one time. I couldn’t stop any of this behavior, and it was tormenting. I wasn’t able to cope either. Horrible experience. Do not smoke marijuana with this, I would advise against it. It will use everything against you and become a problem and made me sicker."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 1, 2012

"I have recently been placed on Abilify 20 mg for early onset schizophrenia. Previously, I was on Amisulpride, which made me very tired and gave me problems with sexual dysfunction. Abilify has provided me with a symptom-free solution."

• A G...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 11, 2019

"So I've been on this Abilify injection (against my will) for a couple of years because my family just wants me to be normal again. And man, do I feel normal! It's so great! (I was being sarcastic... really, really sarcastic.) I can't sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time, I suffer from persistent psychological pain due to anxiety/restless leg, and I have gained 70 lbs! And there's more! If I keep taking it, I'll probably wind up with diabetes! What a great drug to give a permanently disabled veteran to ensure that they live a long, peaceful life! Seriously though... it's terrible. Low quality of life in exchange for little to no psychotic symptoms... bad trade. Find something else that works for your condition!!"

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 24, 2021

"I was coerced into taking this injection at a mental hospital, where I was told if I did not have it, I would be in there for a long time. My only symptoms were depression and anxiety at the time of admission. It is a horrible drug, it gave me anhedonia, so lack of pleasure. I also had side effects to begin with, like constipation, and I passed out. I also had racing thoughts and severe insomnia. AVOID this drug if you can, it is awful."

• Sil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 26, 2020

"This med really hasn't helped my voices at all. I'd say at most it takes the edge off my anger. I had the typical side effects, which were pretty bad, but I also had what I thought was EPS, extrapyramidal side effects in the form of hand movements. Upon withdrawal of the med, I experienced an explosion of tics, both motor and vocal. I went back on the med, and the tics were a bit better but persisted. They include inappropriate tics and are unpredictable. I'm not a fan of any of the antipsychotics, frankly, but I would be wary of the risk of movement disorders in this med."

• Chr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 29, 2019

"My daughter was diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression almost 2 years ago. They started her off on Abilify Maintena 300 mg, which helped her a lot, but it made her restless and didn’t stop the voices, and she still had trouble thinking clearly because she was always tired but wired on it and had trouble sleeping properly. She was given a sample of Aristada one month, and it was like a miracle, I felt like I had my happy daughter back. Then the NP gave her too high a dose, too soon, and she struggled with suicidal thinking and feeling terrible for 4-6 weeks. That was terrible, but once we got her on the 441 mg dose, she did really well. She is able to think more clearly on Aristada and sleep better, which helps her voices to be not noticeable (better than when on the Maintena). She is constantly a bit nauseous, which may or may not be a side effect. Aristada has a copay assistance program that helps cost to be reasonable."

• Dai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 18, 2019

"Successful on Abilify Maintena 300 mg for 5 years, except flat affect, anxiety, and inhibition. Switched to Aristada, hoping to help negative symptoms. First month thought it was a miracle drug... was able to smile, feel more emotion, go to the gym daily (on Abilify, I felt fear going alone). Started feeling agitated slowly, then psychosis started on/off, then full inpatient hospitalization for 2 weeks. Returning to Abilify. Why won’t NIMH reinvest in improved research? Find what was helping in Aristada and remove what wasn’t! I felt so close to feeling normal, but psychosis can take my life away!!!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 3, 2017

"I was taking a lot of pills, some of which weren't working for me. Of course, what works for the guy next to me might not work for me and vice versa because our genetic makeup is different. I have been taking this drug for about 3ish years, and well, I didn't notice a difference until about 2 months ago when I raised the dosage by 5 mg a day. I was on other antipsychotics as well as antidepressants and stuff for bipolar disorder. I'm on a 400 mg injection of Abilify monthly, as well as a 5 mg pill form a day still to this day. When I raised the dosage, the voices stopped. They usually come back in some environments like at work, the gym, or even when I get stressed, but the voices and abnormal thoughts dimmed down dramatically. I feel almost normal."

• Lou...
• April 2, 2020

"I'm on Abilify and no longer hearing voices, but I still see people who aren't there. Even while on the highest dose of this medication, 400 mg injection. I also feel like a zombie most of the time. I'm too tired even to go grocery shopping at times. I'm myself again, but I'm not quite the same. I've gained weight, 30 plus pounds, and I've been on the drug for 3 years. I tried going off of it to 300, and the side effects were my moodiness returned. Sometimes I question if my diagnosis was correct or if they are just pushing this drug out to anyone who claims they are depressed."

• Anonymous
• March 25, 2016

"Within 1 week of taking 1 tablet, my auditory hallucinations had nearly disappeared, and then I increased the amount to 1 1/2 tablets and was and am amazed by this product. It's giving me my life back again......"

• MHR...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 19, 2017

"This medicine provided so much hope regarding the struggle to find any medicine that would help the combative nature of schizophrenia. Only Abilify Maintena injection has improved my son's thought processes. He has been less delusional, more lucid for the first time in 12 years. The anger and frustration of daily life has calmed. It truly is life-changing. I pray that this medicine can help billions more angry, raging, delusional young men and young women. Thank goodness for this injection being on the market for this sad disease that has ruined so many lives in the past. Now I have hope going forward for all diseases that rob the mind and thoughts of many persons. Thank you."

• psy...
• July 24, 2009

"This medication over a year's period began to make me become well, not cured. I noticed it beginning in 2008. I was isolated since 1991 in my apartment. Now I'm riding the bus. I don't believe the Abilify did this by itself. I helped it along."

• mom...
• July 27, 2013

"My now 23-year-old son has been on Abilify since May 2012. Initially on Clozapine but way too zonked. His history is recreational cannabis use caused a psychotic break. Not smoking now or intending to. Hospitalized and medicated. They were surprised and pleased at how quickly he regained his self-awareness, home in 2 weeks but recommended at least 6 months of meds to forestall relapse. He feels very detached from us and himself, on 10 mgs still. He is nervous of relapse, especially since told one of the symptoms of a recurrence would be an inability to sleep. Meds reduced in December."

• Smo...
• January 2, 2020

"I've been on some form of Abilify injection for 4 years. I have never missed a monthly dose. Started 400 mg for 2 years, 300 mg for 2 years, and just got my first 200 mg in Jan 2020 for schizoaffective disorder. I will never be tapered off, but the point in lowering is to maintain stability, but at the same time control the insatiable desire the meds give me to eat. Also to try and get back some of the energy the meds just simply take away - energy to cook, clean, and exercise. I have been trying different meds for 10 years, and Abilify is my preferred. After refusing those other antipsychotic meds that have literally been around forever, Abilify injection seemed to be a happy medium, and you don’t have to take a pill every day (because I know I won’t). If you find being on an antipsychotic indefinitely is your reality, Abilify makes things easier. With the injection lasting a month long, it’s very incognito and doesn’t remind you that you are being treated - like taking a pill every day."