Aripiprazole and Irritability: What Users Say (Page 2)

• CAC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 25, 2021

Aripiprazole for Schizoaffective Disorder "Was prescribed this by my Pdoc. Took my scheduled doses for two days, and the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital. Extreme heart rate and blood pressure through the roof. Made me extremely manic and irritable. It's been six years since I have taken it and still have some effects. Thought process has changed dramatically since the episode, and I lost the ability to think and problem-solve. I have lost most short-term memory as well as some long-term. My once-creative side before taking (musically, art) is now completely gone. Many tests later, doctors still cannot find what the problem is, no evidence of brain damage, but they do believe something was altered in my brain. Happy for anyone that can take this medication without side effects, but if you get prescribed, ask about these side effects. This has impacted my life drastically, and since then I cannot take any medications. I'll get extremely agitated taking pills and anxiety through the roof."

• Cro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 1, 2021

Aripiprazole for Bipolar Disorder "Ok, this should be called Zombilify. For real, I could NOT STAY AWAKE all day. I was constantly nodding out, I felt like I was on a heavy dose of Xanax on this and could not function whatsoever. My mind was in a fog, low mood, and irritable all day. I had a bad experience with this one. Not for me."

• Anonymous
• May 17, 2010

Aripiprazole for Depression "Combined with Remeron, it initially lifted my mood for a few days, but it made me too tired to function when I took it during the day. Also, it may have contributed to seriously compulsive eating (though Remeron is implicated in that too). The worst aspect was this weird agitation in my brain. It felt like there was a traffic jam of thoughts every so often, and this went away when I stopped taking the drug. Everyone's brain is different though."

• ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 2, 2019

Aripiprazole for Bipolar Disorder "So where to begin. I love how this drug completely turned my life around in a really positive way. Used to have multiple manic episodes a year. I haven't had one in over a year after being on this drug. The reason I'm giving this an 8 is it's incredibly effective as a mood stabilizer, but it makes you too stable to the point of feeling numb at a high dose. Some minor weight gain that's slowly going away, and akathisia, which is also slowly going away. I hope that the anhedonia will also slowly back off over time. Let's see. If I had to take this or be unstable, I would take this. Also, starting this was a nightmare as it made me incredibly agitated before it eventually stabilized my mood."

• Key...
• October 9, 2021

Aripiprazole 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."

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

Aripiprazole 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!"

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 8, 2012

Aripiprazole for Bipolar Disorder "Abilify gave me total erectile dysfunction, spasms. It made me fatigued even if I took it at night, but at the same time, it made me feel quite agitated inside. I was only on this medication for a month, so I cannot say whether it controlled my symptoms effectively. It may work for some, however, the side effects were unbearable for me."

• Bab...
• February 21, 2017

Aripiprazole for Schizoaffective Disorder "Did nothing for my delusions and hearing voices. It only made me twitchy, unable to sleep, agitated, and gave me extreme tremor. On only 5 mg. I much prefer olanzapine, more effective with milder side effects."

• Fee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 28, 2022

Aripiprazole for Depression "It made me feel like I took a low dose of LSD. My body was very edgy and uncomfortable. I stopped taking it after the first dose, not worth feeling that awful to try and feel less depressed. It is an antipsychotic, not an antidepressant. Treating depression with this as an adjunct is not what it was made for."

• Clo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 28, 2019

Aripiprazole for Bipolar Disorder "This drug destroyed my life. My sexual urges became insatiable, and my drug use went supersonic. After the dust settled, my marriage was destroyed, I’m broke, and my credit rating went from 750 to 400. I’ve lost all credibility with my family and friends. I started going sideways almost immediately after I started taking Abilify. I had trembling hands, I cut myself, and was very irritable. I became a different person."

• els...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 16, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I'm suffering from major depressive disorder for 18 months. I have been on Escitalopram for about 8 years, but apparently, it stopped working. When my doc suggested taking this drug to 'reactivate' the benefits of my AD, I was very excited, especially when reading some testimonials of people who felt relieved after a couple of weeks. Unluckily, it didn't work for me. It just gave a libido boost at first but did nothing for my depression. I also had urination issues and quite a lot of agitation. I still felt depressed but couldn't rest. I will switch Escitalopram to Wellbutrin soon. Hope it will work better for you! A lot of luck."

• koa...
• January 11, 2010

For Bipolar Disorder "I was on Risperdal, but that caused tiredness and lactation, so I had to stop. I was put on Abilify (only 5 mg). It was one of the worst things I have ever experienced. I could NOT sit still. When I was standing, I had to pace, when I was sitting, I had to rock back and forth, and I absolutely could not lie down. I'd have bouts of rage and crying, but I'm not sure if that was the medicine itself causing agitation or if I was just upset because I was so restless. I also couldn't sleep more than 4 hours a night, and not at all during the day. The whole 2 weeks I was on it, all I did was pace around crying and restless. These side effects definitely don't happen to everyone, but they are possible, so you're aware."

• Und...
• November 10, 2018

For Schizophrenia "Very initial impression! So my parents have both the same kind of problem. My mother has schizophrenia for 30 years, taking her pills every day. My father also had something bad, never diagnosed. So one day, a psychotic doctor got him this drug. I was thinking, yeah, I got a problem too. Been afraid all the time of drugs, so I took it and felt good for a week from one pill. The next time I took 2.5 mg only. The good impact was focus on projects, my hobbies that I like, being more friendly, having deeper conversations, easy to listen to music while typing. I had distraction when focused on something and someone came and started talking. I always needed at the same time to adjust the sounds of the songs while doing something, it's clear still while focusing elsewhere. The bad impact is that I can't be so bored for too long. Sleeping though can help relax. I also have some irritability. Just want to say that."

• Jon...
• June 29, 2016

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Have endured 10 mg for 9 weeks. It has been a living hell. Can't sleep more than 3-6 hours a night. As time went on, I have felt more agitated and stressed, which never goes away. I keep getting the urge to shake my legs. My symptoms haven't improved. I'm not taking any more of this drug - had enough. My pdoc gave me some clonazepam for 3 weeks, which helped a bit, then 2 weeks of melatonin, which didn't do much. Now for the last 2 weeks, she has ignored me. I don't tolerate psychotropics that well."

• Dea...
• June 29, 2021

"A very mixed experience. I was given this drug for my 20-year Panic Disorder and GAD. I have tried almost all drugs, and none have helped. The first few days were great, I experienced a massive reduction in anxiety and anticipatory anxiety. It freed my mind up. My anxiety went from a 10 every day to around a 3. It also cleared up my depression. But... the side effects for me were unbearable, completely unbearable. I didn't sleep for days, and when I did sleep, it would be for about 2 hours, then wide awake again. But I was tired all day. I was like a zombie. I could not sleep, and when I was awake, I was exhausted. This went on for weeks. In the end, I was taking loads of Benzos to sleep, but even they were not helping me sleep. Then the agitation started really bad. I was agitated, restless, tired, exhausted, and very irritable... which in itself started bringing on panic attacks. My advice: if you suffer from depression, GAD, or bad anxiety... give this medication a try."

• Dea...
• June 29, 2021

"A very mixed experience. I was given this drug for my 20-year Panic Disorder and GAD. I have tried almost all drugs, and none have helped. The first few days were great, I experienced a massive reduction in anxiety and anticipatory anxiety. It freed my mind up. My anxiety went from a 10 every day to around a 3. It also cleared up my depression. But... the side effects for me were unbearable, completely unbearable. I didn't sleep for days, and when I did sleep, it would be for about 2 hours, then wide awake again. But I was tired all day. I was like a zombie. I could not sleep, and when I was awake, I was exhausted. This went on for weeks. In the end, I was taking loads of Benzos to sleep, but even they were not helping me sleep. Then the agitation started really bad. I was agitated, restless, tired, exhausted, and very irritable... which in itself started bringing on panic attacks. My advice: if you suffer from depression, GAD, or bad anxiety... give this medication a try."

• ser...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 17, 2022

For Depression "I'm a week into taking this drug as an adjunct to paroxetine, which has lost some of its effectiveness in perimenopause. I take 2.5 mg every other day as paroxetine increases blood levels of aripiprazole. Twelve hours after the first dose, I felt euphoric for a couple of hours. Since then, my depression has been worse, and I am very irritable. I feel like I don't care about anything or anyone. It's early days, so I will report back if I stay on it (unlikely)."

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 6, 2023

For Bipolar Disorder "Fighting depression for years and then suddenly jumped into mania after trying an antidepressant. I had been a few months on the wrong meds and dosages and wasn't even able to function, then was put on aripiprazole 10 mg and was back to normal life, with the ability to think clearly, work, and have decent sleep. As I was told to take it for a year, I put on a lot of weight despite my normal diet, but depression and mania never bothered me for 4 whole years med-free. Not long ago, I noticed that I started again with a depression cycle, irritability, trouble sleeping, panic attacks, racing thoughts, anxiety to the point that I felt I was no longer able to cope, concentration dropped to an inability to even drive. I started aripiprazole on 5 mg and felt myself again the next day; depression, anxiety, irritability, lack of energy, and sleep were all gone for a week. Now, the second day that I'm feeling slightly worse, I do not know whether there is a need to increase to 10 mg or what's happening."

• Joe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 23, 2021

For Depression "I was prescribed this drug to help with side effects caused by an SSNRI. In retrospect, it probably made things worse but was too far outside of reality to notice. I gained significant weight and could become very agitated at the slightest offense. Scary experience overall."

• Sar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 21, 2023

For Bipolar Disorder "Started on 10 mg, had blurry vision and felt super tired, didn't feel myself on it and was asking to be slowly weaned off it. But after a year when I came off it, I had early stages of mania, like irritability, so I went back on it at 5 mg. Overall, it basically deletes mania but also your happiness, so I just feel flat all the time. It's better than nothing, and it's worth a shot, but now I'm going to try Lamictal in addition to aripiprazole as I've heard Lamictal reduces depression."

• Toe...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 9, 2019

Aripiprazole for Agitated State "On this drug, I get anger and agitation. Going to go on something else instead, can't bear it."

• sig...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2014

Aripiprazole for Agitated State "I took this to replace Wellbutrin, which didn't seem to work. This medication seems to make me very easily agitated, not to mention the fatigue."

• Ari...
• April 2, 2016

Aripiprazole for Agitated State "I'm taking Abilify with an antidepressant to stabilize my mood. It just makes me shaky and agitated. Before Abilify, my mood would be up and down. But now I'm just down and agitated all the time."

• Ang...
• March 24, 2017

Aripiprazole for Bipolar Disorder "I have been on Abilify for 6 weeks now and am still experiencing anxiety, agitation, constipation. I also feel sedated, although I feel like I can't sit still."

• Anonymous
• May 20, 2011

Aripiprazole for Depression "Abilify was okay, but it made me very agitated and anxious."