Aripiprazole and Restlessness: What Users Say (Page 4)

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

Aripiprazole 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."

• 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."

• Gan...
• January 25, 2021

Aripiprazole 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 23, 2018

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "The side effects are intolerable and nasty. Drowsiness, restlessness, the feeling where something is going to burst from me. I couldn’t go to class because of the drug. Also, uncontrollable appetite, binge eating. Gained almost 10 lbs in 2 weeks. Made me super sleepy. It does nothing about alleviating my OCD. It only made it worse. I took two 5 mg a day with 250 Luvox."

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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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."

• eyn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 5, 2019

For Depression "I was prescribed Abilify for my cycling mood, though we still aren't sure if it's bipolar or if my mood is just like that. Mostly, we were targeting my depression because my 'highs' are relatively 'low' 'highs.' Abilify made me feel incredible. For the first time in years, I wasn't depressed. I started doing yoga, I picked up guitar. I was genuinely a more balanced, happy person. But, I stopped taking it within a month and a half. No matter the dosage, I had terrible side effects. The fatigue was so bad I was sleeping 12 hours and barely able to stay awake in my classes. Despite my fatigue, I was physically restless. I had to constantly kick my legs or crack my knuckles. These side effects ultimately caused me to titrate off the medication as they never waned or began to get better while I took it."

• ntc...
• May 7, 2010

Aripiprazole 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."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "If you are on Abilify currently, respond well, and don't want to take a pill every day, Aristada is the medication for you. It is much cleaner than the other Abilify LAI (long-acting injection), Abilify Maintena, which had a lot of side effects like akathisia and weight gain, etc. This medication is cheaper and comes in more flexible dosing options. All around, much better. It will stabilize your mood within six months, from being incoherently delusional in a psych ward to getting A's in college stabilized."

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

Aripiprazole 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."

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

Aripiprazole 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."

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

Aripiprazole 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 less than 1 month
• December 26, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Only able to tolerate Abilify for about 10 days. Although almost immediate improvement in my mood, motivation, etc., the side effects were more than I could bear. After about 4 days, I started developing internalized restlessness (akathisia). It became unbearable. I had to stop. Has anyone experienced this akathisia with Abilify and been able to 'break through' these side effects? The mental benefits were quite amazing."

• gsa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 26, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "Aripiprazole is the worst antipsychotic I ever took. It managed mania and psychosis well, but I barely had thoughts or motivation, and it did nothing for my depression. Then I got horrible akathisia, so I refused to take it anymore."

• DWA...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 25, 2017

For Tourette's Syndrome "After taking 2-5 mg of Abilify, it dramatically helped my tics at first, but it progressed them long-term. Years later, I am still severely physically and mentally disabled by new illnesses I never had before. It deteriorated my mental health by causing conditions including ADHD and anxiety/panic disorder. I also developed Tardive Dyskinesia and Akathisia. After about 2 months, I had developed such severe withdrawals I could not get off. It was so intolerable that it took multiple drugs to counteract its side effects, and even then, they still were nowhere near manageable."

• SMb...
• November 21, 2022

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I feel it has helped me with my intrusive thoughts, but I feel so restless. I can't seem to relax. I feel I have the urge to move around when I really just want to watch TV and relax. I have gained 8 pounds since I have been taking it. Gonna reach out to my doctor. You're never alone, we're in this together."

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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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."

• Yan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 8, 2020

For Depression "I took this medication, aripiprazole, for about 2 weeks for depression. I saw no improvement with my depression. I stopped taking it due to insomnia, restlessness, and fatigue. It seemed to help with my productivity, though."

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

Aripiprazole 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."