Aripiprazole and Restlessness: What Users Say (Page 5)

• 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."

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

Aripiprazole 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."

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

Aripiprazole 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."

• Abi...
• June 15, 2017

Aripiprazole 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."

• Nig...
• December 14, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "I got this drug for anxiety that my shrink thought was psychosis. Lowest dose, for 5 days. At the end, I could barely keep my eyes open and had some form of akathisia. It took 7 days for it to clear out of my system and function again. Be careful with this drug class."

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

Aripiprazole 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."

• Sid...
• May 11, 2010

Aripiprazole "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."

• Whi...
• June 1, 2015

For Depression "If I could give this poorly tested 'medicine' a 0 rating, I would. This medication damn near killed me. I had a reaction referred to as akathisia, I felt like my insides were in constant need to motion. The only thing that would somewhat calm it was aggressive pacing back and forth. I couldn't lift my arms, and I had trouble speaking due to twitching of my diaphragm. I almost killed myself to get away from these horrible feelings. Abilify also caused permanent damage to my diaphragm, and I will randomly not be able to talk without my voice fluctuating from the twitching diaphragm. My advice would be to try a different drug if yours isn't working. There's no point in adding a second chemical to 'boost' your other one."

• May...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 3, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Started taking aripiprazole 10 mg mainly for bipolar type 2 (also have CPTSD). Even though it was a very low dose and I only took it for 18 days, I had to come off it as it made me extremely restless (physically) and I kept having the urge to move my legs. Could not sit still for any length of time and was also unable to sleep due to the symptoms. It’s a shame I had these physical symptoms as it had no negative side effects on my mood."

• Bra...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 16, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "After 1 and a half years on Olanzapine, with no effects on my depression, my doc prescribed Aripiprazole at a very high dose: 30 mg. It’s been amazing, I have energy and motivation to live my life, and the depression is gone. It makes me a little restless, however, I still take 5 mg of Olanzapine and Clonazepam at night to help me sleep. It’s like I’m not happy all the time, but I’m feeling absolutely normal, which is the objective. This change was amazing."

• And...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 4, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Abilify makes it hard for me to fall asleep. I only get about 1 hour a night. I know other people have gotten relief from it, but for me, it just has made my life harder and more difficult for me to work. I was diagnosed by my doctor with akathisia. The restlessness for me is not manageable. Every day is an uphill battle. When I was off my medications for a while, it felt like every day was a vacation and I was finally able to sleep. I hope I don’t have to take antipsychotics my entire life. They make me feel terrible and just as suicidal as I am without them, if not more."

• And...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 4, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Abilify makes it hard for me to fall asleep. I only get about 1 hour a night. I know other people have gotten relief from it, but for me, it just has made my life harder and more difficult for me to work. I was diagnosed by my doctor with akathisia. The restlessness for me is not manageable. Every day is an uphill battle. When I was off my medications for a while, it felt like every day was a vacation and I was finally able to sleep. I hope I don’t have to take antipsychotics my entire life. They make me feel terrible and just as suicidal as I am without them, if not more."

• 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."

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

Aripiprazole 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."

• t-b...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2016

For Borderline Personality Disorder "Other than slight restlessness, no real side effects. My slight weight gain is likely to be from boredom hunger. I'm not as flippant and feel a little more leveled. No real change in people following me other than it bothers me less. I suspect I'm also receiving a placebo at times."

• Hea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 24, 2018

For Depression "This drug gave me intolerable akathisia, or at least that's what I think it was. I could not stand to sit still. The first day was the worst, so I hoped the side effect would wear off, but after a month I gave up on it."

• 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."

• Wes...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 18, 2022

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Was on for about 6 months, after being on paliperidone for several years. Good drug, much more motivation and definitely more of my old personality. No weight gain or anything. Worked well for symptoms on 10 mg. I couldn’t stay on it though because I had really bad akathisia and couldn’t sleep. I would wake up every hour and be up for the day at 5 a.m. You can only do that for so long until you’re too tired to function. Also, it made me super hot and sweaty. Would have stayed on it though if it wasn’t for the sleep problems."

• Ale...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 8, 2022

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "My psychotherapist recommended it for OCD, but the akathisia it gave me was as awful as it can get. I could not even sit still even though I was tired from the day. This medicine made me wander endlessly for as long as I took it. Not to mention the problems it gave me for sleeping, that had to be counteracted with pregabalin and alprazolam. I stopped taking it, and thank God the akathisia stopped, and I was able to sleep without medication."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 4, 2025

For Autism "My son started Abilify at age 12 with a weight of 155 pounds and 5'6. His aggression and irritability were so out of control, he was put on a 55/85 hold for DTO. He would punch holes in my walls at home and hit his head against it. He was miserable and sad all the time. We talked it over as a family of 5 and decided to try medication to help him control his impulses. The first day of starting Abilify was taken at bedtime. He was restless like he just ate a bowl full of sugar. He finally settled about 12 minutes after taking that dose of 5 mg. He was knocked out 3 minutes after settling. He had trouble sleeping before and would get up frequently during the night. This kept him asleep and snoring the whole night. Woke up very rested. We started to see results after about a week of starting. He was still irritable and we decided to try a little higher dose of 7.5 mg. That was the game changer. So far no weight gain. He is calm, no arguing, and no aggression. Staying focused in school."

• Ktr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 26, 2021

For Borderline Personality Disorder "Started on a low dose to treat my depression/anxiety/PTSD all at the same time. We upped my dose. It did nothing but make me dissociate for days at a time. When I wasn’t in a fog, it made my ADHD unbearable. I was restless and exhausted all the time. The only good that came out of being on aripiprazole was learning how to ground myself when I started dissociating (because I was doing it so often). Definitely not for me."

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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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

Aripiprazole 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."