u/Remarkable_Skin_2773

Hey, just wanted to share something that’s been really confusing and honestly kind of unsettling for me.

A few months ago I was prescribed aripiprazole. Not long after starting it, I began noticing changes in my behavior that didn’t feel like me at all.

The most significant one was the sudden development of compulsive gambling behavior. I had never struggled with anything like that before in my life, but I started engaging in it impulsively and repeatedly, even when I was losing money, without the usual “stop” response I normally have.

At first, I genuinely thought it was just a personal failure or lack of self-control. I blamed myself a lot. Felt very suicidal.

Later, I went to a local addiction service (SerD in Italy), and a toxicologist immediately suggested that the medication could be involved. I learned that aripiprazole can, in some cases, affect impulse control and is associated with behaviors like compulsive gambling.

Honestly, I had never been properly warned about this in a clear, practical way. Finding out later was a shock.

Since stopping the medication, the impulsive drive has reduced quite quickly, which made the whole situation even more confusing to process in hindsight.

I’m still dealing with the consequences and trying to make sense of everything, including the guilt, even though I now understand there may have been a biological factor involved.

I’m sharing this because I found similar stories only after the fact, and it doesn’t seem talked about enough in a straightforward way.

Has anyone else experienced something similar with aripiprazole or other medications affecting impulse control?

That could be the reason! I know I already made a post about it but abilify can trigger compulsive gambling!

I blew up all my savings and more.

That could be the reason! I know I already made a post about it but abilify can trigger compulsive gambling!

I blew up all my savings and more.

Hey, just wanted to share something that’s been really confusing and honestly kind of unsettling for me.

A few months ago I was prescribed aripiprazole. Not long after starting it, I began noticing changes in my behavior that didn’t feel like me at all.

The most significant one was the sudden development of compulsive gambling behavior. I had never struggled with anything like that before in my life, but I started engaging in it impulsively and repeatedly, even when I was losing money, without the usual “stop” response I normally have.

At first, I genuinely thought it was just a personal failure or lack of self-control. I blamed myself a lot.

Later, I went to a local addiction service (SerD in Italy), and a toxicologist immediately suggested that the medication could be involved. I learned that aripiprazole can, in some cases, affect impulse control and is associated with behaviors like compulsive gambling.

Honestly, I had never been properly warned about this in a clear, practical way. Finding out later was a shock.

Since stopping the medication, the impulsive drive has reduced quite quickly, which made the whole situation even more confusing to process in hindsight.

I’m still dealing with the consequences and trying to make sense of everything, including the guilt, even though I now understand there may have been a biological factor involved.

I’m sharing this because I found similar stories only after the fact, and it doesn’t seem talked about enough in a straightforward way.

Has anyone else experienced something similar with aripiprazole or other medications affecting impulse control?

This might help some of you.
I was on **Aripiprazole (abilify)
for ~6 months with no history of gambling. Then after a month I went from 0 → compulsive gambling almost overnight.
At the same time:
-everything felt boring
-I was restless
-only high-stimulation things felt rewarding
Both my psychiatrist and addiction specialist (Servizio per le Dipendenze (SERD)) agreed and discontinued it.
Medpub and other med articles mention that the behaviour usually starts within 30 days. I’m both shocked and relieved though it’s gonna be hard to get off it now.
Has anyone else experienced impulse control issues on aripiprazole? Did it resolve after stopping?

This might help some of you.
I was on **Aripiprazole (abilify)
for ~6 months with no history of gambling. Then after a month I went from 0 → compulsive gambling almost overnight.
At the same time:
-everything felt boring
-I was restless
-only high-stimulation things felt rewarding
Both my psychiatrist and addiction specialist (Servizio per le Dipendenze (SERD)) agreed and discontinued it.
Medpub and other med articles mention that the behaviour usually starts within 30 days. I’m both shocked and relieved though it’s gonna be hard to get off it now.
Has anyone else experienced impulse control issues on aripiprazole? Did it resolve after stopping?

Il mio dubbio. Io 28F e il mio ragazzo 27M ci vediamo forse troppo poco? Gliel’ho detto oggi. Una volta infrasettimanale e una notte nei weekend. Non siamo più ragazzini, quindi boh.
C’è da dire che stiamo a 40 min di distanza. Pare mie?

Ciao a tutti,
scrivo perché sono in una fase un po’ delicata e vorrei un confronto onesto.
Negli ultimi mesi ho avuto alcune difficoltà economiche e questo mi ha fatto perdere un po’ di stabilità e lucidità. Niente di irreparabile, ma abbastanza da farmi capire che così non voglio continuare.
Ora sto cercando di rimettere ordine: sto gestendo meglio le spese, ho un piccolo “cuscinetto” MA voglio costruire qualcosa di più solido.
Per questo sto valutando un corso di formazione per diventare tecnico contabile.
L’idea mi piace perché:
-è una competenza concreta e richiesta;
-sono gia diplomata in ragioneria;
-da stabilità rispetto a lavori “random”;
-potrebbe aprire porte in studi o aziende.

Allo stesso tempo ho dei dubbi:
-ho paura di iniziare e poi non trovare lavoro;
-non so se è “troppo tardi” per ripartire (oggi a quasi 30anni ci si sente 80enni, come mai??)
-mi chiedo se sia la scelta giusta o solo un modo per uscire da una situazione difficile (bel placebo).
Il mio obiettivo non è diventare ricca subito, ma:
-avere una base stabile
-costruire qualcosa nel tempo
-smettere di vivere nell’incertezza
Qualcuno di voi ha fatto un percorso simile?
Consigli sinceri? Anche critiche costruttive sono ben accette.
Grazie a chi risponderà e a chiunque abbia voglia di leggermi

The first days are the hardest. Your mind feels foggy, like you’re not fully in control, and in those first hours all you can think about is gambling. It’s constant, intrusive, almost automatic. You don’t even feel like yourself.

But as time passes, something slowly shifts. The thoughts don’t disappear immediately, but they lose intensity. You start becoming more and more clear-headed. Bit by bit, you regain control. And with that clarity, you begin to see things for what they really are.

You realize how empty it all is. How draining, how fake, how miserable it made you feel. What once seemed exciting starts to look pathetic. And deep down, you know you don’t want to go back there. Not to that version of yourself.

Living in Italy actually helps more than people think. The self-exclusion system works. Even if you somehow played and won, you’d have to go through identity checks to get paid. The only way around that would be doing something illegal and risky, and at that point you have to consider that money already lost. That alone breaks a big part of the illusion.

Right now, I feel about 60% clear compared to before. Not fully there yet, but far enough to see the truth. And that’s already a huge step forward.

28, F, 5 months. Quit a week ago. For good.

Well. Luckily, smart me knew that idiot me would try to do this.
I self excluded my main account and all my sisters’ accounts. So guess who ain’t gambling tonight either.
I am so frustrated yet it made me laugh.
It’s the second time I try to quit but first time blocking others accounts as well.

I might get back to a normal life forreal this time.

28, F, from Europe.
Lost about 7k.
Debt free.
I’m rebuilding my life, step by step. Over the past few weeks I had a small slip—I bought two lottery tickets and spent €10—but I’m still moving forward. What people don’t really talk about is the real cost of getting your life back after this kind of addiction: at first, everything feels dull, distant, almost meaningless. It’s like your brain doesn’t know how to feel normal anymore, and nothing seems to click.

But with time—weeks passing, routines coming back—your mind slowly finds its balance again. Things start to feel real, and you begin to reconnect with life the way you used to. Until then, though, it can feel like a kind of living hell, where you’re just trying to adapt day by day. It reminds me of when I was adjusting antidepressants—everything felt off, unfamiliar—except this time, I’m doing it without that kind of support.
Anyone feels the same?

I swear if it wasn’t for SE I’d be betting my last savings. It is so frustrating. When will I get out of addiction? When will I wake up not thinking about gambling? Anyone success story?

Quit gambling a week or so ago. I’m just wondering when will I get back to normal? Everything feels so boring and so slow.

Hi everyone.

I’m a 28yo F from Europe.

I’ll make it short.

I started playing at online casinos about five months ago, and at the beginning it was fun. I was winning, and I really thought it was a way to make money. I kept wondering why more people weren’t doing it if it was that easy to earn. Then I started to see the truth, and the losses began. From that moment, it wasn’t about making money anymore, but about trying to recover what I had lost. And the more I lost, the more I kept playing to try to win it back. At some point, I realized that in just five months I had lost around €10,000. Today I paid off the last part of my debts, and I don’t know why, but instead of feeling happy, I feel strangely empty. I don’t feel anything.

I’m starting my new job tomorrow and I haven’t gambled in 5 days. What scares me the most, is to make huge debts, not being able to buy a house and losing both my family and my boyfriend who doesn’t know anything about this.

Anyone felt the same? I feel so stupid, miserable and lost.