Abilify made me feel the worst I’ve ever felt in my life.
29 M diagnosed bipolar II and ADHD. I was prescribed 5mg Abilify several weeks ago along with Lamotrigine, and the side effects I experienced from Abilify were the worst I’ve ever had from a medication.
The first day I took it was a Tuesday, and within 2 hours I had to call my manager and awkwardly explain that I just started a new medicine that made me extremely sick and I need the day off. I was falling asleep almost immediately and felt very nauseous. That continued for the first few days and I felt like I was constantly about to fall asleep.
By day three, I was having blurred visions, especially when my eyes would move and look at something else. The new object would shake until my eyes got it in focus. I also felt like I was slurring my words occasionally around this time.
After the first week, the unbearable restlessness kicked in. I now know this is called akathisia. I work a desk job that requires us to be in office 2x a week, and I had to call my manager again and explain to her that I’m still experiencing debilitating side effects from my new medication and need to work from home for the time being. I could barely get through the day as I constantly needed to get up and move around. When I had to drive somewhere, I would be shifting in my seat constantly and moving my legs to stretch at red lights. I remember going into a Wawa for a sandwich and when I was standing there waiting for my order, I could not stop shuffling my feet and leaning back against the counter. They were slammed with orders and the wait was a lot longer than I anticipated, and the restlessness got so bad I almost just left without getting my food after paying. In that moment I wanted to cry because I realized something was very wrong. I could not sleep well for the next week because despite being fatigued and tired, I couldn’t find a comfortable position to lay down in as my body just wanted to keep moving.
My brain felt foggy the entire time and I also gained weight in the few short weeks I was on the pill. I started spiraling into very negative thoughts that I’m not proud of.
I quit cold turkey because my dose was low, but this is absolutely not advice for anyone else in the same position. I just had to stop. The akathisia went away almost immediately after I quit. I still take the Lamotrigine which definitely helps.
Luckily I meet with my psychiatrist in 2 weeks and I’m going to tell him all this. My parents were very worried for me during the time I was taking Abilify and my mom was calling a bunch of other doctors trying to get me in because she noticed I was not well. This is just my story and a warning to those who’ve been prescribed this- I was I was told how debilitating this medication can be.