I took it + prozac last night and i slept horribly, my hands are shaking so bad, and my right hand is quite stiff
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?
I can’t stop spending money. On anything nothing in particular, sometimes i’ll walk to the shop just to spend money not actually needing anything, feels very compulsive i’ve always been a compulsive spender but now im taking out loans huge debt etc. I love this medication it’s helped me tons, im on 30mg for schizophrenia and i really don’t want to stop this med :( This is my only side effect… Tried all the other antipsychotics too and none work as well.
I stopped taking all my prescribed medication when will I return back to my regular self again?
I very recently got prescribed Abilify to help with my anxiety/depression
I’m very nervous because i’ve heard horror stories of people getting sick from Abilify, or just nauseous in general.
I have really bad emetophobia (i‘m starting therapy for it in a few weeks) and honestly don’t know whether I could handle even the nausea without freaking out
Mines a really low dose (2mg), so i’m probably just working myself up over nothing, but side effects can happen at any dose.
I wanted to know how many people have actually had nausea or vomiting as a side effect? Is it actually that common?
I cut a LSD blotter tab into 2 pieces, so one piece should be around 125ug, however 2 hours has passed and i almost dont feel a god damn shit.
What's the cause? it wasn't like this for me on other drugs like cocaine, mdma, speed, ketamine etc.
I've previously tried 6 different anti depressants with no effects, so Im hopeful it does something
I have been on Zoloft 100mg for 8-10 years and it’s always controlled my anxiety and depression for the most part. about a month ago I found out I was pregnant, had huge life stressors happen, and it was like a giant cocktail for a panic attack. I went through a miscarriage and fell really depressed. my biggest symptoms now are anxiety and feeling unreal (DP/DR) and just not wanting to do anything at all. feels like I’m floating through the day. my doctor tried increasing my Zoloft for 2 weeks and my anxiety was way worse and gave me clonazepam short term to help with panic attacks. Today, she suggested we try Abilify 5mg but said I can break it in half if I’m scared. I’m really nervous because a lot of meds have made me feel ideation and scare me. I’d love to know how it helped anyone else and some hopeful stories or tips
I'm writing this because I've been lurking here for a while and have noticed that many of the posts are horror stories along with warnings to stay far away from this drug. My experience has been the opposite and I think it's important to say that no psychoactive drug will work well for everyone or even MOST people. It's about finding the ones that work well with your particular brain chemistry and it seems like psychiatrists are mostly throwing darts.
About three years ago I went through a very intense psychiatric episode around my divorce and all of the things associated with that. I had been going through intense ups and downs for the previous ten years (I was 44 at the time) and had a suspicion that I was bipolar but had never discussed it with a psychiatrist. My counselor had no real experience with bipolar and wasn't able to spot the signs. During a long summer I went through what I now know is an extreme "agitated depression" meaning that I had plenty of energy (too much) but was spinning out and ruminating to the point of suicidal ideation. I experienced something similar (though not as intense) the previous summer and was prescribed lexipro. It did not work for me and made everything much worse even one week in so I stopped taking it and went into a long hypomanic state about a month later where in I stopped seeking any treatment.
At the end of this depressive episode I was finally able to see a psychiatrist, was diagnosed bipolar 2 and put on 2mg Abilify and 200 miligrams of Lamotrigine (started at 50mg). Within DAYS I was back to feeling like myself, was able to function and even able to go back to work. It felt like some constituent element of my brain was finally evening out. I attribute this to the Abilify because it's far more fast acting than lamotrigine and can be used as a an anti depressant for psychiatric emergency.
Since then I have stayed at 2mg and have had no discernible side effects. None. I tried to go off of it twice with the help of my psychiatrist and within a couple of weeks went back into the same patterns of thinking I had before and went back on it. I have not had a major depression in three years. This is unbelievable to me because previous to this I had not gone a year without being depressed since my 20's and had accepted intense cyclical depression as a fact of life.
Again I'm not urging anyone to take (or not take) this drug just know that it could work with your particular chemistry and could save your life. It could also be a horror show. Psychiatry is an imprecise science at best. Take what works and leave the rest.
Has anyone else had a really hard time finding the right medication?
I was prescribed Seroquel, and it messed with me pretty badly. I gained weight, looked pale, had no energy, felt awful overall, and it didn’t even seem to help. If anything, it made my symptoms worse and seemed to amplify the voices. I was on 300 mg and don’t plan on taking it again.
Then I tried Abilify at 10 mg, and it caused the worst akathisia I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never felt anything like it. I don’t plan on taking that again either.
I can’t really live comfortably with the symptoms, but I’ve also had a rough experience with the medications I’ve tried so far.
Has anyone else gone through this and eventually found a medication that worked without causing akathisia, significant weight gain, or the same kind of fatigue and awful side effects I experienced on Seroquel? I’m starting to feel overwhelmed by all the mixed information and different experiences people report. Any success stories would be appreciated.
I’ve been on Abilify for a week now, and I started having these thoughts. My dose is less than 0,5 ml/day.
I had s**cidal thoughts before Abilify, but now they became more graphic. As for the h***codal ones, never had this issue before starting this meditation.
They mostly appear in my head when my thinking is already negative or at the sight of random kitchen objects. I told my psychiatrist about it, and she said that I’m unwell, and we need to wait until the medication shows its full effect (I’m also taking Fluoxetine). She seems to be a knowledgeable doctor, so I want to trust her, but I’m also concerned about these thoughts as the leaflet that comes with Abilify says to stop taking this meditation if thoughts like this appear in one’s head.
At the same time, I’m hesitant to stop this medication, because it’s been only a week, and maybe it helps me in the end. I also feel like I can control these thoughts (i.e., by positive self-talk out loud, distraction, etc.)
Have you experienced something similar? Does it go away? Do you remain in control of your thoughts and impulses as you continue w/ this medication?
Huge thank you in advance.
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.
Hi everyone, I’ve been taking aripiprazole for about two weeks now, 2ml a day at 1 PM. Initially, I experienced very light sleep, which made me startle really easily, resulting in a sort of accompanying tachycardia (racing heart) due to the fright.
This has subsided a bit, but over the last 2 or 3 days, it's been happening that while I'm drifting between sleep and wakefulness, I get sudden tachycardia, which makes me jump up out of fear. It could also be the other way around, though—meaning I get startled first, and then the racing heart follows because of it.
The fact is, I’ve already written to my psychiatrist, and tomorrow morning I have a cardiology appointment to rule everything out.
I’m just asking you to share your experiences with this medication, whether this could be caused by it, and anything else that might help me.
(I should premise that I really wouldn't want to stop taking it, because otherwise it is helping me a whole lot.)
It makes me exhausted. I want off. But I dont know how to tell my doctor, she's so nice and I feel like she really likes this medicine, is a treatment she gives to a lot of people
So I don't think I ever should have been put on Abilify, yet I was by my family Dr. when I was having a bit of a frantic time and trouble with my SSRI.
I went on 2 mg first which I supposed slightly helped. Then tried 5 mg which made me EXTREMELY agitated. Kept there to see if it would subside but I couldn't take the agitation so I went back down to 2 mg.
About a year ago I cut that in half and went to 1 mg and it was not a pleasant experience, however I can't remember it that well.
But anyway recently I made some huge progress with my counselor about some really deep fears that have been lingering in my subconscious for a long time. Understanding them really helped with my anxiety and I was feeling very grounded in myself for the first time in a long long time.
So I thought what a good time to stop the Abilify. Talked to a psychiatrist who said it's such a low dose (1 mg) that I should just stop it. So that's what I did... no taper.
First 5 days were ok and I thought it'd go smooth from there. But about day 6 I remember some horrific nightmares. From there for about the next two weeks I went through some extreme irritability / agitation.
That seemed to pass and next came heightened anxiety and rumination about various thing that had not bothered me for a while. Also restless energy in my body, headaches, and pretty bad fatigue.
I had one REALLY bad day after which I was started to lose hope, i.e. am I gonna have to go back on this stuff, how much longer is this gonna last, is it gonna be forever, etc. etc. But deeper down I had a faith that I would come through this and there was no way in hell I was going back on it. I'll say it was also helpful to have my very supportive girlfriend there for me also encouraging me to keep going.
It was the very next night that finally things started to settle down. Anxiety lowered, ruminations were way down, the feeling of darkness was lifting.
It's been another couple days and things are improving. So I figure another week or two and the withdrawal will be pretty much totally done.
As of today it's been about 3 weeks since I stopped 1 mg cold turkey. Tonight I am feeling quite content and relaxed, although I'll admit the daytime was slightly rocky, but still ok.
I do believe my progress with my counselor played a role in me making it through this. Last time when I went from 2 mg to 1 mg it took I believe about 6 weeks for me to feel ok again.
Anyway I just thought I'd share this here because I know people are curious and there are people who are in the process of getting off of it or want to get off it.
I am looking forward to getting off Zoloft next and being totally med free.
Edit: oh yes and I meant to say that one other peculiar symptom has been itching all over my body... I think I only read about the itching in one other thread here
after way too long of living with hallucinations, things are finally quiet. i’m doing things i loved more than ever before. but none of it feels enjoyable. i can’t sit comfortably anymore, and i need 3+ activities at once to not feel incredibly, painfully bored. it feels like every day is just a cycle through the same activities i swore i used to love, and my head is *so* quiet now, i don’t even know if i like it. i’m so much calmer, but i can’t remember what a ceiling fan is called half the time.
am i losing it? side effects? this was my only recent med change, and these aren’t typical symptoms for me :/ please help!
Does anyone take these two together? If so, how do you like it?
I used to take 150mg Zoloft with abilify (I can’t remember the dosage) over 10 years ago for ocd, it was a lifesaver, it really helped my ocd relax. After a while I got off of abilify and stayed on Zoloft, but within the past two years I’ve switched to 150mg Effexor, guanfacine (for irritability) & trazodone for sleep meds.
These changes were made due to Zoloft making me feel emotionally numb & also due to receiving an autism diagnosis. The Effexor has been better than Zoloft minus the cold sweats & nightmares, but I’ve noticed my ocd has gotten worse. I’m considering asking my psych if I could be put back on abilify or a similar antipsychotic to help with this.
Thanks a bunch and I hope you’re doing well ❤️. Take care
If I miss injections I get the twitches. Last time this happened I spent five days suffering.
what kind of relief is available?
share your experience with me, i’m going to start getting it as an injection soon