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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by JayBTV2 on January 24, 2009, at 9:17:37
Hello,
I just started taking Abilify 12 days ago while I was hospitalized. They had me on 10mg for about 5 days and then jumped me up to 15mg. I also take Lamictal 150mg (morning) and Seroquel 150mg (at night for sleep).
The Abilify has really helped my mood and motivation. However I am a tiny bit restless at times. It's not really akathesia (which I had bad before w/ Wellbutrin) - just restlessness.
Wondering if anyone has had success dropping their Abilify dose from 15mg to 10mg or 7.5mg to help alleviate this relatively common side effect? I haven't even been on it 2 weeks yet so I'm going to give it some time. Also is there any advantage to taking it in the morning or at night? I was taking it in the morning but took it at night the last couple times to see if that helps a bit since it does sedate me after a dose...
I see my doctor next Tuesday so I figured I'd ask in here first before he just lowers me. I definitely like most of the effects of this med so I'd like to stay at as high a dose as possible.
Thanks for any insight!
-Jason
Posted by SLS on January 24, 2009, at 9:34:30
In reply to Abilify - Restlessness decrease w/ lower Dose?, posted by JayBTV2 on January 24, 2009, at 9:17:37
> Hello,
Hi Jason
> I just started taking Abilify 12 days ago while I was hospitalized. They had me on 10mg for about 5 days and then jumped me up to 15mg.
> The Abilify has really helped my mood and motivation. However I am a tiny bit restless at times.
I encountered the same thing with Abilify. I started right at 20mg. The restlessness persisted for less than two weeks.
I sometimes wonder if starting at low dosages (2-5mg) doesn't make things worse. I am beginning to believe that it does.
- Scott
Posted by JayBTV2 on January 24, 2009, at 10:00:30
In reply to Re: Abilify - Restlessness decrease w/ lower Dose? » JayBTV2, posted by SLS on January 24, 2009, at 9:34:30
> I encountered the same thing with Abilify. I started right at 20mg. The restlessness persisted for less than two weeks.
>
> I sometimes wonder if starting at low dosages (2-5mg) doesn't make things worse. I am beginning to believe that it does.
>Scott,
Thanks a lot for the quick reply. I always appreciate your responses - you're quite knowledgeable.
I think I'll probably stick it out for a bit and see how it goes. The restlessness isn't bad - I just have a hard time sitting around the house like I usually do. Which might be helpful actually :)
After reading a lot of the Abilify threads I think it's probably a good thing they started me kinda high rather than low.
Can I ask when you take it? And have tried taking it both at night and in the morning? See in the hospital they had me taking it twice a day (10mg morning / 5mg night). Then was I wad discharged the doc told me I could take it once a day but didn't say night or morning. I'm going to stick w/ night for a bit since I've slept well....
I'll try to post/update on how I'm doing....
Thanks again for the quick reply Scott!
-Jason
Posted by SLS on January 24, 2009, at 10:42:50
In reply to Re: Abilify - Restlessness decrease w/ lower Dose?, posted by JayBTV2 on January 24, 2009, at 10:00:30
Hi again.
> I think I'll probably stick it out for a bit and see how it goes. The restlessness isn't bad - I just have a hard time sitting around the house like I usually do. Which might be helpful actually :)
I felt and thought exactly the same thing.
> Can I ask when you take it?
I take 20mg in the morning. You can take your entire daily dosage at once. It is kind of hard to explain why. Abilify has a very long half-life - 76 hours. Each dose is actually relatively small because the drug accumulates as the long half-life allows levels to rise. It takes about 2 weeks to achieve a steady state concentration.
If you are sleeping well, I can't think of any reason to change you dosing time.
Good luck! It sounds like you are responding well to Abilify. Now you need to leave it in place and try adding things to it.
My current regime:
Parnate
desipramine
Lamictal
Abilify
- Scott
Posted by theo on January 24, 2009, at 22:35:56
In reply to Re: Abilify - Restlessness decrease w/ lower Dose?, posted by JayBTV2 on January 24, 2009, at 10:00:30
Then was I wad discharged the doc told me I could take it once a day but didn't say night or morning. I'm going to stick w/ night for a bit since I've slept well....
>
> I'll try to post/update on how I'm doing....
>
> Thanks again for the quick reply Scott!
>
> -Jason
>Most docs will say to take it at night, but I've read here a lot of people taking it in the morning.
Posted by desolationrower on January 25, 2009, at 10:57:24
In reply to Abilify - Restlessness decrease w/ lower Dose?, posted by JayBTV2 on January 24, 2009, at 9:17:37
I think a higher dose also might help, its the lower dose that is energising.
actually i experienced very opposite effect (feeling dead and corpse-ish) from 5mg, and decided not to try more when i took it.
-d/r
Posted by JayBTV2 on February 2, 2009, at 10:50:32
In reply to Re: Abilify - Restlessness decrease w/ lower Dose?, posted by JayBTV2 on January 24, 2009, at 10:00:30
> I'll try to post/update on how I'm doing....
>
> Thanks again for the quick reply Scott!
>
> -JasonOk well I stuck it out for about two weeks. I'd been taking 15mg up until last night where I split one pill and took 7.5mg.
I think it's been helping me a lot it's just I find I'm either a tiny bit restless or very exhausted. So we've decided to try me at a smaller dose.
I know the half-life is up to 75hrs so it'll take a while for me to see if this works. I'll try to post an update on Friday by which point I should have much lower levels in my body.
Thanks for this great thread everyone!
-Jay
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