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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by med_empowered on May 8, 2008, at 16:25:09
It seems like Abilify usage has just started to really pick up, which is weird since its been on the market for a little while.
Anyway, I was wondering: does anyone out there have a couple years experience taking Abilify consistently? How is it over the long-haul? Any tardive dyskinesia or other problems? I like it right now (usually..most of the time...), but I want to see how people have fared over the long haul.
Thanks in advance.
Posted by emme on May 8, 2008, at 16:40:56
In reply to any long-term Abillify users out there?, posted by med_empowered on May 8, 2008, at 16:25:09
Hi. I've lost track, but I may be coming into 2 years now. At least 1.5 years. It's still working and I have no neurological side effects. I have no agitation, no insomnia, no TD, no nuthin'. It may be making me a bit tired, but it's hard to be certain.
emme
Posted by michael on May 8, 2008, at 17:25:11
In reply to Re: any long-term Abillify users out there? » med_empowered, posted by emme on May 8, 2008, at 16:40:56
Can I ask how much abilify each of you takes?
And are you taking other meds along with it, and also what are you taking the abilify for?
Thanks
Michael
Posted by emme on May 8, 2008, at 21:46:46
In reply to Re: any long-term Abillify users out there?, posted by michael on May 8, 2008, at 17:25:11
> Can I ask how much abilify each of you takes?
>
> And are you taking other meds along with it, and also what are you taking the abilify for?
>
> Thanks
>
> Michael2.5 mg Abilify along with Lamictal and focalin and xanax. It's for depression.
emme
Posted by Phillipa on May 8, 2008, at 23:33:38
In reply to Re: any long-term Abillify users out there? » michael, posted by emme on May 8, 2008, at 21:46:46
Not for anxiety? Love Phillipa
Posted by James_Glasgow_UK on May 9, 2008, at 1:04:30
In reply to Re: any long-term Abillify users out there? » michael, posted by emme on May 8, 2008, at 21:46:46
Hi there
I was wondering is there anyone here on Wellbutrin and Abilify. I am really sorry if I am hijacking your post but it was easy to hit the post reply button, i cannot recall how to start a new post (it will become apparent why).
I have just started Wellbutrin XR it has finally become available in European Union countries for Major Depressive Disorder although unfortunately not here in the UK so I am having to get it from Italy (with my GP's tacit permission, but I am not sure if I make an appointment on the NHS he will be able to treat me for this I would need to go private or stop taking them).
I started it at using Zyban 150mg SR for 3 days then went up to the 300mg XR and the side-effects after 5 days on the 300mg dose are becoming intolerable, today is day 6 and I am very worried what is to come I am armed to with clonazepam to sedate myself to sleep.
Last night before bed I took 2mg of clonazepam (in addition to my usual daily dose to diazepam 5mg, down from 15, and 10mg nitrazepam), but I am further concerned about this (but it may have worked abit as I would not have been able to write this yesterday afternoon), i think because of the severe anxiety I am getting from the Wellbutrin of taking anything with anti-convulsant activity, then stopping it and the risk of seizure, as I am hoping this will pass soon and I dont then want to be in a haze due to the clonazepam on top of everything else.
The other Wellbutrin side-effects are problems with concentrations, memory loss I will forget what I did 5 minutes ago and go to do it again plus not being able to recall words when speaking for a minute or so and the same with my ATM PIN number, confusion (rather than opening the bottle of tablets and putting one on my hand, I opened the bottle of water I was going to wash down the tablet with and poured it over my hand, trousers and the floor!) such as wandering about not know exactly where I am or what I am doing for a 5 to 10 minutes at a time, which is all topped off with a nasty headache. They wore off for about 2 hours in the afternoon then started again.
So, I was wondering if I tried 2mg of Abilify to begin with do you think this may help calming me down to see if this is a phase and I can get passed it. I am desparate, I have had every anti-depressant (plus anti-psychotic, plus mood stabiliser, plus anxiolytic) you can imagine with the exception of bupropion and Abilify (which is on the market here in the UK, I have 10mg tablets). I also have prochlorperzine but know that both is and Abilify is supposed to lower the seizure threshold.
I am praying this is something that will pass as I am sick of SSRI fatigue, weight gain that can be up to 40lb from my original starting weight, and sexual problems mainly disinterest, and was hoping bupropion would be the answer (you cannot get buproprion to use in combinatoon here in the UK to attempt to mitigate these side-effects, even our best Psychiatrist are likely to pull a face if you even mention it they dont know it is an antidepressant they are so ignorant on psychotrophic drugs the things you would expect them to know very well, never mind methylphenidate!) I dont want to go back to taking an SSRI nor do I want to go back to Parnate as I had a spontaneous hypertensive crisis that scared the life out of me when I ended up in hospital, they did not know what is was and did not believe me when I told them and then when I asked for something for the pain they tried to finish me off with an injection of tramadol which when I refused it they got very annoyed. I also cannot at this time be bothered with the diet.
I think the clonazepam must have helped a bit overnight as I have managed to concentrate to write this but I am worried just how bad I will feel by 2pm (it is currently 6.35am here in the UK).
But my question really is, do you think adding Abilify will make this worse with its potential start up anxiety or help calm me down, I dont have the option of getting 150mg SR tablets to lower the dose and raise it more slowly although I could cut the XR tablets in 4 pieces approximately 75mg each which I assume will make them immediate release (i look at details of the technology used in their sustained release formulation and they are a bilayer tablet, so cutting them would expose both layers to stomach acid and try building up the dose with those.
I dont know what to do, and all and any help will be very much appreciated.
Sorry i have gone on for so long to.
Thanks
James
Posted by emme on May 9, 2008, at 6:08:40
In reply to Re: any long-term Abillify users out there? » emme, posted by Phillipa on May 8, 2008, at 23:33:38
> Not for anxiety? Love Phillipa
It is neutral for me for anxiety. YMMV of course.
Posted by llurpsienoodle on May 9, 2008, at 8:02:31
In reply to Re: Help with the idea of adding Abilify to Wellbu, posted by James_Glasgow_UK on May 9, 2008, at 1:04:30
Hi med_emp, James_G, others
I have changed cocktails several times over the past year. I have dubbed myself the Princess of PolyPsychoPharmacy or PoPPP for short.
I have been on Abilify since? July 2007 or thereabouts. I cross tapered with geodon and noticed no startup side effects besides some insomnia. I use Sonata and at the time 1mg of clonazepam for this.
Whereas I was having extrapyramidal motor symptoms on seroquel (300 mg) I did not have any on geodon (240mg) or abilify (5 or 10mg).
I noticed when I increased abilify from 5 mg to 10 mg I got an instant sense of calm and well-being.
_________
regarding adding wellbutrin to the cocktail:
1) very activating. I was hypomanic for about 3 weeks
2) increased suicidal thoughts. These were intolerable for about 10 days. I went to the hospital after an overdose of sedating meds to make the thoughts go away.
3) effective AD. I stuck with wellbutrin and I feel much more alive
4) augmenting zoloft (ssri) with wellbutrin ameliorated sexual side effects. I still have a little bit of these, but it's not as bad.
5) I take 10mg abilify (my dose since october? 2007) and 300mg of lamictal (mood stabilizer and AD); 100 mg of zoloft, 150mg wellbutrinSR.take good care of yourselves
hope this helps--lemme know if there are more ?'s
-Ll
Posted by James_Glasgow_UK on May 9, 2008, at 8:17:19
In reply to Re: Help with the idea of adding Abilify to Wellbu, posted by llurpsienoodle on May 9, 2008, at 8:02:31
Posted by michael on May 12, 2008, at 15:56:52
In reply to Re: Help with the idea of adding Abilify to Wellbu, posted by James_Glasgow_UK on May 9, 2008, at 1:04:30
Regarding adding abilify to wellbutrin...
They are metabolized by the same pathway, or the same enzymes... or something like that.
The point being, that whatever amount of abilify you take in conjunction with wellbutrin, will likely affect you as if it were a larger dose than you actually took.
You can take them together (I have) but just be aware of this, and be cautious/conservative with the dose of abilify. My pdoc had my start with 2.5 mg of abilify, which I added to 450 mg wellbutrin xl. I found that to be very activating/stimulating... couldn't sleep much. Hope that makes sense, and is of some help.
Michael
Posted by James_Glasgow_UK on May 13, 2008, at 6:17:14
In reply to Re: Help with the idea of adding Abilify to Wellbu » James_Glasgow_UK, posted by michael on May 12, 2008, at 15:56:52
Thanks michael, I did not go for the Abilify in the end I stuck with clonazepam, naproxen, and what is called in the US Tylenol #3 to get over the start up side effects. I have now reduced the dose of all of them and I am feeling a lot better although my memory is still not right this could be the clonazpem itself.
I will have to start the Abilify at some point, it is for mood stabilization so will take your advice and start at a low dose I have 10mg tablets so will cut them into pieces.
I am also on a whole host of other medicines including lansoprazole, cetirizine, minocycline, Plaquenil and use a Symbicort 400/12 Turbohaler so I am concerned about adding anything to what I am already on.
Regards
James
This is the end of the thread.
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