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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sheilac on August 21, 2011, at 8:25:23
Geodon is too short acting of a med for me and I am experiencing some bad rages from the quick wear off of this med.
Doc gave me 2mg samples of Abilify to try. If I am taking 100mg of Geodon, is 2mg of Abilify a good starting point?
I know it stays in the body up to 3 days, so hopefully I wouldn't experience the wear off that I do with Geodon.
Also - is there weight gain with Abilify?
Is it better to take it at night or during the day? Didn't know how quick it would kick in.
Thanks for input!
Posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2011, at 10:53:54
In reply to 2mg Abilify starter?, posted by sheilac on August 21, 2011, at 8:25:23
The action of the med reminds me of prozac long half life. I think from what I've read 2mg is a low starting dose. Trial and error I am guessing. Phillipa
Posted by Christ_empowered on August 21, 2011, at 19:18:18
In reply to Re: 2mg Abilify starter? » sheilac, posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2011, at 10:53:54
There can be weight gain with Abilify, but its not as big a deal as with zyprexa, seroquel, and risperdal. 2mgs is a very low dose and will probably be somewhat stimulating. I imagine you'd want to try it in the AM. If you're one of those people who get mild sedation from it, move it to afternoon or bedtime.
The only thing that's bad about the long half life is that Abilify can cause akathisia. You're already on Klonopin, though, so that shouldn't be an issue (benzos can effective treat akathisia). I personally think you should aim for 5-10mgs/day, just based on my experience with Abilify.
Good luck.
Posted by Emme_v2 on August 22, 2011, at 6:42:43
In reply to Re: 2mg Abilify starter?, posted by Christ_empowered on August 21, 2011, at 19:18:18
> There can be weight gain with Abilify, but its not as big a deal as with zyprexa, seroquel, and risperdal. 2mgs is a very low dose and will probably be somewhat stimulating. I imagine you'd want to try it in the AM. If you're one of those people who get mild sedation from it, move it to afternoon or bedtime.
>
> The only thing that's bad about the long half life is that Abilify can cause akathisia. You're already on Klonopin, though, so that shouldn't be an issue (benzos can effective treat akathisia). I personally think you should aim for 5-10mgs/day, just based on my experience with Abilify.
>
> Good luck.On the other hand, some people do well with only a couple of mg of Abilify. I take 2.5 mg, and it works out fine. I'm a bit zoned out on a higher dose. Because it's not stimulating for me, I take it at night. YMMV of course. It took about 4-5 days for the positive effects to kick in for me. Good luck!
emme
Posted by sheilac on August 22, 2011, at 19:20:57
In reply to Re: 2mg Abilify starter?, posted by Christ_empowered on August 21, 2011, at 19:18:18
I did experience weight gain and hunger with Abilify in the past. Seroquel was great for sleep, but if I got over 100mg I was hungry too! Weight gain with Risperdal.
Zyprexa in tiny dose was great (2.5 - 5mg) but that was used as an emergency med. Not long term due to what the doc thought would be serious weight gain.
I'm thinking of splitting my dose of Geodon more evenly. Last night I took 40mg and this morning I took 40mg. I'm not sure that is high enough. I may need to try 60 and 60.I see doc next week. I may need to see about adding a small dose of some sort of mood stabilizer that wouldn't cause too much weight gain.
I have tried Depakote sprinkle (capsules) in the past at just 125mg. If I went up to 500mg I was a zombie.
Lithium makes me gain weight and lose my hair.
Posted by floatingbridge on August 27, 2011, at 9:33:00
In reply to CE - Re: 2mg Abilify starter?, posted by sheilac on August 22, 2011, at 19:20:57
Sheila, How much abilify were you on previuosly?
My experience at 2mg was that it was stimulating (not wired) so took in the a.m. I did not notice weight gain until 5mg. But even then I took it in the a.m. It was modest weight gain. I did crave carbos, but exercised, so feel it was something about the med at that point.
What dosage would your doc want you at?
This is the end of the thread.
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