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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sheilac on May 18, 2012, at 16:11:48
My doc wants to add low dose Abilify to address my depression (since I failed antidepressants).
I take:
150mg Trileptal AM & PM
150mg Lithium AM & PM
Klonopin as neededWould the Abilify make me sleepy and goofy if I take it in the morning? Would it keep me up at night if I take it at night?
Do you really think it will help with depression?
Posted by Sheilac on May 18, 2012, at 17:55:42
In reply to Abilify AM or PM?, posted by sheilac on May 18, 2012, at 16:11:48
Abilify morning or night?
Posted by Tomatheus on May 18, 2012, at 19:08:00
In reply to Abilify AM or PM?, posted by sheilac on May 18, 2012, at 16:11:48
SheilaC,
In my experience, the time at which I've taken my Abilify has not mattered nearly as much as the dose of the Abilify that I've been taking. At 5 mg, Abilify seems to help with some of my depressive symptoms to a certain degree, even though the benefits that I notice now are not as pronounced as they were when I started the medication. For me, higher doses (7 mg, 10 mg) have basically had the opposite effect: my depressive symptoms became more severe than they were before I started with the medication.
I currently take my Abilify around 2 p.m., which is basically morning for me given my hypersomnia and circadian-rhythm abnormalities, and I don't feel any different than I felt when I was taking my Abilify in the evening. Abilify never seemed to keep me up late at night when I was taking the medication in the evening, but I would suspect that difficulty initiating sleep may be more of a problem for others taking Abilify than it has been for me. Basically, although I certainly feel different on Abilify relative to the way that I felt before I started taking the medication, I don't feel any different right after taking my medication than I do right before I take it. In other words, the effects of the medication don't seem to wear off as I approach the 24-hour mark since my previous dose. At least, that's been my experience with the medication.
So, would Abilify affect you differently if you take it in the morning than it would if you take it in the evening? Possibly. The timing of my dose doesn't seem to matter much for me, but for others, the situation might be different. I'd be interested in hearing from others who take Abilify to see if the timing of their dose seems to make a difference.
Tomatheus
Posted by Raisinb on May 18, 2012, at 22:19:01
In reply to Abilify AM or PM?, posted by sheilac on May 18, 2012, at 16:11:48
Abilify was strange for me in that regard. Initially taking it in the morning made me by sleepy. As I took it for a couple of weeks and it built up in my system, it made my sleep very short and unsatisfying (I also take Xanax to induce sleep, which worked very well without Abilify).
Posted by Sheilac on May 19, 2012, at 6:12:42
In reply to Re: Abilify AM or PM? » sheilac, posted by Raisinb on May 18, 2012, at 22:19:01
Do you still take it? Did it help with your depression?
When do you take it now?
I took it last night and I feel a little groggy today. Glad I didn't take it in the morning.
Posted by Raisinb on May 20, 2012, at 23:45:13
In reply to Raisinb - Re: Abilify AM or PM?, posted by Sheilac on May 19, 2012, at 6:12:42
I don't take it. After a two week trial, my pdoc felt it would have worked if it were going to. I had high hopes for Abilify, but it just didn't seem to have any effect. I was on 3 mg.
Posted by SLS on May 24, 2012, at 6:29:23
In reply to Re: Raisinb - Re: Abilify AM or PM? » Sheilac, posted by Raisinb on May 20, 2012, at 23:45:13
> I don't take it. After a two week trial, my pdoc felt it would have worked if it were going to. I had high hopes for Abilify, but it just didn't seem to have any effect. I was on 3 mg.
Do you think you could have tolerated dosages above 5 mg? Abilify works for me to moderate my depression, but only if I take a minimum of 10 mg. For the most part, you can conclude that Abilify is ineffective for depression if nothing happens within two weeks, provided you take enough of it. That is really the issue here. What were the reasons why you and your doctor stopped at 3 mg?
My depression is a variety of bipolar disorder. It may be that bipolar depression requires higher dosages of Abilify to see results than unipolar depression.
What other drugs are you taking?
Is there any family history of mental illness?
- Scott
Posted by Raisinb on May 24, 2012, at 16:22:11
In reply to Re: Raisinb - Re: Abilify AM or PM? » Raisinb, posted by SLS on May 24, 2012, at 6:29:23
Hey Scott,
Oh, there is an *extensive* family history of depression and substance abuse (which might be mental illness in disguise).The pdoc seemed to think it was fine to stop at 3 mg; I didn't question him on raising the dosage, he seemed pretty sure.
I'm on Symbyax now, which actually seems to be working a bit. It's been about three weeks.
Posted by SLS on May 24, 2012, at 19:26:39
In reply to Re: Raisinb - Re: Abilify AM or PM? » SLS, posted by Raisinb on May 24, 2012, at 16:22:11
> Hey Scott,
> Oh, there is an *extensive* family history of depression and substance abuse (which might be mental illness in disguise).
>
> The pdoc seemed to think it was fine to stop at 3 mg; I didn't question him on raising the dosage, he seemed pretty sure.
>
> I'm on Symbyax now, which actually seems to be working a bit. It's been about three weeks.
I could be wrong, but...It might be that bipolar depression requires higher dosages of Abilify to produce improvements. People with unipolar depression appear not to need as much and actually have difficulties tolerating more than 5.0 mg.
Did you encounter any difficulties tolerating Abilify 3.0 mg?
One could argue that your family history indicates that there is some bipolarity in your affective disorder. It might not hurt to treat you as if you have bipolar disorder. Of course, Symbiax is indicated for bipolar depression. If you continue to experience depression, I would suggest that you not exclude from consideration revisiting Abilify at a target dosage of 10 mg. Also, there is a drug called cariprazine that is close to approval that is similar to Abilify that will hopefully be more potent and more tolerable.
Good luck with the Symbiax. Check your blood sugar from time to time.
- Scott
This is the end of the thread.
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