Can anyone give me any information about the depression pill (Abilify)?!
Question: Well, the first piece of information about Abilify, is that it doesn't address depression. What it does do is to address other symptoms that may accompany depression. Ability treats and minimizes symptoms of hallucinations (seeing, feeling, hearing something that is not there) or false impressions or beliefs (that people are "out to get you").
For more and factual information type in the word ABILIFY.
Answers: Well, the first piece of information about Abilify, is that it doesn't address depression. What it does do is to address other symptoms that may accompany depression. Ability treats and minimizes symptoms of hallucinations (seeing, feeling, hearing something that is not there) or false impressions or beliefs (that people are "out to get you").
For more and factual information type in the word ABILIFY.
Abilify is NOT to be used as a primary treatment for depression unless your depression includes psychotic features (e.g., hallucinations). It is an anti-psychotic which is also, at times, used to control the manic symptoms of bipolar disorder.
Abilify can be prescribed for depression without psychotic features. Because the mechanisms of psychotropic medications are not fully understood, they can be prescribed for, and be effective for, other conditions as your doctor sees fit. Visit the Abilify website, and talk to your doctor if you have any questions. It is really important to be up front with your mental health care provider.
I've linked you to four reliable websites that have a generous amount of information on the drug. The first one is actually Abilifiy's website and should be a lot of help. :)
I'm on it for psychosis problems.I was taking and I still went crazy.I'm not a fan but my Doc says is is a mood stabilizer so he wants me to keep taking it?
Abilify is an antipsychotic developed for schizophrenia, but commonly used to treat bipolar disorder and increasingly for difficult to treat depression. You do not need to be psychotic for it to be an appropriate prescription for depression, however, a number of antidepressants should be tried first if there is no psychosis, IMO. I have bipolar and took it for a bit for a depressed phase.
EDIT: wow, I read up on this stuff as well as know ppl who take this med. It has a low side effect profile for an antipsychotic (it has side effects for some, but not a high rate), I know no one who has gained wait on it, know for a fact that it's QT interval risk is lower than some commonly prescribed non-psych meds, etc. You've got some alarmists posting. All that said, I agree that it isn't a good first line treatment (primary med) for bipolar or depression.
Michelle is right. It is an antipsychotic. It has too many side effects to be used as a first line treatment for bipolar disorder or depression. It is also expensive ($400 a month, I believe). If you have some strange health problem or have tried many many other treatments, then abilify might make sense. But it can cause tardive dyskenesia, involuntary and freaky movements of your mouth and maybe tongue, and probably has that usual antipsychotic risk of elongated QT interval, which can cause heart attack. I noticed in the ads, it says no weight gain, but THAT clinical trial was only 3 weeks long!
For some people, abilify has been a godsend. But it is NOT an antidepressant or mood stabilizer, despite what people say.
Hi--The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.
The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.
Doseage for depression:
For oral dosage form (tablets):
Adults