Aripiprazole
 

Hi,

I've just been prescribed my second Anti-Psychotic - Aripiprazole (Also known as Abilify) for my BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) - to try and calm my mood swings down/anxiety/low spells.

Has anyone been on this? Just looking for some feedback as i'm rather wary of AP's after being on Risperidone and lactating like i'd just given birth.

(And before anyone says "It's different for everyone" i do know this - just looking for some experiences).

Cheers x

Heya,

I'm on it for the same reasons (+ psychotic features etc), BPD and all that, you know my situation.

Anyway, it has been brilliant for me. It's the third/fourth antipsychotic they put me on, and I've been on it for about a year.

When they put on a higher dose I couldn't tolerate it and started twitching (that was at 25mg), but at 20mg it really helps. It controls the voices, it takes the edge off the crazy mood swings and anxiety. It's still hard, but it's nothing like the state I was in (hospitals etc) before I was on it.

Hope it help you hun, you know where I am x

im on it and it has helped me alot, controlling my moods.
its my second anti psych as well and its much better then my other (quetiapine). i cant sing its praises enough really.

but to begin with it did make me really anxious and restless but that was a side effect that wore off.

Right, thankyou for your replies - another question..

Spoons - you mentioned anxiety. When my father brought the prescription home (he picked it up from Tesco after work at the pharmacy) i had 14 Diazepam in with it. NO ONE mentioned anything about Diazepam - not my psychiatrist, GP or my CPN. I am already on Temazepam on a daily basis.

So do you think because this AP is prone to highering anxiety problems for the first few weeks, that my psych has given me the Diazepam to take with it!?

I know i should ask and i will when i phone my GP Friday but your feedback would be muchly appreciated.

And i'm glad to hear it's worked for you both - gives me a bit more hope.
xx

I'm glad to see this hun, it's good that you are considering the options. Maybe I will get to meet you someday after all :satisfied:

Edit - just thought, you could always email your psych this email re the diazepam and therefore he has more chance seeing it tomorrow and replying if he has email access

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but I thought I'd chime in...

With every anti'p I've been on (and Risperadone was the worst for me side effect wise, though not as horrible as it was for you) I've for the first few weeks had anxiety/agitation mroe than I usually have it. So diazepam is helpful.

However, could the doctor be a bit.... away with teh fairies... and not realised you're on Temazepam too? I dunno, I was on both at the same time and I know the doctor(s) who tookover from that Dr were rather upset that I was on both (really helped but you know... addictive and all that).

Having said that, I know you know yourself what your body needs, and you know all the jazz about benzos, so I shall be quiet now, but am around :)

Laura, just been looking on the net in my inebriated state. Are you still on any ads?

it maybe, i got prescribed extra stuff when i mentioned to my psych about anxiety.
while i was experiencing the anxiety i really wanted to stop the meds, but i was told that most people go through that period with this medication...

Hi I'm on Abilify and it's a wonder. I love it. It really helps my paranoia. It does make you a bit shakey at times.

Ah thankyou all so much for your feedback - it's made me feel a lot more at ease about it knowing so many have had a positive reaction to it. I've researched it a bit more and it seems it works very well with people who have BPD. Guess that's a plus?

I would email psych if i could READ HIS WRITING. He's Italian and he seems to have carried over the scribbly writing! >.<

No Carrie i'm not on any AD's anymore.

Fiddlesticks - I am wary of telling people i'm on both because i'm glad i am lol. Might get me to settle down a bit. I have an anxiety disorder so i think the Diazepam was to help with that/with the meds, and yes he knew i was on Temazepam as we discussed it before he left.
Don't worry i'm careful about the addiction side of things. I take regular breaks. :)

xx

Ah I had the same problem with Risperidone, it's not pleasant. I was on Aripiprazole for about a month (maybe a bit longer) and all it did was make me depressed.

Ive been on it, but the took me off it as i still had " alot of symptoms", but its been the only AP i aint had offit side effects on, hope it works for u xx

I was on fluoxetine which did nothing, and quetliapine (sp) which also did nothing except really sedate me. I've now been taken straight off both and put on aripiprazole and have only taken it since yesterday. So far I feel really spacey and out of touch with reality, but it's hard to know whether that's from coming off the old meds or going on the new one!

I'm on aripriprazol. It made me manic at first. But now i've been on it awhile and it seems to work pretty well as a mood stabilizer.
I do have shakes and extreem tierdness but thats it side affect wise.
and the tierdness could be to do with my AD.

Good luck with it, hope it works out.

Sooo aripipraole seems to be making me a bit manic. I'm restless and can't concentrate on anything. Feel irritated and knotted up, like I've got a compulsion to do but I don't know what it is. Very frustrating.

Ah thanks, hopefully it'll fade soon then

Heh just wondering if anyone has been on 30 mg? Sorryto hijack xx

I'm only on 5mg at the moment but was told this might be increased.

Does anyone know the highest dosage to go on for a mood stabaliser?

Also - i've been feeling faint/dizzy/lightheaded since Friday - my GP came to my house on his way home to check my blood pressure/pulse etc, pulse was high but everything else was fine. He said it "can't" be a side effect of the Aripiprazole but i'm wondering if it is as i'm still feeling the same.

Any advice would be great.
x

Hi some anti psychs can make your blood pressure lower so you feel dizzy. The highest dose is 30mg which is what I'm going on as from today. Sorry cantbe of more use xx

I think, or I was told 30mg is the maximum.
They wanted to put me up to that, but I couldn't tolerate the side effects at 25mg, so there went that idea. But basically you're not alone Girl Afraid, and also I think it depends on height, weight, other medicatiosn you're on, tolerance etc.