Abilify

[Woolybluecurl]

Hi Everyone.....I have severe anxiety and depression (at least that the diagnosis we're going with now) and I'm taking 450 mg. of Wellbutrin. I shake almost all the time, more so when I'm stressed. My psychiatrist had me add 5 mg. of Abilify a few weeks ago. He just increased the Abilify to 10 mg. and I feel even more shaky and I'm not sleeping as well as I was before. Has anyone else had their symptoms increase with Abilify?

[cashew78]

I've never been on abilify, but something in your post got my attention. Is your psych trying to resolve your issues by simply pushing more medications on you? I don't know your situation fully, but this came up in a discussion previously somewhere else. Just to say you CAN always directly tell your psychiatrist or doctor that a particular course of treatment is not working for you, and ask them for alternatives. They might not like the prospect of extra work, but too bad--THEY work for YOU. It may be premature to go this route with your meds at the moment, but please remember that you can set the pace of your own treatment.

I'm biased because I've been in a situation where a doctor was insisting on a medication that was causing me pain and wouldn't entertain the notion that maybe I should be on something else, or even just stopping with this one med at all. So I got another doctor; they put me on a completely different medication. Suddenly I was 80% better and not forced to take additional medications (a powerful and addictive sedative in this case) to deal with the pain of the first.

[Woolybluecurl in reply to cashew78]

Thanks cashew78....this guy is definitely trying to resolve things with drugs, and this is the 5th anti-depressant I've been on since last April. I'm so worn out by it all. I'm also seeing a therapist and I'm looking into DPT skills training (changing your thoughts and behaviors), so I'm not completely reliant on the psychiatrist, but he certainly plays a big part in my treatment. My other doctor, who is an MD as well as an osteopath, has differing opinions than the psych, so I find myself in the middle of them, trying to figure out what's what. And this is while I'm struggling just to get through the day. I feel like I need an advocate who can oversee things, which is kind of what the osteopath does. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts on this....I've never had a psychiatrist before, so I don't know if he's good or not. I did go through 6 treatments of ketamine at his suggestion, which didn't do much for me. So frustrating.....

[faucet]

I have tried Abilify but it made me very dizzy so I had to stop taking them.

[Cookie2217]

Hi I'm on Abilify 10 mg. and it was first added to Pristiq 100 mg. two years ago. I had no side-effects at all. I'm now on Prozac 20 mg. for the past three weeks with Abilify 10 mg. with no side effects either. I have heard that Wellbutrin gives you the shakes. Why not ask your doctor to take you off the Wellbutrin? What are you diagnosed with? If it's depression ask for Prozac and see how you do. Just my thoughts for you. Wishing you peace and well-being.

[Woolybluecurl in reply to Cookie2217]

Thanks so much for your thoughts....I'm diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. It's hard to tell what's doing what. Wellbutrin is the fifth anti-depressant I've tried, with little or no improvement. Texted my psych yesterday about the increase in shakiness and restlessness....he said to decrease the Abilify to 5 mg. and see if it helps. I've been shaking for over a year, but it seems to be getting worse. I'm better if I'm distracted and busy....I'll talk to him about the Wellbutrin and see what he thinks....I haven't tried Prozac. Thanks again for your input....I feel so lost and alone in all this.

[Cookie2217 in reply to Woolybluecurl]

I'd ask him to try Prozac it's the oldest drug for depression out there. See what he says. It can't hurt right? Please know your not alone.

[Woolybluecurl in reply to Cookie2217]

Thanks Cookie🙂

[Cookie2217]

Your welcome

[Isinatra]

It’s a grey day when struggling to find something that helps. Everybody has different reactions to different meds. I’ve tried for 50 years plus every type of therapy and I resented the psychiatrists that would say…it’s up to you if you want to try it. I felt the doctors weren’t savvy on the meds enough. Guinea pig comes to mind. I feel the psychiatrist should be the advocate for they are supposedly the one in the know with the most training with mental health issues but there’s a shortage of good pschiatrists. I’m treatment resistant, gave up trying all the antidepressants. I was denied ECT, but I’m good enough now. It’s trial and error, so don’t give up the ship until the miracle happens . 🍀

[Woolybluecurl]

Thanks Isinatra....I, too, think I'm treatment resistant, and always feel like I'm "not trying hard enough," or thinking the wrong thoughts, etc. I'm tempted to go off everything and see how I do....