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Aripiprazole

Aripiprazole is a medicine that helps with mental health conditions such as:

  • schizophrenia, where you may see, hear or feel things that are not there, believe things that are not true, feel unusually suspicious, or have muddled thoughts
  • the mania symptoms of bipolar disorder, where your mood changes from feeling highly excited (mania) to feeling very low (depression)

It's an antipsychotic medicine that works by affecting chemicals in your brain such as dopamine and serotonin. It does not cure your condition, but it can help with the symptoms.

Aripiprazole is only available on prescription.

It comes as tablets, including tablets that melt in your mouth (orodispersible tablets), and a liquid that you swallow. It can also be given as an injection.

Who can take aripiprazole

Most adults can take aripiprazole.

Most children and young people aged 15 years old and over can take aripiprazole for schizophrenia. Those aged 13 years old and over can take it for mania in bipolar disorder.

Who may not be able to take aripiprazole

Aripiprazole is not suitable for some people. To make sure it's safe for you, tell your doctor before starting to take it if you have:

  • ever had an allergic reaction to aripiprazole or any other medicine
  • a heart problem such as an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
  • low blood pressure or high blood pressure
  • ever had problems controlling the movements of your tongue, mouth and face
  • ever had a rare condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (symptoms include a high temperature, muscle stiffness, sweating, anxiety and excess saliva)
  • epilepsy
  • diabetes or someone in your family has diabetes
  • had a blood clot – or someone in your family has had blood clots
  • had a stroke or are at high risk of having a stroke
  • Alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia
  • liver problems
  • ever had problems with gambling

Dosage and strength

Standard aripiprazole tablets come in strengths of 5mg, 10mg, 15mg and 30mg.

The tablets that melt in your mouth (orodispersible tablets) come in strengths of 10mg, 15mg and 30mg.

The liquid contains 1mg per 1ml.

Your dose of aripiprazole depends on why you're taking it. Your doctor may change your dose depending on how well it works for you.

If you have problems with your liver, your doctor may ask you to take a lower dose and increase your dose very slowly.

Dose for schizophrenia

The usual starting dose for adults is 10mg or 15mg a day, taken as a single dose.

Most people feel better on daily doses of 15mg. Your doctor may increase your dose up to 30mg a day if you need it.

Children and young people aged 15 years old and over will usually start with a low dose of 2mg a day for 2 days. Your child's doctor will increase this to 5mg a day for 2 days and then 10mg a day, taken as a single dose.

Most children and young people feel better with daily doses of 10mg. Your child's doctor may increase their dose slowly up to 30mg a day if they need it.

Some people with schizophrenia need to have aripiprazole as an injection. Usually, you'll have been taking aripiprazole tablets or liquid before switching to the injection.

Dose for mania

The usual starting dose for adults is 15mg a day, taken as a single dose. Your doctor may increase your dose up to 30mg a day if you need it.

Children and young people aged 13 to 17 years old usually start with a low dose of 2mg a day for 2 days. Your child's doctor will increase this to 5mg a day for 2 days and then 10mg a day, taken as a single dose.

Most children and young people feel better with daily doses of 10mg. Your child's doctor may increase their dose slowly up to 30mg a day if they need it. They'll also tell you how long your child needs to take it for. This is usually up to 12 weeks.

How to take tablets and liquids

You can take aripiprazole tablets or liquid with or without food.

Try to take your dose at around the same time each day.

Standard tablets

Swallow your tablet with a drink of water.

Tablets that melt in your mouth (orodispersible)

Make sure your hands are dry. Only remove a tablet from the pack when you're ready to take it and put it on your tongue straight away.

The tablet will start dissolving within seconds. You can have a drink of water afterwards if you like.

Instead of putting the tablet on your tongue, you can put it in a small glass of water if you prefer. Drink the water as soon as the tablet has dissolved and make sure you finish it all.

Liquid

Your medicine will come with a syringe, dropper (pipette) or measuring cup to help you measure out the right dose. If you do not have one, ask a pharmacist for one.

Follow the instructions in the leaflet that comes with your medicine.

Injection

If you have aripiprazole as an injection, you'll usually have it once a month at your GP surgery or from your mental health team.

After you've had an injection, the medicine works for a few weeks. The dose will depend on how well it works for you.

Aripiprazole also comes as a short-acting injection, but this is usually only given in hospital if you need your symptoms to be treated quickly.

How long to take it for

You may need to take aripiprazole for a long time.

It's important to keep taking your medicine for as long as your doctor tells you. If you want to stop taking aripiprazole, talk to your doctor first.

Keep taking aripiprazole even if you feel better. Do not stop taking it without talking to your doctor.

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember if it's within a few hours. If you miss a whole day's dose, skip the missed dose and take it the next day at the usual time.

Do not take 2 doses to make up for a forgotten dose.

If you miss 2 or more doses, contact your doctor for advice.

If you forget or cannot have your long-acting injection, talk to your doctor or nurse as soon as possible to rearrange the appointment.

If you often forget doses it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine.

If you take too much

Taking too much aripiprazole can cause serious side effects. You may:

  • feel sleepy or tired
  • have a fast heartbeat
  • feel sick, be sick or have diarrhoea
  • have muscle spasms
  • have unusual body movements
  • you've taken more than your prescribed dose of aripiprazole

Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111

If you need to go to A&E, do not drive yourself. Get someone else to drive you or call for an ambulance.

Take the aripiprazole packet or leaflet inside it, plus any remaining medicine, with you.

Stopping aripiprazole

Do not stop taking aripiprazole unless your doctor tells you to. If you stop taking it your symptoms may come back.

If your doctor asks you to stop taking aripiprazole, your dose may be reduced slowly over a few days.

Talk to your doctor if you have any problems when you reduce your dose or stop taking it.

Common side effects

These common side effects of aripiprazole may happen in up to 1 in 10 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Serious side effects

Call your doctor or contact 111 now if you:

  • feel thirsty, need to pee a lot, feel tired and are losing weight – these could be signs of high blood sugar or diabetes
  • find it difficult to control your impulse or temptation to do something that could harm you or others, such as gambling too much, increased sex drive, uncontrollable shopping, binge eating, or a tendency to wander away
  • get swelling, pain and redness in your leg – this could be a sign of a blood clot
  • get problems with your movement such as feeling like you need to move all the time, difficulty moving or stiff muscles that make your movements jerky
  • get uncontrollable movements of your mouth, tongue and limbs
  • get twisting movements of your body or limbs, such as your neck being twisted to the side or your feet turning inwards – this could be a sign of a condition called dystonia
  • have a fast heartbeat

Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111.

  • you have chest pain
  • you have difficulty breathing
  • you have had a seizure or fit
  • you have a painful erection that lasts more than 2 hours – this may happen even when you're not having sex
  • you have a high temperature, muscle stiffness, sweating, anxiety or excess saliva – these may be signs of a disorder called neuroleptic malignant syndrome
  • you have thoughts about harming yourself or ending your life or harming others

Find your nearest A&E

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to aripiprazole.

These are not all the side effects of aripiprazole. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

Aripiprazole and pregnancy

There's no good evidence that taking aripiprazole in early pregnancy will affect your baby.

Taking it in the weeks before birth may sometimes cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn baby. However, these symptoms do not last long. Your baby will be checked after they're born and given extra care if needed.

It's important that mental health conditions are well treated since these can affect both your and your baby's wellbeing. Good treatment is important because symptoms of a mental health condition sometimes get worse during pregnancy or after your baby is born.

Speak to your doctor if you become pregnant. They'll help you decide on the best treatment for you and your baby.

Aripiprazole and breastfeeding

If your doctor or health visitor says your baby is healthy, you can take aripiprazole while breastfeeding.

It's important to keep taking aripiprazole to keep you well. Breastfeeding will also benefit both you and your baby.

There's not much information about taking aripiprazole while breastfeeding, but the information shows that it passes into breast milk in small amounts. It has not been known to cause any side effects in breastfed babies. However, it may reduce the amount of milk you produce.

Your doctor will advise you whether other medicines might be more suitable.

If you notice that your baby is not feeding as well as usual, seems unusually sleepy, seems irritable, is having sudden or jerky movements, or if you have any other concerns about your baby, talk to your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible.

Aripiprazole and fertility

There's no evidence that taking aripiprazole will reduce fertility in either men or women.

Cautions with other medicines

There are many medicines that can affect the way aripiprazole works, or that increase the risk of side effects.

It's very important to check a medicine is safe to take with aripiprazole before you start taking it.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including:

  • medicines for problems with your heart rhythm, such as quinidine, amiodarone or flecainide
  • medicines to lower your blood pressure
  • medicines that make you feel sleepy, including benzodiazepines such as diazepam, opioid painkillers such as morphine, pethidine or tramadol, or drowsy antihistamines such as chlorphenamine – aripiprazole can increase the effects of these medicines and make you feel more sleepy
  • ketoconazole or itraconazole, medicines for fungal infections
  • medicines for depression such as fluoxetine, paroxetine or venlafaxine
  • some medicines to treat HIV infection such as efavirenz, nevirapine, indinavir or ritonavir
  • rifabutin or rifampicin, medicines for tuberculosis (TB)
  • carbamazepine, phenytoin or phenobarbital, medicines for epilepsy
  • triptans such as sumatriptan or zolmitriptan, for migraines

Mixing aripiprazole with herbal remedies and supplements

There might be a problem taking some herbal remedies and supplements with aripiprazole, especially ones that make you feel sleepy or dizzy. Ask a pharmacist for advice.

Do not take St John's wort, a herbal remedy for depression. It may stop aripiprazole working as well as it should.

There's not enough information to say that other complementary medicines, herbal remedies and supplements are safe to take with aripiprazole. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.

Related links

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82 public posts

Aripiprazole and depression

Hi is anyone on aripiprazole? I have bedn prescribed low dose for depression. Google says it is antipsycotic. Anyone know about it?Thanks
Hi is anyone on aripiprazole? I have bedn prescribed low dose for depression. Google says it is antipsycotic. Anyone know about it?Thanks
Waiting_for_godo profile image
Waiting_for_godo
in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Support
4 months ago

Medication question

I'm on aripiprazole and while it has worked, I've just had it increased (going through a bad spell with my bipolar) and it is causing extreme anxiety and agitation.
I'm on aripiprazole and while it has worked, I've just had it increased (going through a bad spell with my bipolar) and it is causing extreme anxiety and agitation.
AstroSue profile image
AstroSue
in Action on Postpartum Psychosis
6 months ago

yet another med!

It is called ARIPIPRAZOLE. I personally have received some excellent advice from this site for RLS and wonder if I could green some information here?
It is called ARIPIPRAZOLE. I personally have received some excellent advice from this site for RLS and wonder if I could green some information here?
m1946 profile image
m1946
in FND Action
10 months ago
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Weight loss help

I currently take Lithium Aripiprazole Mirtazipine Omeprazole Atorvostatin Can anyone help me with advice or something on the best way to lose weight, ive researched something called "Saxenda" i think its called that i would like to try.
I currently take Lithium Aripiprazole Mirtazipine Omeprazole Atorvostatin Can anyone help me with advice or something on the best way to lose weight, ive researched something called "Saxenda" i think its called that i would like to try.
john1992 profile image
john1992
in Weight Loss Support
8 months ago

Bipolar Disorder and restlessness

I am now on sodium valproate, aripiprazole and sertraline. I am struggling so much with restlessness at the moment to the point I can’t sit still and I feel so out of my mind with boredom of mundane life.
I am now on sodium valproate, aripiprazole and sertraline. I am struggling so much with restlessness at the moment to the point I can’t sit still and I feel so out of my mind with boredom of mundane life.
helen979 profile image
helen979
in Anxiety and Depression Support
10 months ago

Aripiprazole

Hi i have been precribed aripiprazole for anxiety although this ia a anti phycotic my phyciatrist said it treats anaxiey. I was on pregabalin and i didnt toleratle as it made meput on weight.
Hi i have been precribed aripiprazole for anxiety although this ia a anti phycotic my phyciatrist said it treats anaxiey. I was on pregabalin and i didnt toleratle as it made meput on weight.
409657 profile image
409657
in Anxiety and Depression Support
1 year ago

My story

When I was first diagnosed, I was on use of Risperidone and Sertraline, but now I only take Sertraline and a schizophrenia/depression drug called Aripiprazole. To my friend I pretend they are medication for blood pressure.
When I was first diagnosed, I was on use of Risperidone and Sertraline, but now I only take Sertraline and a schizophrenia/depression drug called Aripiprazole. To my friend I pretend they are medication for blood pressure.
alaskasandalwood profile image
alaskasandalwood
in My OCD Community
1 year ago

Antipsychotics

It is called ARIPIPRAZOLE. I personally have received some excellent advice from this site for RLS and wonder if I could green some information here?
It is called ARIPIPRAZOLE. I personally have received some excellent advice from this site for RLS and wonder if I could green some information here?
m1946 profile image
m1946
in Restless Legs Syndrome
10 months ago

Treatment options

On SSRIs for most of that time, escitalopram (think this was 15 or 20mg), then fluoxetine (60mg), plus a trial of aripiprazole. I know it’s the behavioural changes that are needed to improve, but currently I’m so stuck I just can’t do it.
On SSRIs for most of that time, escitalopram (think this was 15 or 20mg), then fluoxetine (60mg), plus a trial of aripiprazole. I know it’s the behavioural changes that are needed to improve, but currently I’m so stuck I just can’t do it.
noname_squirrel profile image
noname_squirrel
in My OCD Community
1 year ago

First time for this , never posted anywhere before.

I have suffered from depression for years and am currently prescribed Mirtazapine, Aripiprazole, and Zopiclone. What are your experiences if you are taking any of these. I find the Zopiclone 3.75mg useless. This is the third night running I have been up since about 2a.m.
I have suffered from depression for years and am currently prescribed Mirtazapine, Aripiprazole, and Zopiclone. What are your experiences if you are taking any of these. I find the Zopiclone 3.75mg useless. This is the third night running I have been up since about 2a.m.
Teddy1953 profile image
Teddy1953
in Sleep Matters
1 year ago

Aripiprazole

I was given 5mg of aripiprazole to take daily due to having high prolactin,caused by olanzapine. Anyone else have this?
I was given 5mg of aripiprazole to take daily due to having high prolactin,caused by olanzapine. Anyone else have this?
Helper123 profile image
Helper123
in Anxiety and Depression Support
2 years ago

Anxiety disorder and medication advice?

Does anyone have any advice on starting Aripiprazole / Abilify 5mg. What are the initial side effects like and what medications should I ask my doctor for to ease the symptoms especially the increased anxiety, irritability and Insomnia?
Does anyone have any advice on starting Aripiprazole / Abilify 5mg. What are the initial side effects like and what medications should I ask my doctor for to ease the symptoms especially the increased anxiety, irritability and Insomnia?
MJD- profile image
MJD-
in Anxiety and Depression Support
2 years ago

Medication query for relapse episode

Aripiprazole perhaps? Or anything else? A family member takes that following a manic episode and is doing really well on them, taking them longer term over A Levels and back to his usual self whilst on them.
Aripiprazole perhaps? Or anything else? A family member takes that following a manic episode and is doing really well on them, taking them longer term over A Levels and back to his usual self whilst on them.
sarahm2015 profile image
sarahm2015
in Action on Postpartum Psychosis
2 years ago

PMDD irritability

Does anyone find aripiprazole helps their PMS irritability pls? Thanks
Does anyone find aripiprazole helps their PMS irritability pls? Thanks
JoannaBrooks profile image
JoannaBrooks
in Action on Postpartum Psychosis
3 years ago

Bipolar medicine

aripiprazole, have anyone been on it? How u guys react to it? Do you recommend it? First time on it and kinda worried about it reading the side affects on google is freaking me out lol please help 😂
aripiprazole, have anyone been on it? How u guys react to it? Do you recommend it? First time on it and kinda worried about it reading the side affects on google is freaking me out lol please help 😂
cynira profile image
cynira
in Anxiety and Depression Support
3 years ago

Bipolar disorder

I don’t know if you guys heard of it before is aripiprazole. Let see how this works.
I don’t know if you guys heard of it before is aripiprazole. Let see how this works.
cynira profile image
cynira
in Anxiety and Depression Support
3 years ago

I just want this to end!

I couldn’t sit still because of the aripiprazole and the diazepam was giving me blurred vision, my whole concentration and focus was affected and I couldn’t function normally the way I used to, I weaned myself off the aripiprazole and the diazepam and felt better in a way that I wasn’t restless, I could
I couldn’t sit still because of the aripiprazole and the diazepam was giving me blurred vision, my whole concentration and focus was affected and I couldn’t function normally the way I used to, I weaned myself off the aripiprazole and the diazepam and felt better in a way that I wasn’t restless, I could
Rainbow0415 profile image
Rainbow0415
in Mental Health Support
3 years ago

Abilify

Has anyone else taken Aripiprazole( abilify) and did you notice a heavy tired feeling during the day when first starting? Hopefully it’s just my body getting used to it or maybe to high of a dosage. I know these questions are best fit for a professional, just seeking some friendly advice.
Has anyone else taken Aripiprazole( abilify) and did you notice a heavy tired feeling during the day when first starting? Hopefully it’s just my body getting used to it or maybe to high of a dosage. I know these questions are best fit for a professional, just seeking some friendly advice.
Hidden profile image
Hidden
in Anxiety and Depression Support
3 years ago

Aripiprazole

I have been on Aripiprazole for 11 days and feel so restless and agitated. I have been given valium for the last 3 days to help but I still feel so restless. I can't sit still or just watch TV. Its like I have to keep moving. Can anyone help advise how long this lasts? What helps?
I have been on Aripiprazole for 11 days and feel so restless and agitated. I have been given valium for the last 3 days to help but I still feel so restless. I can't sit still or just watch TV. Its like I have to keep moving. Can anyone help advise how long this lasts? What helps?
BobbyRidges profile image
BobbyRidges
in OCD-UK
3 years ago

Aripiprazole side affect?

I have just been given Aripiprazole to take as well as my paroxetine to help with my ocd intrusive thoughts.I have been on paroxetine for 10 years and neve felt as bad as this. Is Aripiprazole causing my restlesness and feeling irritable? I just can't seem to sit and relax.
I have just been given Aripiprazole to take as well as my paroxetine to help with my ocd intrusive thoughts.I have been on paroxetine for 10 years and neve felt as bad as this. Is Aripiprazole causing my restlesness and feeling irritable? I just can't seem to sit and relax.
BobbyRidges profile image
BobbyRidges
in Mental Health Support
3 years ago
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