ARIPIPRAZOLE (Abilify® from Bristol-Myers Squibb®) is used to help treat people with schizophrenia.  It keeps the patient out of the delusional worlds a mentally ill mind can create and brings the patient back to reality, away from the visual and auditory hallucinations and psychosis.  Many patients who are on Abilify® have tried other medications that did not relieve their symptoms.  Abilify® is also used in the treatment of other mood disorders.  At this time, there is no generic version of Abilify®.

Before your doctor prescribes Abilify®, you should inform your doctor if you have any of the following health problems:

  • frequently drink alcohol or alcohol-containing beverages
  • dementia
  • difficulty swallowing
  • heart disease or irregular heartbeat
  • history of brain tumor or head injury
  • low blood pressure
  • Parkinson's disease
  • previous heart attack
  • seizures (convulsions)
  • an unusual reaction to other medications, foods, dyes, or preservatives
  • pregnant or trying to get pregnant
  • breast-feeding

The Abilify® tablet is taken orally.  You should follow the directions and only take Abilify® as it was prescribed, which is usually with a full glass of water and at the same time each day.  If you experience nausea when taking Abilify®, try taking it after eating or with a glass of milk.  You should not stop taking Abilify® without your doctor's approval. 

You may experience drowsiness or dizziness when you first start taking it.  You should not operate any machinery, automobiles, or anything else that requires you to be alert until you see how your body will react to the medication.

If you stand up or sit too quickly, it may cause dizziness, especially in the elderly.  Standing up too quickly may even cause you to faint.

Your body may react differently to heat or cold while taking Abilify®.  If you are exercising or working, be sure to stay hydrated and do not get overheated.  You should avoid extreme temperatures such as:

  • hot tubs
  • steam rooms
  • saunas
  • extremely hot or cold showers
  • extremely hot or cold weather

If you forget to take your medication on time, you should try to take it as soon as you can unless it is almost time for your next dose and in this case, you should only take one dose.

Certain other drugs could have an adverse reaction if you take them while you are on Abilify®.

If you notice any side effects you should report them to your doctor as soon as you can.

These side effects include the following.

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your doctor if they continue):

Personal Experiences

Recently my wife had to start taking Abilify® for her Bipolar disorder. She was having psychotic episodes, hallucinating, hearing things that are not there and was in a very deep depression. She also was having torturing obsessive thoughts of her loved ones being hurt and or killed. She had excessive crying spells, wasn't sleeping very much, and was having rapid mood swings.

The Abilify has really helped her a lot. It has stopped all of her hallucinations and brought her Bipolar disorder back to being stable. She is much happier now. The obsessive thoughts have all but ceased and her concentration and psychosis are much better. It has enriched the quality of our relationship because she is stable now.

Abilify® has been a wonder drug for some people with schizophrenia and other mental health disorders like manic depression and mood disturbances.


 

Sources:
http://www.abilify.com
http://www.fda.gov
http://www.drugs.com
Clinical Pharmacology 2000 Copyright© 2002 Gold Standard Multimedia
Information also obtained from my wife's psychiatrist

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