Abilify

Is Abilify ever used alone for depression? (Without an antidepressant with it?)

Hi there and welcome to the depression forum. I take abilify with pristiq, before that it was effexor. Were you prescribed it that way or are you just curious?

Keep posting and I hope that somebody can answer your questions. Go to the site that Abby posted.

Hugs, Karen

No, I wasn't just curious, I was prescribed Abilify that way - alone with no antidepressant. I'm only on 2 mg once a day.

They think I just have depression, but I have bad reactions to antidepressants sometimes (bad agitatation.) I took
Abilify a while ago but with another antidepressant but stopped because of the weight gain. I think I need the doseage increased, but they do it so slowly. Thanks a million for your replies.
Sarah

yep, feel better soon. with kindness, jamie.

I take mine in the am. pain meds throughout the day as needed. What do you take for pain?

Hugs, Karen

HI Sarah,

I hope that it helps you like it has helped me. Wellbutrin is a good medication too.

Have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Karen

If you find that you are becoming agitated on anti-depressants, it may be a sign that you are bipolar.
Persons suffering from unipolar depression are often helped by anti-depressants. When a bipolar person takes a normal ssri or snri it can send them into mania. Mania is often mistakenly thought to be feelings of euphoria but this is quite often not the case. Often, mania or hypomanias can manifest as extreme agitation, anger, restlessness, impulsivity, (shopping sprees that use your rent money) etc.
I would suggest talking with your pdoc about this and if you do not get a satisfactory response, get a second opinion.
I saw many Drs for depression over many years and was never properly diagnosed until I met a psychiatrist who was more familiar with the chemical occurrences in our brains that cause the issues we suffer from.
When I told him of the extreme agitation I felt from Paxil and Effexor and some others, Wellbutrin (although I loved that one for other reasons, too bad it sent me into a constant rage) he suggested that I might be bipolar and put me on lamictal to start with.
Antidepressants are not supposed to agitate you, but it is quite common to experience this effect if you are bipolar.
My oncologist even commented that if I were bipolar, effexor would not help me when we thought I was just depressed so it is known amongst medical professionals, not just psychiatric ones.

I have.startes abilify alone with no antidepressent due to the antidepressants cause severe agitation. I.was started on 2.5 mg and am going to be bumpd up to five mg on monday.....have you found an antidepressant that doesnt make you agitated

I was prescribed Abifily to suppress my depression. After taking the medicine I suffered from tremors, then my doctor prohibited the medicine for me, saying I was allergic to it. The crazy thing is that the medicine was entirely out of my system in 3-6 months! After about half a year I stopped taking anti tremor medication, I took it daily. However, I still take the medicine for the tremor in my bad days. If you are taking Abifily and you’re shaking, go to the doctor and stop taking the antidepressant.

also found some info about abilify here: onlinepharmacyreviews.org/ingredients/aripiprazole

Post Edited (aleck) : 7/25/2014 8:53:15 AM (GMT-6)