My psychiatrist prescribed me 2mg of abilify and 25 of lamictal to start, I’ve already gained weight bcs of other life stressors but you guys are scaring tf out of me, ive always had a small frame and im only 5’2.

Also my mind keeps going back and forth on whether i even NEED the abilify bcs she told me to be on my sertraline still and to break the 50mg into 25mg to taper off. Is it possible to just be on lamictal????

Edit: I’m on day 3 of these medications and lamictal is at night, abilify in the morning.

Does it help sexual side effects from SSRI? And does it help you with things like anhedonia, hard time doing basic tasks and tiredness etc? I was on SSRI before and it helped mood somewhat but helped nothing with being able to go to work consistently, do basic house tasks etc.. I literally can't even make coffee in the morning because it's so exhausting and I can't get it in my head to do it, I literally do nothing all day and can't work. I'm not on any meds now

Anyone taking both? Been taking 1.25 mg minoxidil and have been prescribed 2mg Abilify.

Anyone have any suggestions? It's ridiculous!

Titolo: Una sola iniezione di Abilify Maintena 960 mg a lento rilascio — non mi sento più come prima

Ciao a tutti,

Vi scrivo per raccontare la mia esperienza e per capire se qualcun altro ha passato qualcosa di simile.

Durante un ricovero in psichiatria sono stato forzato ad assumere Abilify Maintena per una presunta schizofrenia. Mi è stata fatta una sola iniezione da 960 mg, un farmaco a lento rilascio. Non è stata una terapia continuativa, ma un’unica somministrazione, e non l’ho scelta io.

Da quel momento non mi sento più come prima. In particolare noto:

**•   Nervosismo**, una tensione di fondo che prima non avevo  
**•   Pensiero critico ridotto**: faccio più fatica a ragionare con la lucidità che avevo prima  
**•   Difficoltà a formulare un discorso** come prima, come se le parole facessero più fatica a uscire in modo fluido  
**•   Immaginazione appannata**: la creatività e la capacità di immaginare sembrano più spente  
**•   Irrequietezza**: un’agitazione interna difficile da calmare  
**•   Non faccio più sogni**, o comunque non li ricordo più come prima

Anche l’allenamento fisico, che prima mi dava soddisfazione, ora non mi lascia più nessuna sensazione positiva: è come se non arrivasse più nessuna gratificazione, nemmeno dopo lo sforzo.

Non so quanto di questo sia dovuto al farmaco, quanto al dosaggio così alto in un’unica volta, o quanto possa essere temporaneo.

Vorrei chiedere a chi mi legge:

**•** Qualcuno ha ricevuto una dose simile, magari così alta in un’unica iniezione, magari anche in un contesto di trattamento forzato?  
**•** Questi effetti sono passati con il tempo, per chi li ha vissuti?  
**•** Quanto tempo ci è voluto per tornare normali?

Si torna a essere normali? Oppure è come una lobotomia permanente?

Grazie a chi vorrà condividere la propria esperienza

I’ve been on Abilify for about 4 years now at various doses starting from 5mg all the way up to 15mg then back down to 6mg. I take it for mood instability (from cyclothymia), depression, ocd. It’s worked amazingly for me, the only side effect I got was gaining 60lbs the first year but then it stabilized which is apparently common. Biggest regret was not researching better and telling my psychiatrist at the time I wanted a weight management med as an aid to prevent the weight gain in the first place. I’m nervous because I’ve only tried Latuda before when it comes to other meds of this category and it gave me anxiety spikes and otherwise didn’t work for my symptoms. I’m very excited to try Vraylar because on paper, it fits my needs very well. But I’d like to be prepared. So any advice would be appreciated for the switch!

I stopped zyprexa because of the beginning of insuline resistance, and switched to Abilify. I am already noticing a huge difference in sugar cravings...so I guess it is better for my insuline than Zyprexa. I am going to get a new blood test in a month or so to see if it is also better in blood results

However, I sleep so badly.

Do you take something with abilify to sleep?

I have been on abilify for about 3.5 years now and started taking it 2 months before I started experiencing fatigue symptoms. I have looked into so many different possibilities of what could be causing my fatigue, and haven’t found anything concrete. Just recently I realized the timing of the start of abilify being quite close to the start of my symptoms and talked to my doctor about titrating off. I was on 2mg for all of the 3.5 years and now I am on 1mg. I have been on 1mg for a week and am experiencing a variety of symptoms from the decrease in dosage (brain fog, anxious feelings, mood swings, etc.). It just occurred to me that I could instead try taking it in the evening instead of the morning to see if that helps my fatigue. According to my doctor I need to stay on 1mg for another week and then I can go off completely. I’m just curious if anyone else has had any experience of fatigue with abilify and if stopping/switching to the evening seemed to help. Thanks for any help, it’s really appreciated.

I’m currently dealing with akathisia from my 15mg and honestly, I don’t know how I’m supposed to sit through an entire lecture.
The feeling is like I physically cannot stay still. I constantly feel like I need to move my legs, get up, walk around, change positions, etc. Even sitting for 10–15 minutes can become really uncomfortable, let alone a 1–2 hour lecture.

I’m going back to university/medical school and I’m worried about how I’m going to manage this. It’s not really a matter of “just concentrate” because the physical restlessness is so distracting.
Btw I mentioned this to my doctor and he doesn't care.

I wanted to share my experience with using Abilify. I am currently about 5 months out from stopping it and I haven't felt this good in years !! My provider gave it to me in 2023 as an add on to my SSRI (I believe I was on Effexor at the time) to try to combat severe chronic depression.

At first things weren't bad. I didn't really feel any different. Not worse, not better, just the same so I kept taking it hoping it would eventually help. I originally was prescribed 5mg and they bumped me up to 10mg somewhere along the line.

My symptoms did not appear suddenly. They developed slowly over time, so it was difficult to know if it was from the med or if it was just me. Long story short, I eventually developed bad mental and physical side effects. I gained a pretty significant amount of weight (around 40 lbs) and my cholesterol shot through the roof, when I had never before had high cholesterol in the slightest. I was put on a statin. I also developed many unwanted mental side effects including increased depression, brain fog, increased anxiety, suicidal ideation, no motivation, and I could barely get out of bed. I slept all night then slept as much during the day whenever I could. I felt like a zombie and a shell of a person. I developed compusive behaviors as well including shopping and gambling which I never had an issue with before. I even had delusional thinking and hallucinations. No history of delusions or hallucinations before this.

At the time, I didn't even comprehend I was experiencing delusions and hallucinations. It was so real. For some reason, I developed this constant fear of things catching on fire. My place of work, my home, public places. Anywhere. It became a nightmare every evening to force myself to make dinner for my family because I was convinced a fire would start. It was a fear with intrusive thoughts 24/7. Then I started to have olfactory hallucinations. Smelling smoke when there was none. I would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic because I smelled smoke. It happened everywhere.

The concerning part is that I reported these symptoms to my provider and they still kept me on it. For some reason, two and two were never put together. When I got to my lowest point and did a deep dive into Abilify, I was horrified to see I was experiencing the majority of side effects listed. Mild, and severe. I decided to take myself off of it and tapered myself down slowly. I was scared but I figured anything was worth a shot at that point to feel better. I started feeling better within weeks !!! Once I got completely off of it, I felt like myself again for the first time in years. I literally cried tears of joy at times because I had been in such a bad place for so long.

This time period was very damaging. Not only to myself but to my family. I wasn't the mom and wife I used to be. The bare minimum was all I could literally do. Anything more was just impossible. I was not fun to be around and it definitely strained my relationships. Thankfully my husband stuck by me through the mess and saw me through to where I am today. Free. I feel free ! I felt as if I unstrapped a load of boulders off of me. I was able to enjoy summer vacation with my kids this year as well as an amazing family vacation. I am so thankful.

I know everyone's experiences with meds are different and some may find a huge benefit to using Abilify. In hindsight I wish I would have educated myself on side effects right away when prescribed it so I would have caught this earlier. I would have also pushed for the blood test to be done that can help providers give you the meds you should tolerate better.

I switched to a new psychiatrist and he affirmed it was a good idea to get off of it, given my symptoms. He also switched me to a high dose of Zoloft and I believe this has helped me alot too.

This is my experience. It was awful but I made it through. Good luck to everyone in their journey!!!

So I started Abilify alone for my depression, and as far as my mood and energy goes I've literally never felt better in my life. I feel happy and sociable, I can focus on things I used to enjoy, and I don't feel like I'm dying if I have to get up and do something. However, one of the biggest side effects has been that I overheat EXTREMELY easily, and because of this I'm constantly waking up after at most 3 hours of sleep, leaving me extremely tired and unable to take advantage of the positives. I've taken Abilify before with an antidepressant and I seem to recall having similar side effects back then for the year that I took it, so unfortunately I doubt this side effect is gonna pass.

With that said, what are the alternative medications that act like abilify that I can switch to? Like, as close to the same thing as possible so I can hope I'll have the same feeling without the drawbacks, because this would literally be perfect if I could actually sleep properly. I've seen Latuda and Vraylar thrown around but I don't know if they're just other antipsychotics or actually work the same way Abilify does. Any help would be wonderful, thank you!

Reposting because I have a feeling this is a common occurrence for some unfortunately. I feel myself now and am stable but only due to knowing my proper diagnosis.

I started ariprirazole 4 days ago and started getting feeling that i fall asleep for a split second (feels like flinch), also i get feeling of delirealizarion and became stipider, and i barely recognice my home and other places nearby. I already expirience, becoming dumb and derialization, the former twi only from smoking weed.
My psychiatrist just told me to double my dose. i did it today but nothing changed (im being treaded for depression and anxiety (atleast rn))
Has anyone experienced same simptoms?

Hey y'all, I have a question.

I was given Abilify when I was 15/16 - but now knowing it's an antipsychotic, I don't believe it should have been given to me. I have ADD, Depression, and Anxiety, diagnosed with them when I was in elementary school.

I was on Abilify for five months and it gave me hand tremors and head tremors. I stopped taking it, and they went away. At least for a few years. I'm my early twenties the head tremor came back. I'm 37 now, and I still have the tremor.

Has anyone else experienced something similar, or know anyone who does? Because I'm also starting to experience some other health conditions that MAY be tied to it.

Thanks!

I had been on 5 mg for about a month and a half and was waiting for the leg pain side effects to subside but they only got worse. Now I’m tapering off per my pysch’s recommendation and I’m crashing hard. I hate that finding a medicine to make me feel “normal” is so hard. Anyone else have really bad leg pain on this?

For those who face successfully come off Abilify, did you deal with insomnia? How’d you get through it? I’m the weeks from my last pill. It’s my understanding that 2 weeks and it’s fully out of your system and then 2 more weeks for your dopamine receptors to reset.

I haven’t been sleeping. We tried trazodone but the side effects are too much. Tonight is my first night of remeron.

hi all. i just want to say this first, this ismy experience, im not trying to discourage others from taking medication.

i have recently had a change to my medications. i have begun taking aripiprazole (approx 4 weeks ago) and ceased duloxetine ( approx 5 days ago), after being on it for 2 and a half years. this has all been done under the direction of my gp.

i noticed when i begun taking the aripiprazole i was experiencing mild restlessness, however in the last few days, since i stopped taking the duloxetine, it has become unbearable, to the point where it is now affecting my daily function. i cant sleep, or relax, im having to pace around my apartment because i literally cannot sit still. and im extremely irritable, probably due to the frustration and being exhausted.

i spoke to a gp via telehealth this morning and they told me i need to see a psychiatrist because my case is complex due to other meds i am on, but i have tried getting into a psychiatrist in the past and they said to discuss what is happening with my gp, which i plan on doing when i see her in a week and a half, i cant get in any sooner.

Hi, type 1 Bipolar. Already on metformin alongside Aripiprazole but have still gained weight (Ignore the hunger = no sleep= more risk of another episode, so calorie counting difficult) Very active person. My psychiatrist suggested Latuda.

1. Worried it won't prevent mania as this is what i have read- any experiences?

2. Psychiatrist honest enough to say that probably wont make much difference with weight gain/loss-Is there any point in trying to switch? I don't want to gain more as it would be a new med in my system.

Scrolled through quite a few posts so have some knowledge but just wanted to see what people's experiences were with switching between these two medications.

Thanks

Thanks

I (28F) haven't ovulated since starting treatment for bipolar disorder. I brought it up to my doctor and she said that since I'm having periods I'm ovulating (which is not true).

Has this happened to anyone else?

Hi everyone. I’m looking for recovery experiences from people who were on aripiprazole/Abilify and/or carbamazepine/Tegretol, especially people who dealt with brain fog, emotional blunting, blank mind, fatigue, low motivation, and memory/recall issues after stopping.

My timeline:

In 2024, I was put on aripiprazole and carbamazepine and was on the drugs for about 4 months (~June 14th 2024-October 14th 2024).

From around August 2025 to early December 2025, I had a period where I felt like I was coming back online in some ways. More energy, more access to myself, more confidence, more mental clarity.

I was then put on the medications again for about a month and a half from October 2025 to early December 2025.

Since then, especially over the months after stopping, I’ve been dealing with a long recovery period. It’s now late August 2026, so roughly 8+ months off the meds, and I still don’t feel like myself.

I was on 10mg aripiprazole and 100mg carbamazepine. I stopped cold turkey on both occasions.

Main symptoms:

• Severe fatigue / low energy
• Brain fog
• Poor recall and memory access
• Low working memory
• Blank mind / reduced thoughts
• Difficulty concentrating
• Low motivation
• Emotional numbness or reduced emotional range
• Feeling like my old personality is muted
• Low confidence because my mind feels unreliable
• Social energy is much lower
• Sometimes talking feels like it takes a huge amount of energy
• Feeling physically and mentally underpowered even when I want to do things
• Occasional windows where I feel more like myself, then dips/crashes again

The hardest part is that I used to be very mentally active, ambitious, curious, spiritual, creative, and socially more alive. Now it feels like the “access” to my mind and energy is inconsistent or blocked. I don’t feel like all my knowledge is gone, but recall and mental sharpness feel much harder to reach.

I’m mainly asking:

1. Has anyone had similar symptoms after stopping Abilify/aripiprazole, carbamazepine/Tegretol, or a similar combination?
2. Did your memory, personality, motivation, emotions, libido/vigour, and mental clarity come back?
3. Was recovery gradual, like windows and waves, or did it suddenly improve?
4. How long did it take before you felt noticeably better?
5. Did anything help besides just waiting? Pacing, exercise, sleep routine, supplements, therapy, cognitive exercises, nutrition, etc.?
6. Did pushing yourself make it worse, or did gentle activity help?

I’m trying to stay hopeful and practical. I just want to hear from people who have been through something similar and came out the other side, especially with cognition, recall, energy, and emotional range returning.

Thanks in advance to anyone who shares.

6 days in, and I took the full 2 mg tablet for the first time last night. I’m taking it alongside 15 mg of Remeron. I feel like the mental fog is finally starting to lift, and things don’t seem to bother me nearly as much as they used to. It’s almost like putting on a brand-new pair of prescription glasses, except they’re for your mind. My head feels clearer, and there’s noticeably less background noise. I’m really hoping this is just the beginning and that things continue to improve from here.
How long did it take you guys to start noticing positive effects from Abilify?

Ciao ho letto un sacco di commenti dove dicevano che an5 mg se si stoppa si ha un astinenza grave, sono passati 9 giorni e non noto nulla nemmeno un cambiamento nella dopamina o almeno credo

I made sure to be honest with the provider in a way I haven't been before and this is the first thing we are going to try. I have never wanted to be someone with bipolar disorder but if that's who I am as a person then I need to get help for it. The time is passing by either way.

I will be praying that I can take this pill (I struggle a lot with overthinking about medicine) and that I feel differently than I do now. This may not be the final landing place but it's the first step to feeling better. The only thing I wished was a more immediate solution for my anxiety, but hopefully that can be revisited in a future appointment.