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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tepiaca on January 5, 2006, at 13:07:28
Iīve been very anxious. I cant stand still
in one place. Im only taking 2.5mg of Abilify
Ive been 10 days on it. Is this feeling go away
I hate it. Itīs a mild akaticia but
its very anoying.
What to do ? Should I stop abilify? I havenīt
received any good effect from it yet.Help
Posted by bipolarspectrum on January 5, 2006, at 13:51:10
In reply to Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away Help, posted by tepiaca on January 5, 2006, at 13:07:28
Hi T,
I dont have much for advice but I'm very interested in what others will say as I just started 5mg of abilify... From what i understand, that anxious feelin is related to Dopamine receptor occupancy... If you give it some time, ur body may adjust to occupancy... I wonder if raising the dose may help???? just a thought
bps> Iīve been very anxious. I cant stand still
> in one place. Im only taking 2.5mg of Abilify
> Ive been 10 days on it. Is this feeling go away
> I hate it. Itīs a mild akaticia but
> its very anoying.
> What to do ? Should I stop abilify? I havenīt
> received any good effect from it yet.
>
> Help
Posted by spriggy on January 5, 2006, at 19:19:27
In reply to Re: Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away Help, posted by bipolarspectrum on January 5, 2006, at 13:51:10
I have no idea if it will go away- I had akathasia (SEVERE) on a low dose of Lexapro, I stayed on it for 6 weeks hoping it would go away but it only got worse for me!
I'd call you dr. A benzo will help if you have one to take.
Posted by Phillipa on January 5, 2006, at 20:05:18
In reply to Re: Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away Help, posted by spriggy on January 5, 2006, at 19:19:27
Ah Tepi more problems. Me too. Is it the time of year or what! Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by Cairo on January 5, 2006, at 22:02:27
In reply to Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away Help, posted by tepiaca on January 5, 2006, at 13:07:28
I had horrendous akathisia on Topamax and Cymbalta (above 10mg) that didn't go away after 2 months. Only lowering the dose of Cymbalta to 5mg helped. Lowering the Topamax did make the akathisia go away, but I still suffer from panic attacks even though I discontinued it. Klonopin helps those.
Ya never know. You also might ask for another atypical.
Here's an old post about treatments for akathisia:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030619/msgs/235398.html
Cairo
Posted by med_empowered on January 6, 2006, at 1:44:33
In reply to Re: Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away He, posted by Cairo on January 5, 2006, at 22:02:27
hi! Abilify seems to be the #1 offender, at least early on, in causing Akathisia. You can try Propranolol (Inderal, Inderal XR), possibly with a benzo (it seems like Klonopin and Ativan are top picks). Sometimes lowering the dose helps. Other people find that their body will adjust to the medication at the same dose over time...then again, some people choose to discontinue the medication because of the akathisia.
I really don't know what to tell you..the decision to stay on or discontinue is really yours to make. You're not actually psychotic, so I'd lean towards discontinuing and using something besides antipsychotics for your problems, but that's me.
Sometimes low doses of Abilify are a little too activating for some people, and going up a bit actually reduces side effects. Then again...going up can also make side effects worse, and (theoretically) it would raise your risk of Tardive Dyskinesia.
Posted by tepiaca on January 7, 2006, at 12:59:52
In reply to Re: Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away He, posted by med_empowered on January 6, 2006, at 1:44:33
Im Off Abilify since today. I talked to my doctor
and he asked If I had my mind a little clear
and I said no. Then said go back to Seroquel wich
is the best for me. No side effects , only that
makes me sleep very wellThank you for your responses.
TEP
Posted by utopizen on January 7, 2006, at 16:34:50
In reply to Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away Help, posted by tepiaca on January 5, 2006, at 13:07:28
don't stop abilify.
You're experiencing a very common side effect for the atypicals, and it does not indicate anything, and no one knows what causes it, according to my doc (he's on the Harvard Faculty).
Some simple Cogentin (Benzotropine) is all that is needed. Very simple, cheap, generic stuff. Commonly prescribed with antipsychotics.
It elliminated my pacing, restlessness, etc. back when I took Abilify.
Akathasia is not really a justified reason for going off an atypical... given the benign nature of Cogentin and its efficacy.
Posted by tepiaca on January 7, 2006, at 23:40:47
In reply to Re: Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away He, posted by utopizen on January 7, 2006, at 16:34:50
> don't stop abilify.
>
> You're experiencing a very common side effect for the atypicals, and it does not indicate anything, and no one knows what causes it, according to my doc (he's on the Harvard Faculty).
>
> Some simple Cogentin (Benzotropine) is all that is needed. Very simple, cheap, generic stuff. Commonly prescribed with antipsychotics.
>
> It elliminated my pacing, restlessness, etc. back when I took Abilify.
>
> Akathasia is not really a justified reason for going off an atypical... given the benign nature of Cogentin and its efficacy.12 days on ABilify , nothing good but Akaticia. Do you believe is worth to bear more time with it?
I did was taking 0.5mg of klonopin but it didnīt helpe me. Maybe 12 days on 2.5mg is a very small time and dose to stop rigth?, what to do when my doctor told me to do it and I was ok with his decisionthanks utopizen
Posted by utopizen on January 10, 2006, at 10:45:29
In reply to Re: Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away He ŧ utopizen, posted by tepiaca on January 7, 2006, at 23:40:47
> 12 days on ABilify , nothing good but Akaticia. Do you believe is worth to bear more time with it?
>Um, if you ever found a psychotropic that had any response within 12 days, it would be worth a trillion dollars and you should invest all of your retirement money in whatever company that drug is.
Until that day happens, a drug like Abilify requires to be slowly titrated to around 15-30mg over a few weeks, and after that, give it a fair test for around 3 months.
Lexapro didn't work for me for about 3-4 months.
Um, Abilify I took for 5 months before giving up before I took Lexapro.
Yeah, 12 days. Um, you are suppose to assume and expect the worst side effects occur in the first few weeks, dissipate after that (except for akathasia, that will require a simple Cogentin prescription) and then the effects kick in after several several weeks of continued use at target doses (in this case, 15-30mg)
Posted by yxibow on January 14, 2006, at 0:02:29
In reply to Re: Abilify Akaticia... is this feeling go away He, posted by utopizen on January 10, 2006, at 10:45:29
>
> > 12 days on ABilify , nothing good but Akaticia. Do you believe is worth to bear more time with it?
> >
>
> Um, if you ever found a psychotropic that had any response within 12 days, it would be worth a trillion dollars and you should invest all of your retirement money in whatever company that drug is.Actually I had profound effects from Zyprexa after only 3-5 days, I slept peacefully like never before and it helped with my yet fully known disorder at D2 I'm almost positive, unfortunately I couldn't risk permanent pseudoparkinsonism.
But you're right, a full trial would be a few weeks at least. Very strong akathisia, an EPS, though, is, while still unknown, a possible harbinger of strong TD in the months to years after. My right index finger has yet to fully stop twitching when raised from a short trial of Risperdal and Prozac, although its barely noticeable. It can be masked, I prefer Akineton, but one never knows what it will do in the future. I was disappointed with the akathisia I also got from Abilify, which was just below the nastyness I got from Geodon. Everyone's different though. Those with affective (mood) disorders tend to feel it worse than those with schizophrenia, possibly due to slight differences in the brain structure of those who are schizophrenic. I would recommend whichever atypical antipsychotic least causes EPS of any variety to those who are not caught in the throws of full psychosis.
This is the end of the thread.
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