I balked at letting them increase my Lamictal over 250mg.... I just didn't want to slow down any more than now. I really have issues with my brain slowing down, or at least, it feels like it.
After talking to my pdoc and his nurse, they have cut my dosage in half and it seems to be working better. I will gradually go up to 5mg. We will see!
Abilify is often activating. Lamictal can make a person manic in higher doses. I did stay on Lamictal comfortably for 10 years but I was only able to last a week on Abilify as it had a caffeine like effect. If they need you to start on an antipsychotic there are other choices and recently a new antipsychotic (similar to the current ones but each person tolerates each one differently) Saphris was FDA approved so when that is released in the pharmacies that's one more choice.
Okay, I had a terrible experience with Abilify in 2006. I was given the prescription as I left the hospital after having my youngest son and I took it for about 3 weeks or so. I was on the generic version (which is why I couldn't remember the name of it until I just recently received my records.)
The first thing was I became really jittery in a very physical way. Now, I am normally a fidgeter but this was really bad. I always had to be tapping my foot or my hand. Rocking quickly. (I rock sometimes but in a slow pattern.) I mean, I was just always having to move. I can't remember how long I was on it before this started.
Then I started having these panic attacks. They were unlike anything I have ever experianced. It felt as if my whole body was suddenly being shocked. My heart would race so fast. My arms and legs would stiffen and straighten. I would have to grab onto anything I could reach and hold on for dear life. I really can't explain how intense it was. Now, these would happen in waves randomly . They would happen while I was watching t.v., doing the dishes, driving, caring for my baby son, any time and for no reason, and it felt like they would just wash through me like a wave.
So, I looked it up online after a while because it was getting so bad I thought I was completely losing it. Sure enough panic attacks was on the list, and it also said not to breastfeed while taking Abilify, and the psychiatrist didn't tell me not to! So I was. Well, I was terrified for my son then and I stopped taking it and switched to formula. If it was doing that to me, I prayed it wasn't hurting him. I went to my ob and he gave me a prescription for prozac but I never filled it. I was a complete wreck at that time.
I would say it took about two weeks for that stuff to fully get out of my system. By the way, my son is 3 now and he's perfectly fine. He's happy, healthy, and very smart so I am thankful everyday that he was not harmed by the Abilify being in my system.