Tired on Abilify, need some help

[effie]

There's some really good advice in this thread, but ultimately we can't tell you what psychiatric medication to take. It's really hard getting the right combination of medications and it can take a while to get it right, but it is something that should be done in a two-way partnership between you and your psychiatrist. If you're not happy with your current doctor then it is entirely within your rights to find a new one.

Unfortunately there often is a trade off - a medication may control your psychiatric symptoms but will give you side effects, and it is up to you whether it is worth it or not. You can try taking other drugs to counteract the side effects, and this can work, but there is a limit. As others have said, lifestyle changes can have a huge impact - more than you might think - so if you're not keen on various medications then it would definitely be worth exploring that first I think.

Good luck!

 

[Crissco]

TBPH.

You need frequent psychiatric/psychological help. You need to at least be regularly seeing a doctor to oversee your med use

EDIT:

Whoops thought this was the other depression thread

Not a full on depression thread. Lol. I'm able to live my life happy 98% of the time. I'm just tired that's it.

Effie- I know it does take a while. Maybe I should go back to see the doc. And its not my doctor honestly I wouldnt use anyone else. Only guy i ever trusted. If i cant make a payment, no prpb. He gave me up to 3-4 months at one point to pay him. Always honest with me as far as i can tell. Good hearted. So its not the doc. Its the fact going on more or new meds that scare me. Especially since my reaction from lamictial that landed me in the ER. Like i said tho, no complaints besides being tired throughout the day. But..it could very well be my lifestyle..sitting down all day, 6 hr sleep a night..hardcore workout after.

Then i think back to when i wasn't on meds. I wake up refreshed which i do once in a blue moon on ability. Able to stay up all night run on no sleep and be fine. Prob the mania but still waking up refreshed plays a big role on how tired I am throughout the day.

Crissco

 

[Crissco]

Bumpin

 

[Alex000]

There are a few things I can think of. The simplest would probably be caffeine by tablet, perhaps 100 - 200 mg every 4 - 6 hours as needed for fatigue. You wouldn't want to take too much because in higher doses it can lower the seizure threshold as do anti-psychotics. This could really help, but again I wouldn't use more than about 600 mg caffeine daily. It can be anxiety-provoking, esp. for some, but is quite a simple remedy in the treatment of fatigue. I am not a fan of anti-psychotics at all, and I agree that they are very dangerous and dirty drugs, but 2 mg Abilify is a low dose, and you seem to really be benefiting from it. You could try lowering your dose to 1 mg Abilify, and perhaps some of the fatigue would go away. If 1 mg would still work, I see no reason not to decrease. You could at least give it a trial run for maybe 2 weeks. Another option that has higher potential to throw you out of whack, but a potentially good option is a tricyclic anti-depressant. Imipramine and nortriptyline could be especially helpful as they tend to be more stimulating than others in their class. It might take a few weeks to adjust to their sedating qualities, but usually patients find fatigue from these drugs tends to subside. These TCA's have anti-psychotic and anti-depressant properties as well as other various properties. They are not as safe as other anti-depressants, but could be of help. The only hesitancy I would have there is the fact they do work to increase norepinephrine, which could possibly trigger a manic episode. TCA's are not used as often anymore in favor of other anti-depressants, but have potential value. Again, this is only an idea.