Mental Health What does Abilify do? What is it used for?

[Mycophile]

Hey,

I have GAD and probably some depression and other various stuff.

I take Klonopin and Prozac which help with anxiety but I feel like I want something that is a mood lifter and helps with depression and low motivation and tiredness.

Is this one of Abilify's usages?

What class of drug is it?

Can it be mixed with Klonopin and Prozac?

Also, I drink, so can it be mixed with alcohol?

Just curious.

Thanks

 

[abracadabra girl]

It's classed as an antipsychotic but often used along with an antidepressant to increase its effects. And it is more stimulating, not sedating. So yes, it might be a good choice for you. Ask your doctor.

I think they tell you not to drink with any psych meds, but this is no worse than any other in regards to interactions.

 

[Mycophile]

It's classed as an antipsychotic but often used along with an antidepressant to increase its effects. And it is more stimulating, not sedating. So yes, it might be a good choice for you. Ask your doctor.

I think they tell you not to drink with any psych meds, but this is no worse than any other in regards to interactions.

Stimulating is good.

I don't think I'd need an anti-psychotic as I have been on a few like Risperdal which didn't help and I am not psychotic.

And yes, for HRs sake, most know not to drink on these meds, but each person's mileage my vary, don't let me be the example...

 

[paranoid android]

If you need something to lift your mood and motivate you why not try a stimulating anti-depressant such as bupropion (Wellbutrin,Zyban)? It's a dopamine norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and is used off label for ADHD as well. I would suggest trying wellbutrin or another stimulating anti-depressant before trying abilify as they carry less risks. Abilify is activating for most people but for others it causes the zombie like effect that can happen with just about any anti-psychotic.

 

[bees_knees]

Yeah I guess it's been covered but it's a stimulating rather than sedating antipsychotic; it is a 'dopamine agonist' like PCP and LSD, it's actually classed with those two on wikipedia, which is interesting. I don't know neuroscience but I think the basic idea is too much dopamine activates dopamine receptors too often and too erratically, causing psychotic consciousness, so antipsychotics bind to the dopamine receptors and sit there doing nothing and prevent dopamine from binding to them and activating them fully. But Abilify tends to partially activate/agonise the dopamine receptors while it's occupying the receptor, but I think it must be much more predictable and not erratic, so it doesn't result in worsening psychosis, instead it mildly stimulates the brain in the same way any dopamine agonising agent would.

...is my guess anyway.

Certainly clears my head up and I feel motivated, not hugely, but more than I've felt in years. On 30mg.

 

[Mycophile]

Yeah I guess it's been covered but it's a stimulating rather than sedating antipsychotic; it is a 'dopamine agonist' like PCP and LSD, it's actually classed with those two on wikipedia, which is interesting. I don't know neuroscience but I think the basic idea is too much dopamine activates dopamine receptors too often and too erratically, causing psychotic consciousness, so antipsychotics bind to the dopamine receptors and sit there doing nothing and prevent dopamine from binding to them and activating them fully. But Abilify tends to partially activate/agonise the dopamine receptors while it's occupying the receptor, but I think it must be much more predictable and not erratic, so it doesn't result in worsening psychosis, instead it mildly stimulates the brain in the same way any dopamine agonising agent would.

...is my guess anyway.

Certainly clears my head up and I feel motivated, not hugely, but more than I've felt in years. On 30mg.

Yeah, sorry, I don't understand neuroscience discussion haha, never read much about it though it's interesting.

But my question is, when you take Abilify and it kicks in, do you feel a very noticeable mood lift and increase in motivation almost like a mild high of some sort?

I wish I could find something like that when I'm feeling depressed, tired and unmotivated.

 

[abracadabra girl]

Yeah, sorry, I don't understand neuroscience discussion haha, never read much about it though it's interesting.

But my question is, when you take Abilify and it kicks in, do you feel a very noticeable mood lift and increase in motivation almost like a mild high of some sort?

I wish I could find something like that when I'm feeling depressed, tired and unmotivated.

I would say probably yes. I've known people that took more than the prescribed dose to feel that way.

 

[Mycophile]

I would say probably yes. I've known people that took more than the prescribed dose to feel that way.

Hmm, if I got on it I wouldn't want to take more than the prescribed dosage to be unsafe, but I'd still want to feel that way haha.

Of course, I'm doubting I'll be put on it.

 

[paranoid android]

Yeah, sorry, I don't understand neuroscience discussion haha, never read much about it though it's interesting.

But my question is, when you take Abilify and it kicks in, do you feel a very noticeable mood lift and increase in motivation almost like a mild high of some sort?

I wish I could find something like that when I'm feeling depressed, tired and unmotivated.

Actually i believe abilify is a partial agonist at the D2 receptor and most other dopamine receptors. So it's nothing like LSD or PCP in that regard as PCP displays dopamine agonist properties (along with it's NMDA antagonism of course) while LSD is a partial agonist at the 5-ht2a receptor. Actually Aripiprazole would block the dopaminic effects of certain drugs as partial agonists can act as antagonists to some degree and it would block the effects of LSD as Aripiprazole is a antagonist at the 5-ht2A receptor. In fact they use other atypical anti-psychotics such as zyprexa and risperdal both of which are 5-ht2A receptor antagonists to stop bad trips from psychs such as LSD, shrooms, etc when a benzo alone won't calm them down.

Aripiprazole is not a stimulant like methylphenidate, Amphetamines or Cocaine so you are not going to get a instant lift from it like you do with amphetamines. If you want something to give you a instant mood lift with one dose a Amphetamine like Dexedrine or Adderall or the drug methylphenidate would be your best bet. Granted these drugs can be highly addictive for some people so you have to be very careful with them especially Amphetamines.

The anti-depressant bupropion aka wellbutrin aka zyban gives some people including myself a stimulating mood lift in a week or less. It's actually somewhat like cocaine in the sense that they are both dopamine norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. Unlike coke however bupropion does not cause any euphoria and it's anti-depressant effects usually take 2 weeks to fully kick in though i can usually feel it's anti-depressant mild stimulant effects after 5 days or so. Taking too much bupropion in one dose causes not only a very unpleasant stimulant effect (think ephedrine) but lowers the seizure threshold once you get above 300mg's a day so it does not cause a instant mood lift. I would definitely call it a mood brightener as things don't seem so dreary and lifeless when it starts working for me and it helps alot with the lethargy, fatigue and oversleeping i get while suffering through a depressive episode.

I would really suggest trying bupropion if you have not already tried it or one of the more stimulating tricyclic anti-depressants such as desipramine which is a potent norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. They carry less side effects then anti-psychotics and are a first line treatment for depression unlike anti-psychotics which are mostly used as a add on to a anti-depressant, in treating treatment resistant major depression, in bipolar depression and also psychotic depression. Also bupropion is commonly used alongside SSRI's like Prozac to not only increase the anti-depressant effects but also to counteract some of the side effects especially the sexual dysfunction which SSRI's are famous for causing. Bupropion actually increases your libido instead of killing it like the SSRI's and many other anti-depressants do.

 

[Trying2Iso]

Abilify is a LIFE SAVER i love it
it gives me energy and my sleep has never been better
it treats all me symptoms
Highly effective for me as Monotherapy

 

[belfort]

welbutrin gave me a motivation boost at the beginning but the increased anxiety and irritability made it not worth taking..does Abilify also increase anxiety?

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

People get all kinds of effects from abilify but its more likely to decrease than increase anxiety.

 

[bees_knees]

Paranoid android has a better idea, I was just referring to the fact wikipedia seems to group it as a dopamine agonist with the psychedelics, certainly wasn't saying it was like those drugs as an experience, though.

IME Abilify is an energy lifter, yes. There seem to be a whole class of antidepressants I don't know about though and maybe these are better for mood as per android's post.

Abilify seemed to give me anxiety a few days ago, now it's sorta gone again. I did start on 30mg which you're not supposed to. I'll see how I go with that.

 

[bees_knees]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine_agonist#Examples

Examples[edit]
Examples of dopamine agonists include:

Partial agonist[edit]
Aripiprazole (Partial agonist of the D2 family receptors - Trade name "Abilify" in the United States; atypical antipsychotic)
Phencyclidine (a.k.a. PCP; partial agonist. Psychoactivity mainly due to NMDA antagonism)
Quinpirole (Partial agonist of the D2 and D3 family of receptors)
Salvinorin A (chief active constituent of the psychedelic herb salvia divinorum, the psychoactivity of which is mainly due to Kappa-opioid receptor agonism; partial agonist at the D2 with an Intrinsic activity of 40-60%, binding affinity of Ki=5-10nM and EC50=50-90nM)[5]

That's all I was going on. It says a side effect is euphoria and in opposition to my last post I'm feeling a bit of euphoria today, it started a few hours ago.

 

[paranoid android]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine_agonist#Examples



That's all I was going on. It says a side effect is euphoria and in opposition to my last post I'm feeling a bit of euphoria today, it started a few hours ago.

That's weird cause on the wiki page for abilify it says it's a partial agonist not a full agonist at the D2 and other dopamine receptors. Maybe they are just lumping partial agonists in with full agonists i dunno.

Actually after looking at that page listing dopamine agonists abilify is listed as a partial agonist as are the rest of the drugs you listed there. Missed that on the first look.

 

[euphoricc]

THREAD FROM THE DEAD MY BADDDDDDDDDDD~~~~~~~~~~! ``~_~``~!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OK SO I Was just prescribed this to help my remron, klonopin & gabapentin =-------i am taking half a pill a day i believe they 10 mg so 5mg a day i dunnno if it works at all i will report back. I am also on sublocade for O.U.D. THE COMBO I AM ON HELPS GABAPENTIN 1800 MG HELP`S A`LOT AND ,5 MG KLONOPIN HELP BUT MAN I NEED MORE----------------- ALLL TAKE CARE PLEASE TELL ME HOW IT WORKS