terrie Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I'm BP2, taking lithium cr (675mg). Dr gave me Lunesta for sleeping cause it wasn't happening and it worked for a while. Then I started getting manic and couldn't sleep at all. He then gave me Abilify. I guess I have this akathesia (sp?) thing cause my body feels freaking crazy inside. I can not take this medicine anymore. Is that a side effect of Seroquel as well? Or any other drug in this family? Cause maybe I'm just doomed to suck. Other than the restless ugly feeling inside, my mind seemed alright with the Abilify, I felt the mania going away. But I just can't handle it. Can anyone help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I'm fairly new at this, but it seems like your reaction to one AAP could be different from your reaction to another. I tried Seroquel for sleep/preventing hypomania and it left me too hungover to function the next day. Risperdal seems to be working like a charm. So I'd assume that there are other options for you to try. I'm not experienced enough to know what, but I wouldn't assume that you're out of the entire group because of one miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrie Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 Thank you for your response. I'm fairly new to all this. I know I need to learn but I want to bury my head in the sand, get a perfect med combo, and take pills the rest of my life like a good girl. I hate trying things out. This all scares me. BTW - I stole your signature idea. Seemed like a good idea for this board. I hope you don't mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarie Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 A lot of people seem to get akathisia on Abilify. I did at 2.5mg bailed w/in two days. I have been on the rest of the AAPs except Risperdal. None caused akathisia. Well, Seroquel over 100mg can give me a very vague sense of it once in a while but not often, and that's not common for most people who take it. Each AAP is different. If you have akathisia going on now, call your pdoc tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I understand the not wanting to try stuff out problem--the just wanting to find something that works. I've been going through a bunch of trials and experiments w/ medication to see what makes a difference and what doesn't. It's not fun. and i don't mind on the signature...it's actually pretty common (i.e. information a lot of people tend to be including), which is why i thought to do it in the first place. and now i can stay off so someone w/ more meds experience can hopefully chime in :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrie Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 Thanks everyone! I will call my doc as soon as they open today. I'm so glad for these boards. I wasn't sure what was going on with me & it was so helpful to find other people who have experienced the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatty Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I hope your pdoc can suggest something that won't have that side effect. Yes, these boards are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrea3821 Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I was on Abilify and I got akathisia at 2mg, more so at 4mg. And it made my anxiety shoot through the roof, I was having anxiety attacks and had one at the beginning of my pdoc med check. I was only on it for two weeks, and now I've just recently switched to Depakote. I feel 1000x better, just more down (which is okay with me). I've only been on it for a couple of days so I can't know if this is how it'll stay. Let's hope. Maybe you can give that a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netsavy006 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Just because you had akathisia on Abilify doesn't mean you will have akathisia on other medications in the same drug class. It's just a matter of finding which one will do it for you without causing the akathisia. If akathisia remains a problem, there are 2 medications that I'm aware of that can be used to help counter the effects. They are Cogentin and Artane. Because I get akathisia on Abilify, I take Cogentin to help counteract the side effect. It does help. I'm currently on 10mg/day of Abilify and 1mg 2x/day of Cogentin and so far so good. It's only been 2 days since doing the 10mg/day of Abilify (was @ 5mg/day from 3/4 - 3/23), but all is still well at the moment. I'm not promoting the use of Cogentin or Artane, but they should only be used if you don't have other alternatives. I know that Zyprexa carries a low risk of EPS/Akathisia but it has a tendency to cause a lot of weight gain for some people, but it can be counteracted by a good diet and exercise routine. I was actually able to lose 7 pounds in the hospital by following a good diet while I was in there and being on Zyprexa. What I'm trying to express though I don't know how well I'm doing it is, you have options. Do follow up with the doctor and explore all the options that you have. If Abilify was causing akathisia, try another medication (this is something I should be telling myself). There are several AAPs out there. Here's the list of other AAPs that there are: Zyprexa, Seroquel, Risperdal, Invega, Geodon. Do consider these options during your next appt with the doctor and figure out which one is right for you. I wish you best of luck in your treatment decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrie Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 Thanks everyone. I spoke to the dr and we moved to Seroquel. Today was my first day so we'll see how it goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netsavy006 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Best of luck with the Seroquel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatty Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Good luck terrie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrie Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 Thanks for the luck but it didn't work! My body has developed shakes. Involuntary shakes that I can't control. I was on seroquel before and this happened but the dr thought it was a result of the whole med combo, not the seroquel. They got really bad before (I threw a fork at my husband at the dinner table) so I don't want to get there again. Ugh!!!! I'll never get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netsavy006 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 There are still other AAPs you can consider. Remember my list from my other post: Zyprexa, Risperdal, Invega, Geodon. They may not cause the same problems that you are having now. I don't know. Each person is different so I can't say for sure what will happen. I wish you the best of luck in your treatment decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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