My new plan

[netsavy006]

I notice 2 things with Abilify 10mg/day in my mix. I notice that it's increasing my anxiety and restlessness.

What my new plan is is to get off of Abilify and just remain solo on Zyprexa for mood stabilization. (I've been stable on Zyprexa in the past so I don't see this as a problem).

It's my mistake thinking I could handle Abilify differently this time but how do I explain to my doctor I made a mistake and now I'd like to work my way off of Abilify for good?

I know if I get off of Abilify I can then work off of Cogentin as I'm taking that for the side effects of Abilify and I don't get the EPS side effects from Zyprexa @ my current dose (7.5mg).

The reason for wanting to switch was because I feared some of the longer term effects of Zyprexa but if I can't handle the side effects of even lower doses of Abilify then I have to get off and stick with Zyprexa, right?

I'm just glad I never went off of Zyprexa during this period of time so I can keep it's stabilization in my system.

That's all I have to say for now. If you have comments/questions, please mention because I will try to respond as best I can. I look forward to reading replys and thanks for reading my post.

Andy...

[gizmo]

I notice 2 things with Abilify 10mg/day in my mix. I notice that it's increasing my anxiety and restlessness.

Akathesia once, akathesia always.

What my new plan is is to get off of Abilify and just remain solo on Zyprexa for mood stabilization. (I've been stable on Zyprexa in the past so I don't see this as a problem).

Yes, there is a problem. You have been obsessing about the side effects of zyprexa for a week now, and have already posted about it. And you haven't even went solo on it yet. You are going to have to find a med that you can live with that you don't obsess over. You will never stay on the med otherwise. The "micromanaging" won't stop otherwise.

It's my mistake thinking I could handle Abilify differently this time but how do I explain to my doctor I made a mistake and now I'd like to work my way off of Abilify for good?

You are just going to have to tell the doc "I can't take the Abilify" and let the chips fall where they may.

I know if I get off of Abilify I can then work off of Cogentin as I'm taking that for the side effects of Abilify and I don't get the EPS side effects from Zyprexa @ my current dose (7.5mg).

The reason for wanting to switch was because I feared some of the longer term effects of Zyprexa but if I can't handle the side effects of even lower doses of Abilify then I have to get off and stick with Zyprexa, right?

Huh? There are more than two BP meds other than zyprexa and abilify. I know I'm not the first to say this. If you don't want the long term effects of zyprexa, that probably won't happen to you, don't take it. If you get akathesia on abilify, for goodness sake stop taking it.

I'm just glad I never went off of Zyprexa during this period of time so I can keep it's stabilization in my system.

You do know that you were still on low, but theraputic, levels of abilify, right? Akathesia doesn't make the med stop working. And zyprexa works within 24-48 hours, so it's not like you needed a head start to start taking it.

Bottom line, you need to explore other medication options. I know you've stated before that you've taken some of the AP's, and refused some of the AP's. But you can't refuse to take an AP because of a 1 in 1000 chance side effect. And there are some meds, like lithium, that are like gold in a pill that do come with some side effects that you have to live with. I think you are never going to be happy on the zyprexa. You will always obsess. Try and find a med that helps you and at the same time helps you not obsess. But see a therapist so you can learn to accept the fact that these are potent meds and you may have to live with a side effect from time to time. Do you really want to live the rest of your life like you are right at this moment? Because it's not going to change unless you change it.

[netsavy006]

That's why I want to see my doctor later this week (when I have my appt.) and work my way down from Abilify. I don't want to live with the anxiety and restlessness, but I'd rather wait because it's not an emergency need. I don't want to do any adjustments with my medication without my doctor's permission. I feel more comfortable taking the Zyprexa now then I did in the past even though I did make the post earlier on what my chances are of becoming diabetic and having increased cholesterol. Seeing the results, it makes me feel very comfortable taking it knowing that the chances are low.

I've taken other AAPs before and have gotten strange side effects from them before (more that Mom noticed) so I cannot take them. That's why I'm more 'stuck' with Zyprexa, which I don't mind at this point, so long as it helps me remain mood stable. 7.5mg though is my limit because anything higher actually gives me EPS/akathisia too, just like other AAPs so I'm 'stuck' with this particular dosage, and my pdoc is no fool. She looked back in my old charts and found that I did incredibly well on this particular dosage over a 6 month period but I was the one that manipulated her into getting me to stop taking it, so it was bad judgment on my part.

I ask Mom once every day how I am doing and she tells me either that I'm doing fine or that I'm stable, so the Zyprexa must be doing it's job (in my opinion). I notice that I don't have the thoughts of hurting myself while taking Zyprexa so it is doing something. Plus it does help me to sleep at night so that's another benefit I get from Zyprexa. Plus, it decreases my anxiety levels too (when not on combo w/ Abilify).

I'm guessing that Zyprexa is going to have to be part of my long term mix and I'm going to have to be comfortable with that, which day by day I'm becoming more comfortable with. I just told Mom this morning, I have to get off of Abilify because of the anxiety and restlessness increase and she told me that was going to happen (w/ the Abilify). What will be nice is that when the Abilify get's out of my system, the pdoc and I can work me off of Cogentin too because like I said above I don't get EPS/akathisia on Zyprexa 7.5mg. This would reduce my med cocktail dramatically.

I'm working day by day trying to accept the fact that I can't take other AAPs and only Zyprexa is the one I will have to take. But I'm getting there. Zyprexa is just going to be part of my long term mix. As long as I keep doing what I've been doing (eating right and walking daily), I know I'm going to be fine on Zyprexa.

I guess that's all I have to say at this moment.

Thanks for reading my ridiculously long post and I hope it explains something.

Andy...

[netsavy006]

Well I saw my regular psychiatrist today and she is fine with me working off of Abilify. She told me to go back to 5mg of Abilify and made an appt for 2 weeks. I asked her if we'd then work further on the decreasing of Abilify and she said "we'll see". I'm so glad to be working off of Abilify because the side effects (increased anxiety and restlessness, difficulty getting to sleep, and trouble swallowing) was not worth the benefit (some mood elevation). I'm so glad that I have a medication in my system to replace the Abilify so I won't have to worry about what to take in it's place. Zyprexa has been very helpful to me. And to top it all off, I'm still loosing weight while on it. I lost 2 more pounds. I went from 137 to 135lbs. I'm a BMI of 21. My psychiatrist told me not to worry about the long term side effects because I'm very healthy. I'll be sure to watch my diet and exercise very carefully so that I can continue to have benefit with the medication. I'm hopeful that I can work off of Abilify, and then stabilize only on Topamax, Valium, and Zyprexa. (I wouldn't need Cogentin because I don't get EPS/Akathisia from Zyprexa @ 7.5mg.)