netsavy006 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 It's the 5th day on Abilify 5mg. I'm still having anxiety, restlessness, and trouble swallowing. I'm wondering if I should make a call to my pdoc tomorrow about what is going on or if I should wait it out longer until my next appt. My next appt isn't until 4/16. I don't want to rush myself off of Abilify but I don't want to be anxious, restless, and have swallowing difficulties either. What is a person like me to do? I admit it was my mistake for going on Abilify in the first place, but what do I do now to rectify the current situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 If you're having intolerable side effects, I don't think it's out of line to call your pdoc. Maybe she can slow the taper or give you some extra benzo to smooth things over. I guess there is a possibility that you could earn some brownie points by putting up with it, but most pdocs want to know about stuff like intolerable withdrawal symptoms - it's part of their job to deal with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netsavy006 Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 Well it's not withdrawal because I was having these problems on the 10mg too. She tells me I'm on a high dose of the Valium so I don't think she's going to go the extra benzo route. I'd like to put up with the side effects but they are bothersome and Mom tells me there really isn't anything that she can do, but I'd like to give something a try anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Okay, well if it's not withdrawal, when is your next scheduled dose decrease? i.e. when will you be dropping below 5 mg? There probably isn't very much she can do about it if it's not withdrawal - the only thing she can do is take you off the med, and she's already doing that. You could possibly ask for a faster taper, but if it's not withdrawal there's not much to be done for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 The only thing you can do now is to stop the abilify. You now have akathesia on all doses of the med. Call the doc up, explain the situation, and get her permission to stop the medication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netsavy006 Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Called pdoc yesterday. She called me back today. She decreased the Abilify in 1/2. Now I'll be taking 2.5mg of Abilify daily instead. It's not a full withdrawal from the medication but it's at least something in my eyes so I guess I'll have some stuff to deal with in the meantime. At least this will help prevent withdrawal effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netsavy006 Posted April 11, 2009 Author Share Posted April 11, 2009 I called the psychiatric on call service because I was still having anxiety issues on the 2.5mg of Abilify. It was my 5th dose today. The doctor on call told me to discontinue the Abilify. I'd like to know now is how long will the Abilify remain in my system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowen Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Abilify's half-life is 75 hours. I think I heard once that it's completely out of your system in 19 - 20 days - not sure if that's true, though. FWIW, I felt OK after about a week off of Abilify. I've read a few of your posts here and on the CrazyMeds site, and I hope that you'll be able to look into other options besides Abilify. There are a lot of meds out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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