MelancholyBunny Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I note the other thread about Abilify making you feel a little 'up' or 'activated'. I definitely have this feeling constantly, am shopping like a crazy person, etc, etc. I hate that 'wired and tired' feeling of this med. I take my Abilify in the morning, but no matter what, can't seem to get any real sleep. I take a small handful of Klonopin at night which buys me about 3 hours at most, and then I'm bouncing off the walls again. Is anyone that's taking Abilify having any success with sleeping at night? If so, what are you doing/taking? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I take Abilify (10 mg.) in the morning and seldom have trouble sleeping. Then again, I am on Restoril to help me sleep. Tommy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beetle Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I take it before bed and the first few nights I tossed and turned like crazy. But now, I go right to sleep and sleep pretty well. I do take the Abilify with Klonopin at night but I've been on only Abilify at night and could still sleep. How long have you been taking it? At what dose? What is your Dx? I'm no expert but I'll do a little armchair analysis... since Abilify is often used as an add-on med to ADs, and it is very activating for some people, then I would suspect it is possible that it could be problematic for someone with a bipolar spectrum disorder. In other words, it might be making you a bit manic. The energy and shopping and no sleep thing makes me wonder. Everyone's different so I can't tell you why I can sleep and you can't. It might not be the right med for you, you might not have been on it long enough, or you might not be at the right dose. Definitely talk to your doctor about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moody Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 It is very dose dependent for me. If I take 1mg, I feel incredibly wired, but if I take 2.5mg I cant stay awake. My pdoc wanted me to go back down to 1mg (started rapid cycling on 2.5mg) so now I take Remeron at night, and I sleep really well, and no longer feel wired. Are you taking any other meds besides Klonepin? I found Abilify to be difficult to take on its own, at any dose. Works great with the Remeron though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelancholyBunny Posted July 1, 2009 Author Share Posted July 1, 2009 Thanks everyone for your advice! I'll be talking to me pdoc in a month as she's away at the moment. Was just trying to see if I could find something else that's good for insomnia that I could get my general doctor to prescribe. Yep, I should have given a bit more info. I'm bipolar (welll done on the armchair analysis beetle ) and taking 10mg Abilify each morning, about 1mg Ativan during the day and 4-5mg Klonopin (although called something different in Australia) each night. I've been on this all for about a month. The Klonopin only buys me a few hours sleep though. I don't think benzos do much for me. Anyone tried Ambien or any other non-benzos for sleep? Unfortunately Seroquell is not an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurochs Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Have you tried any of the antihistamines? Something as simple as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) might work for you. Failing that, hydroxyzine (Vistaril) or doxepin might also work; however, both are prescription medications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddha443556 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 If you try a antihistamine like Benadryl or Vistaril, you'll probably need something to switch off to when they become ineffective, you build up a tolerance to the sedative effect in about a week. The GABA drugs like Ambein will also become ineffective because build up of tolerance however would be a good choice as a secondary. Tricycles antidepressants, like Doxepin, probably come with too many extra side effects to make them a good choice for sleep. I would stay away from the benzos too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
int23 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 If you try a antihistamine like Benadryl or Vistaril, you'll probably need something to switch off to when they become ineffective, you build up a tolerance to the sedative effect in about a week. The GABA drugs like Ambein will also become ineffective because build up of tolerance however would be a good choice as a secondary. Tricycles antidepressants, like Doxepin, probably come with too many extra side effects to make them a good choice for sleep. I would stay away from the benzos too. Something to add here is Trazodone. It's a mild anti-depressant but knocks me out cold with little to no "train wreck" feeling the next day. I've taken it with APs before and it still works. I'm about to start Abilify so I'm hoping I don't have the wired feeling like others do. I'm already BPII/Rapid Cycling so I don't think I need anything that will provoke a further manic condition, so I'm really iffy about this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marie Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 If you try a antihistamine like Benadryl or Vistaril, you'll probably need something to switch off to when they become ineffective, you build up a tolerance to the sedative effect in about a week. The GABA drugs like Ambein will also become ineffective because build up of tolerance however would be a good choice as a secondary. Tricycles antidepressants, like Doxepin, probably come with too many extra side effects to make them a good choice for sleep. I would stay away from the benzos too. Something to add here is Trazodone. It's a mild anti-depressant but knocks me out cold with little to no "train wreck" feeling the next day. I've taken it with APs before and it still works. I'm about to start Abilify so I'm hoping I don't have the wired feeling like others do. I'm already BPII/Rapid Cycling so I don't think I need anything that will provoke a further manic condition, so I'm really iffy about this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Überpolarbear Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Abilify is not for everyone. my doc said the agitation and activation could go away after 2 weeks but it didnt. i ended up in hospital because of that and had to quit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfred Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 There are any number of hypnotic sleep meds and sedating AD's that can be used for sleep. Doxipin does not have a bad side effect profile at the lower doses used for sleep. nf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netsavy006 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 When I was taking Abilify and was having trouble sleeping I took Lunesta. I was on 15mg Abilify in the morning and 3mg of Lunesta @ bedtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kendra Turner Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Ever since I've been on abilify I've been having trouble sleeping too. I'm talking to my doctor tomorrow and see what we can do. The last thing I want is to have one more pill added to all the ones i'm taking now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.