Juniper29 Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 I am on a tiny dose of abilify - went from 2 mg to 5 mg a week ago. My pdoc started me on it as an adjunct to my antidepressant and also in hopes it would help with paranoid thoughts I was having. I was also hearing sirens all the time when driving and thought a stranger was going to kill me with an axe. At first the abilify seemed to work really well, I felt great, then after a month or so I started thinking again that everyone was against me and feeling very agitated. So went up to 5 mg and last night I thought my husband was accessing some secret information about me on his computer. I feel dizzy, jumpy and agitated and I had a weird visual experience this morning where I saw my car move but it didn't. I can't tell how much of this is the medicine and how much is just my brain. Maybe it's just not a good med for me? I have a call into my doctor. Just really confused and worried. Except for one episode a few years ago, the psychotic stuff is new to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 5 mg is not an effective dose for psychosis. It is a dose for depression and not that high of a dose either. In my case, low doses of Abilify caused me a lot of anxiety. Perhaps you are getting anxiety and it is feeding your psychosis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper29 Posted November 28, 2017 Author Share Posted November 28, 2017 (edited) 2 hours ago, jt07 said: 5 mg is not an effective dose for psychosis. It is a dose for depression and not that high of a dose either. In my case, low doses of Abilify caused me a lot of anxiety. Perhaps you are getting anxiety and it is feeding your psychosis? That sounds probable. Are the side effects the same or different on a higher dose, do you know? Is it worth persevering through to a higher dosage? Edited November 29, 2017 by Juniper29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper29 Posted November 29, 2017 Author Share Posted November 29, 2017 Heard back from the pdoc, she wants me to try to get through one more week and see if things settle down. I'm just not sure how anyone makes it to 15 mg or whatever the dose is supposed to be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceberg Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 It can actually be easier at higher doses as far as the anxiety/jitters 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper29 Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 So the anxiety is wearing off but now I have this horrible migraine-like headache 24/7. Today is the second day of headache. Really hoping it goes away soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceberg Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 That's a common side effect (medscape)...hopefully it will resolve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper29 Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 OK, it seems to be leveling out. I feel pretty normal today, no anxiety or paranoia and only a mild headache. I have developed a very slight tremor in my left hand and some tingling but so far it doesn't interfere with anything. I'm thinking I could continue at this dose and hope it's enough, otherwise try something else as I am not too keen to go higher on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceberg Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 As much as it sucks ...you may want to give it a chance at higher doses....it can be very different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 A mild tremor is a well known possible side effect of Abilify. It usually is manageable and should not get bad. 1 minute ago, Iceberg said: As much as it sucks ...you may want to give it a chance at higher doses....it can be very different Yes, I have found the side effects to be fewer at doses above 10 mg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper29 Posted December 2, 2017 Author Share Posted December 2, 2017 52 minutes ago, jt07 said: A mild tremor is a well known possible side effect of Abilify. It usually is manageable and should not get bad. Yes, I have found the side effects to be fewer at doses above 10 mg. Interesting... So the tremor won't automatically be worse on a higher dose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 1 hour ago, Juniper29 said: Interesting... So the tremor won't automatically be worse on a higher dose? I have not noticed that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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