Anyone on Abilify??

My doctor decided he wanted to try ANOTHER med along with my Lexapro (which isn't working... sigh).

Last year it was Adderall, which is for ADHD. I don't have ADHD, and I'm not hyper. He said it should give me energy because it will act like the amphetamine it is. I don't know about you, but to me, that was scary. I didn't do well on it, so I went off it.

Now he wants me to try Abilify. From all the commercials I watched, it's for people who are manic. I'm not manic, lol, just depressed. This is supposed to be more like a tranquilizer. UMMMMM.... I'm depressed and you're giving me a tranquilizer.

I'm really confused. I haven't picked it up yet from the pharmacy, but I'm wondering if it's going to knock me out?! :eek: That's not what I need.

I just wish I could feel "normal" with something.


Sidenote, I am starting a day time treatment program next week. I'm kinda anxious because this is going to be putting it all out there, and having to actually talk about things. I don't talk. I write. I don't talk out loud cause it's impossible to put things in words. Ugh. I'm so not looking forward to that part of the treatment. :( I'm taking a medical sabbatical from work, which means I'm getting 1/2 pay, so wish me luck that I can get things straight by the end of January when I have to go back. I'm also not allowed to work at all during my medical sabbatical, which means I can't work my part time job either. If anyone would see me, and report me, I'd lose my job. This sucks. I so need the extra cash.

Any ideas for work from home??

I don't know anything about Abilify, but I have been where you are. I know how frustrating it can be while trying to find the right meds. ((((hugs)))) hope it works for you!

I don't know about any of the meds but the talking stuff sounds good. I'm sure it will be hard but in the end, it might help create a major change. Maybe to start, you could write what you want to say and then read it out loud and hopefully it will get a bit easier as you go along. I hope it all goes well. :)

There always seems to be a shortage of petsitters wherever I live. Once people find a good petsitter, they never want to let them go! Could make some extra money with that. I have a friend who petsits but does it at her home. I think she charges something like 16.00 per 24 hours for dogs and a bit less for cats. She has two rooms with nothing in them except large dog crates for bed time. The rest of the time she lets them hang out in the house and yard. You could maybe do it with just cats though. Could be tough with the ones you've already got though. I know I couldn't do it right now but maybe in the future. I even thought how neat it would be to open a cat boarding place and make it so cozy for the cats. I was thinking how I could send the pet owners email updates so they could read how their pets were getting along while they were on vacation. My friend and I do this for each other when we take care of each other's pets. :)

I have been seeing them advertise that Abilify on TV and I couldn't believe it! So instead of taking one medicine that isn't working, they now have another to take with it.... It makes no sense to me..

When my mother was an undergraduate at Clark University - part of only the second class of women allowed to attend the college, back during WWII, her psychology professor told the class in quite a matter-of-fact tone that he was sure that in ten years' time, medical science would know everything there was to know about the human brain.

Sadly, of course, he was wrong. Everyone's brain chemistry is different, and different medication effect people's brains differently. I hope that, working with your doctors, you are able to find something that works for you.

I'm going to PM you. :) I have seen Abilify work as a phenomenal anti-depressant.

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Originally Posted by CathyBogart

I'm going to PM you. :) I have seen Abilify work as a phenomenal anti-depressant.

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Thank you!

I've seen it advertised but haven't had experience w/it nor do I know anyone who has. Just wanted to send some encouragement your way and a suggestion that maybe you can email to yourself what you need to say. That way you're talking to someone else (sort of) and you can print it and then read it to your counselor. Also, I like Emeraldgreen's suggestion about pet sitting or house sitting. House cleaning might be another job that you could try and would slip under the radar. Best wishes you to you, Jenn, my dear friend. PM me if you need to "write". LOL ;):love:

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Originally Posted by Medusa

House cleaning might be another job that you could try and would slip under the radar. Best wishes you to you, Jenn, my dear friend. PM me if you need to "write". LOL ;):love:

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YIKES.. house cleaning. Would I have to use mine as an example?! :eek: :p


Thanks Mary, I may just take you up on that!

I didn't pick up the Abilify yet. I went to the pharmacy (Walgreens) and they were ALL OUT of it!! Now that is some good marketing and commercializing they are doing if there are that many people on it that the pharmacy was out!

As with all meds, this one has positive and negative effects. For some it might be a godsend, for others it would make them hit bottom. If you're worried about it you could maybe start with the writing part of the therapy and see if you can manage without the meds. If you decide to give the meds a try you can always pick them up while still doing the writing therapy.