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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Christ_empowered on January 31, 2011, at 2:21:59
I'm on Abilify and celexa. I'm taking 20mgs celexa and I'm supposed to be taking 30mgs Abilify, but I'd like to reduce my dose.
Anyway, I was wondering if maybe switching to seroquel could be good for me. Since its generic in some countries, I figure I could get the old school seroquel (no insurance; I get my meds from India) and take it 2-3x daily. I could also order some metformin to take with it, and I think that could help mitigate potential weight gain.
I just don't know what to do with the Abilify. Its just so potent--there's a huge difference between 15 and 30mgs, for instance--and I kinda think that with seroquel I'd have more anxiety relief, so maybe I wouldn't need to take celexa anymore. Then again..I hate feeling "dulled out," and seroquel is kind of a horse tranquilizer.
But at least seroquel is lower potency, so I'd have more room to make dosage adjustments. Its also more sedating, so if I needed to go up in dose I think I might be able to get needed anti-agitation/anxiety action from small, as-needed dosage increases.
Which medication--Abilify or Seroquel--do you think is more likely to cause TD? I was thinking Abilify might be worse than Seroquel, but I can't find any information comparing the two in terms of TD rates. But...Seroquel is lower-potency, and with the old drugs, lower-potency meds tended to cause less TD than higher potency meds (moderate doses of thorazine vs comparable doses of Haldol apparently resulted in less TD with the Thorazine, from what I've read). I don't see any reason why the newer meds would be that much different, but then again...Abilify does have the dopamine partial agonism thing (which I don't understand, BTW).
Help!Thanks for any advice+input you all can offer.
Posted by Phillipa on January 31, 2011, at 11:14:26
In reply to maybe switch to seroquel?, posted by Christ_empowered on January 31, 2011, at 2:21:59
Hi I don't understand it either. What's your doc say about a med switch. Remember you just got stable? Please be careful. Love Phillipa
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 31, 2011, at 15:43:40
In reply to maybe switch to seroquel?, posted by Christ_empowered on January 31, 2011, at 2:21:59
I don't think you should switch to Seroquel. I suspect that it would make you feel too drowsy and you might experience a relapse on stopping Abilify.
>I kinda think that with seroquel I'd have more anxiety relief
Drowsiness and dulling does not equal anxiety relief. Seroquel causes an antihistamine-type sedation, but you can get that from an OTC sedative antihistamine if you want it... but it won't be that pleasant.
>I could also order some metformin to take with it, and I think that could help mitigate potential weight gain.
It would still cause weight gain, metformin is essentially an antidiabetic drug and is no miracle cure for obesity. In addition, metformin causes its own set of side effects.
>Which medication--Abilify or Seroquel--do you think is more likely to cause TD?
I don't think there's sufficient evidence to make a comparison at present.
>with the old drugs, lower-potency meds tended to cause less TD than higher potency meds
I'm not sure that there's a real difference. The main problem with haloperidol was that many patients were essentially overdosed on it. Chlorpromazine was more likely to be used at appropriate doses.
Posted by Zyprexa on February 1, 2011, at 6:08:14
In reply to maybe switch to seroquel?, posted by Christ_empowered on January 31, 2011, at 2:21:59
I've never tried seroquel, but abilify gave me horible TD, so bad I almost could not work.
You could always take cogentin for TD. I take it with the perphenazine, which give me a little TD. The cogentin takes it mostly away.
I think you could get away with taking abilify every other or third day. I did that and had better results at every third day. At a much smallar dose. Like 2mg. The half life of abilify is 3 days. Every time I stoped the abilify cold turky, I had horrible withdraws that lasted 3 times the time I took the abilify. Even though I went back on the zyprexa for this time.
I have to warn you that I had very bad results from abilify and do much better on zyprexa and perphenazine.
The withdraw from the abilify was like a realy bad return of psychosis and severe anxiety.
Posted by Hombre on February 13, 2011, at 3:41:51
In reply to maybe switch to seroquel?, posted by Christ_empowered on January 31, 2011, at 2:21:59
Seroquel has mood brightening and anti-depressant effects as well, even at low doses. It might be good with something like venlafaxine, taking the edge off of what it often a very energizing AD.
This is the end of the thread.
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