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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jay2112 on November 24, 2022, at 20:08:25
Ok....continuing to refine my meds, and could use some input. I react to aripiprazole quite good. Normally I am a risperidone user, mostly for my Asperger's Dx, but aripiprazole seems to give a bit of a lift with the partial D2 agonism. I have been having problems with amotivation, mixed depression/anxiety. Along with my venlafaxine, a prn bromocriptine, aripiprazole and Lyrica may be the 'trick' I was looking for. Was going to try Vraylar, but it is WAY out of my affordability, and the aripiprazole seems quite tolerable.
Note, I need a full blood panel, in particular cholesterol. Anyone find the statins improve mental health?
Thanks,
Jay (The mental health 'hacker' :)
Posted by rjlockhart37 on November 25, 2022, at 19:08:20
In reply to Abilify (aripiprazole) for BP2 Depression,anxiety?, posted by jay2112 on November 24, 2022, at 20:08:25
i take lipitor, for high cholesterol. When i was in a psych they did blood tests, and hey said your cholesterol levels are very high and to see a doctor. But no i don't really notice anything psychoactive about it. I take lipitor at night before bed, it just seems like a body medication rather than mental health medication. Sometimes i don't even take it, but i have too, because my doctor told my cholesterol levels are very, very high. So, that's what i take, don't notice any mental change with it. But that's interesting post, abilify is mildly stimulating, i only took it once for about a month 14 years ago.
I remember it had some stimulation, and mood improvement. I take Latuda now, and it's SKYrocket high on money to take it. I don't even like it, they say Latuda is suppose to have antidepressant properties for bipolar 1 depression. Nope, no mood improvement, only slowing rebalancing of thoughts. Hope more antidepressant antipsychotics will come out. Rexulti i've heard is good. Lipitor is my medication for heart attack prevention, its good med.
Posted by rjlockhart37 on November 25, 2022, at 19:14:44
In reply to Re: Abilify (apiprazole) for BP2 Depression,anxiet, posted by rjlockhart37 on November 25, 2022, at 19:08:20
latuda vs abilify - latuda, they said its suppose to have antidepressant properties. It does not, with me. I take 120mg for bipolar depression, it does not help my mood, all i notice is it's like zyprexa but without the sedation. It's so expensive, and they advertise latuda here in the US like crazy, it does produce slowing of thoughts, lowers mania, but it's depression improvement with me, it does not work. Abilify made me agitated, i remember, that's why i quit. If im in a good mood, and take latuda, it will lower my neurotransmitters, and i notice a sink. It's suppose to regulate depression, but i've repeated myself, it does not work with depression at all, and sometimes i don't want to take it because it would make too stabilized, over stabilized where you feel zombied. It's a good, many people i've read have responded very, very well to it. Everyone's different, rexulti seems to have better antidepressant properties than latuda
Posted by Christ_empowered on November 29, 2022, at 9:32:58
In reply to Abilify (aripiprazole) for BP2 Depression,anxiety?, posted by jay2112 on November 24, 2022, at 20:08:25
hi. i take aripiprazole full dose for...my affliction. big benefit? gets the job done, sort of...works in the background, compared to the other atypicals. non-sedating, no twitches or tremor. i did get a bad episode of what seems...looking back..to have been at least partially drug-induced depressive episode @ 30mgs/day. I do better @ 15, currently @ 20 because of some agitation. moving on...
for you...I'm assuming here there's no psychotic depression, mega intense agitation, severe mood swings, that kind of thing...
I would think/assume the goal would be some mild tranquilizer activity plus a mild stimulating effect, with an eye to minimizing adverse effects.
even in severe diagnoses, the lowest effective dose of -any- (all!) major tranquilizers is still the goal dosage. So, in your case, I would think the lower the better, within reason.
If I recall correctly, 1 and 5 mgs tablets are available. The 10 tablets are scored (I think?), so that would make for easier and more accurate dosage splitting, too.
I recall reading an expert's approach to what was then off label use of Abilify. low dose it, every 2nd or 3rd day dosing. Please keep in mind; Abilify has a long, long half life. Even in my more severe diagnostic category, that's not always a good thing...
a dosage that seems easy to tolerate and pleasant or at least...not unpleasant, lol...
can build up over time. Creepy thing? When that happened to me, it basically resulted in all chemically-induced hibernation and cocooning that the old school shrinks write about with Thorazine, etc...
but without EPS, akathisia, or stiff gait. eek.
so, yeah. I'd -seriously- recommend low dosing it, trying to only take in every 2nd or 3rd day...and antioxidants to reduce the risk of TD (some smaller studies seem to suggest a reduction in akathisia and acute EPS, too.).
the end :-)
Posted by jay2112 on November 29, 2022, at 11:50:23
In reply to Re: Abilify (aripiprazole) for BP2 Depression,anxiety?, posted by Christ_empowered on November 29, 2022, at 9:32:58
Thanks C_E (and RJ :)I am taking about 1-2 mg every second day. I am on a whopper dose of Tegretol (carbamazapine) 500mg's 2x a day, which kills agitation *dead*...thankfully, because I take Effexor, and that CAUSES agitation...so it's a balancing act. I have mild Asperger's, so the Abilify AND Risperdal I take tame that angle.
I know it seems like a LOT of meds, but to me, they balance each other out..creating a clarity like I haven't seen in years!! (If needed, I take a combo bromocriptine and lyrica for a boost...but that is prn.)
I have been on meds for almost 30 years now....and am really only just getting a Zen kinda balance. No freak out...no yelling...no wanting to harm. Plus, I have a counsellor, and am working on life skills. But, honestly, JUST BEING....I don't care about having to prove anything, or BE anyone special. Just waking up, with my little cat, in my little apartment...with some food, warmth...going out for a nice walk with tunes. I HATE this idea of ambition, that WE HAVE to prove ourselves or whatever. Bullcrap. Just being a nice, good person....that's it, really.
Okay..../turn-off-lecture..lol.
Jay :)
Posted by SLS on December 3, 2022, at 18:34:01
In reply to Re: Abilify (apiprazole) for BP2 Depression,anxiet, posted by rjlockhart37 on November 25, 2022, at 19:08:20
> i take lipitor, for high cholesterol. When i was in a psych they did blood tests, and hey said your cholesterol levels are very high and to see a doctor. But no i don't really notice anything psychoactive about it. I take lipitor at night before bed, it just seems like a body medication rather than mental health medication. Sometimes i don't even take it, but i have too, because my doctor told my cholesterol levels are very, very high. So, that's what i take, don't notice any mental change with it. But that's interesting post, abilify is mildly stimulating, i only took it once for about a month 14 years ago.
>
> I remember it had some stimulation, and mood improvement. I take Latuda now, and it's SKYrocket high on money to take it. I don't even like it, they say Latuda is suppose to have antidepressant properties for bipolar 1 depression. Nope, no mood improvement, only slowing rebalancing of thoughts. Hope more antidepressant antipsychotics will come out. Rexulti i've heard is good. Lipitor is my medication for heart attack prevention, its good med.What about iloperidone (Fanapt)?
I was never impressed with Latuda for treating depression as monotherapy.
- Scott
This is the end of the thread.
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