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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 Alvin on July 12, 2005, at 6:33:29
Many of you "held my hand" as I got started on abilify and gave terrific suggestions for combatting nausea and other bothersome side effects (from peppermint capsules to reducing the dose and going up much slower than my pdoc originally suggested). I have been on abilify for 26 days and it has helped me reduce my dosage/use of ativan. My problems are bipolar II and GAD. I have found that I am able to tolerate 2.5 mgs abilify . AT that dose, some of my rumination, anxiety and depression have been lifted. When I went up to 5 mgs, I found it INCREASED all three. So I went down to 2.5 and am doing better. Question: does anyone know if low dose prozac can be used with abilify to help augment the good effect on rum, anx, and dep? I used prozac very sucessfully years ago but became hypomanic on it. Wondered if with abilify as a mood stabilizer, I could go back on it again. Warm thoughts to all of you.....Alvin (real name is Sue, but a favorite cartoon of mine growing up was Alvin and the chipmunks)
Posted by Ilene on July 13, 2005, at 12:54:16
In reply to Abilify and my continuing experience with it, posted by Alvin on July 12, 2005, at 6:33:29
I'm taking 10 mg of Abilify (used to be 20) and 60 mg of Prozac for depression. They don't do a lot for me; I want to quit the Abilify and I will be upping the Prozac. However, I've had no problems w/ the combo as far as side effects.
I.
Posted by Alvin on July 13, 2005, at 13:14:06
In reply to Re: Abilify and my continuing experience with it » Alvin, posted by Ilene on July 13, 2005, at 12:54:16
Ilene, I wish I could go on Prozac without anything else; are you able to go on an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer?
> I'm taking 10 mg of Abilify (used to be 20) and 60 mg of Prozac for depression. They don't do a lot for me; I want to quit the Abilify and I will be upping the Prozac. However, I've had no problems w/ the combo as far as side effects.
>
> I.
Posted by Ilene on July 13, 2005, at 15:27:28
In reply to Re: Abilify and my continuing experience with it » Ilene, posted by Alvin on July 13, 2005, at 13:14:06
> Ilene, I wish I could go on Prozac without anything else; are you able to go on an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer?
>No meds have worked for me for a long time in any of the combos I've tried. I had success a long time ago with desipramine and with Prozac, but they both pooped out. I can't remember all the meds I've tried. I'm doing a little better on a higher dose of Prozac, but it's only marginally better, and it could be due to changes I've made in my personal life or just the natural fluctuation in the disease. "Better" meaning I don't want to kill myself, but neither am I enjoying life. I'll be going to a new pdoc in a month; maybe she will have some new ideas.
ECT didn't do anything for me either, except take away a lot of memory.
I.
Posted by andromeda on July 14, 2005, at 9:59:17
In reply to Abilify and my continuing experience with it, posted by Alvin on July 12, 2005, at 6:33:29
Hi,
I have been on 2.5 mg of Abilify for about 2 weeks now and also find it better than 5 mgs. I have been playing with the dose for about a year now. I have been up to 15 mgs.
My experience with Prozac and all of the SSRI's is that they make me feel good for about 3 days and than I crash into irritability,anxiety,rumination etc. So they are either making me hypomanic or the medication builds up in my body and makes it worse. Could be a combination of both. Without a test I don't know and the test would cost way to much to find out. I was never able to split a dose of prozac or any other SSRI in small enough mg to get it right. I am Bipolar II also.
I am currently on 150 mg of Lamictal and increasing the dose from 50 mg to 150 has helped a lot. Even with abilify and Lamictal as mood stabilizers I have not been able to take SSRI's.
If you want to try an SSRI I would start at the smallest dose you can get.
Andromeda
This is the end of the thread.
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