Is agitation a side effect of abilify, I'm on it for depression & bipolar?

My 8 year old son was put on Abilify earlier this year. we started with 2mg, than 5mg and got to 10mg once per day. He was on 10 mg for 2 weeks only, became extremely aggressive and agitated, it was impossible for us to control. He kicked the hole on the wall, started hitting and biting us, it became a living hell. We took him off meds, his doctor is off for the holidays so we didn't have a chance to talk to her yet. The aggression did not go away even when we took him off Abilify and its scary. We don't know what to do.

I had to come off of Abilify... agitation and anxiety was way too much for me. I was sleeping about 2 hours a night and I was on a very low dose. I would be be so upset when I would shake around people. It think it was giving me panic attacks. I have been off of it for 2 months and I feel an improvement. I know we all react different to meds, but it was just too much for me. I couldn't even watch TV. It just got to the point where I was not functioning very well at all. I hope all works out for you.

That extreme agitation is called Akathisia and is very unnerving. I tried it and could stand the intensity of the akathisia and had to stop taking it.
I feel for anyone who experiences this reaction strongly as it is truly horrible.

i have been taking abilify for 4 years, along with Seroquel, Depakote and now, remeron..I have found myself to be rather stable mood wise, and I have finally been able to sleep for longer than 3 hours..i think that is the combo of th remeron and Seroquel..but I like the abilify..I did get the weight gain, but I also got it with the seroquel and Depakote..i do seem to have a problem concentrationg on anything for any period of time but never equated it to the abilify..I used to read voraciously and now I can't even get through a magazine... and I am very shaky..it is somewhat embarrassing, but that is just the way it goes, I do not take anything for anxiety, apparently my dr. doesn't believe I need it..i do hope you do well, I was taking 60 mg but now am only taking 30mg and it seems to work much better for me..good luck and keep in touch so we find out what is going on with you...
lesliehelen

As you probably know, Abilify and other 'Atipical' antipsychotics have been touted by big pharma as efficacious for depression or bipolar disorder, alone or more likely as an adjunct med. Its important to note that these meds are not necessarily any better than Lithium, Depakote, Tegretol, etc...
However, they can have serious adverse reactions such as excessive weight gain,increased cholesterol levels, and the possibility of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Ask your Dr. about any concerns you may have while taking these meds. Incidentally, the tried and true medications are far less expensive than the atipicals. Hope this is of some help. Good luck... Zeb

My doctor added Abilify to the Cymbalta that I was taking a couple of months ago. At first I felt some agitation and restlessness, but we cut the dose back and over time it has really helped. I recommend working with your doctor.

It would matter what you may be taking in addition to you abilify, please let me know and I may be able to help.

This one has a very common side effects of making you super restless to the point where you are moving around quite a bit.It seems to help cognition compared to the others. Try a different dose and see if it's bearable. It can be a lifesaver if the good outweighs the bad. Cheers.

It was one of the first meds my doctor tried me on. Within 2 weeks I had to stop because of being agatated and angry all the time. My doctor took me off completely.

Yes it can in some people my teen was put on it she was terrifying 2 me LOL she was beyound aggitated, angry, & was very rude & nasty and the worst were she spent hours crying but didnt know why... it also doubled her anxeitys & her hyperactivity it was damn near impossibly 2 keep her still 4 more than 5 min.

when i was taking abilify with my antidepressant it made me have major mood swings and severe agitation,you should talk with your doc all my doc had to do was cut the abilify down in mgs so maybe thats all they will have to do for you,hope this helps