Abilify for Autism User Reviews (Page 2)

• KAL...
• March 13, 2017

"After 15 years of suffering from all kinds of behaviors and aggression, we found the best neurologist in the world who cured my son of autism, and it was a cure. If he was able to control the behavior, then he cured him to me. My son took 7. 5 abilify in the morning, along with 2500 mg of depakene chrono. At night, he took one 25 mg seroquel and depakene and 0. 25 clonazepam. My life has changed, life is beautiful once you find the right combination. Abilify is a good medication. I love it."

• ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 2, 2020

"15-year-old son was prescribed Abilify for anxiety and aggression that started recently. It stopped the aggression and regulated his sleep cycle nicely. However, after 5 months, he started having crying episodes and seemed depressed, mixed with mood swings. Side effects included drooling and feeling like he had to pee but couldn't. It amplified fixated/recurring thoughts to the point of serious debilitation. Doctor advised to try reducing the dose. Found Ativan worked better when there was any potential flare-up and have used that on an as-needed basis. Reducing the dose and hoping to find a better solution."

• Ama...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 11, 2022

"My 12-year-old daughter has severe ADHD, PTSD, and we are still looking into Autism. She started taking Abilify when she was 5 years old due to massive tantrums. It was a miracle when she started taking it. When she was 8 years old, I asked the doctor to change her medication because she seemed to have developed a tolerance and it no longer was working as well. At first, I didn’t see how downhill it sent her. She wasn’t throwing the tantrums anymore. But for the first time, she started having major problems at school. Not with her behavior so much as her lack of self-control. She was singing or humming and completely unable to focus. It took going to a new doctor to get her back on after 4 years off of it. The difference is again life-changing. She has not had any weight gain or side effects."

• Sue...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 26, 2021

"This type of medication is not for autism. It was okay for a month while my son was distracted by the side effects. He then became more aggressive and argumentative and was hyperactive. He also developed OCD. Risperidone did not work either, and he had tics on it."

• low...
• August 28, 2017

"My 23-year-old started Abilify (adding two Topamax and Zoloft). She had been exhibiting some outbursts and not leaving her apartment. We only started medicating her when she developed seizures at age 14, and it has been nothing but a series of meds since. I am happy to report that Abilify has seemed to be helpful. She wants to get out more and hasn't had an outburst in months."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 28, 2018

"This was for my son. The side effects are worse than the original problems: extreme weight gain, immediate food cravings, excessive thirst, high triglycerides made worse, vision changes immediately. Trying to get my son off the medication is making the symptoms worse with behavior and insomnia. He is no longer needing to eat non-stop, and he doesn’t use his glasses all day anymore, if at all, which is how it was before. He has had many almost psychotic episodes, screaming that he doesn’t know what he wants to do and completely unable to go to sleep. He has separation anxiety, cannot be alone, increased aggression, and work refusal at school. It’s been a month of trying to wean him off. Gradually, every step down causes more problems like this. I highly recommend not trying this drug. I was pressured into it by the hospital and my ex-husband against my wishes."

• Kie...
• June 14, 2020

"I've had horrible shaking all over my body, even on the smallest dose (2.5 mg), to the point where I couldn't walk and was escorted in a wheelchair in my room. This medication was given to me for no apparent reason, like everyone else in the ward (autistic and non-autistic). I was the only one not handling it."

• Han...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 14, 2023

"It was awful. I was on it on/off from age 13 to 20. It made my depression worse, there were days I would come home from school and start crying even when school was going really well for me. I also gained a lot of weight (about 60 lbs total) despite living in a household that served healthy portions and encouraged exercise. It helped short-term with impulse control when I was getting in trouble at school and had anger issues, but the pros definitely didn’t outweigh the cons. I’ve also noticed doctors tend to give it out to kids as young as 6 years old who have autism or bipolar or even just have a troubled life. They hand it out like candy. This needs to stop."

• Mam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 27, 2019

"We recently tried this for my autistic 10-year-old son. His dose went from 1 ml to 10 ml over two weeks, and his behavior spiraled out of control with every increase. He just went from bad to worse to horrific. He couldn’t control his thoughts! He became uncontrollably aggressive and wanted to hurt himself. We ended up phoning Emergency Pediatrics, and they put him back onto Risperidone, and everything returned to normal. This is an awful medication."

• Ric...
• June 27, 2019

"My son, 20 years old, autistic. He started having aggression, lots of anxiety. Dr. put him on Abilify, 10 mg in the morning, 10 mg at night. His aggression is worse, and he's also taking Depakote due to a couple of seizures in his teenage years. To make a story short, the Abilify is not helping at all, and his psychiatrist wants me to give him 30 mg. I'm lost, don’t know what to do."

• mrs...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 10, 2018

"We had my grandson on Abilify for a year, and we upped his dosage and down it as well, yet his aggression never stopped. We finally got him weaned off, and his aggressive behavior has increased severely, also, his tics have increased. He can't stop moving, he was hitting his feet and head because his brain is not connecting to his right thoughts. He is high-functioning autism. I do not recommend this drug to them at all."

• mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 3, 2024

"I love Abilify. For me, it doesn't change my appetite at all. My relationship with my family is way better now since I'm not easily annoyed anymore :) I'm not sure why my appetite hasn't changed much though. Was it because of the Ritalin I also took? I take Abilify with Ritalin since I also have ADHD."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 14, 2021

"My son is 14 now. He was on 1 mg of Abilify for about two years. It was a nightmare, but he'd become suicidal when we'd try to quit it. His personality changed. He went from being a vegetarian to wanting to hunt and ate meat every meal. He developed bizarre sexual interests, craved alcohol, became so aggressive I couldn't get him to school, and suffered a manic episode and psychotic break requiring hospitalization. He craved sweets constantly and gained 50 pounds. Please think twice before letting your child try this drug. He's on Zyprexa and Depakote now and has never been better."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2021

"My daughter, diagnosed with level one autism, ADHD, and OCD, has been taking aripiprazole 2.5 mg at dinner time for about three months. She used to have daily sensory-related meltdowns over how her clothes felt. She hasn’t had one in about two months (so, about a month after she started this med). She had the meltdowns daily for six years, and I’m not exaggerating. This medication has been so helpful for my daughter (and our entire family), and it helps her to sleep better too!"

• Ang...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2021

"Our 15-year-old son was put on Abilify to help with violent tics/outbursts. It seemed to help at first. He seemed more mellow. But slowly they upped his dosage. The tics/outbursts became more frequent, and he would not sleep at night. We took him off Abilify. The tics/outbursts still happen, but it's more of an occasional thing versus every single day - multiple times a day. He's been given Clonidine to help him sleep. It puts him to sleep - but we still contend with him getting up every night and sometimes not going back to sleep."

• KTa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 11, 2021

"I take it with Lexapro, and it’s been amazing for my depression and irritability. I feel better than I have in years. The only side effects I don’t care for are the insomnia/waking up in the middle of the night."

• Jax...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 19, 2016

"My 18-year-old son has been on 2 mg for 15 months; he was never aggressive but got irritable after our divorce. He started having issues puking with anxiety. He continues to have issues with repeated vomiting. He has not gained weight, and I am now thinking that is because he vomits so much. :("

• Evi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 25, 2018

"Took them for a year. Didn't really do much, and the side effects outweighed the benefits. It started a pattern of new insomnia where I wake up multiple times a night, so I went off of it and got really irritating and anxiety-triggering dyskinesia. Over a year since I've taken them, and the sleep problems have not stopped. It absolutely fried my short-term memory. People are always telling me the same thing over and over again because I can't remember things anymore."

• Kin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 28, 2022

"Abilify was used for my son with autism for one year. Abilify 7.5 mg helped with eloping and stemming behaviors. When Abilify was increased to 15 mg, there was even more aggression. Strattera was added for focus, however, it did nothing for the aggression. The psychiatrist mixed this drug with Strattera 40 mg and hydroxyzine 50 mg, which was for trouble sleeping. Different dose amounts were used between all three of these drugs, but nothing helped his aggression."

• Aut...
• October 8, 2021

"My 11-year-old son was on Guanfacine for a good 5 years, then it stopped working and he was without meds for like a year or so, but he started to get anxious, so the doctor put him on Risperdal, but it seemed not to help, so it was stopped, and he was okay for a good 8 months until he started to develop some kind of bad attitude, aggressive. So the doctor put him on Abilify 2 mg, he is doing wonderful on it, no weight gain at all, no more than 10 lbs. He was super skinny, so a couple of pounds won't hurt. My 4-year-old, also with autism, has severe sensory issues, he could go 3 to 4 days without sleep and rock back and forth, banging his head, etc. I tried 3 meds, none of them seemed to work. Then he was put on Risperdal and is doing amazing on it. My point is meds won't work for some and will do amazing for others."

• Key...
• October 9, 2021

"First 2 days on this, my 27-year-old son is agitated. Doesn’t know what to do with himself. Can’t sleep. Wants to eat all the time. Cries and self-injures if left alone. He is nonverbal, so analyzing by observation, I would say this is the wrong med for him."

• Mat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 15, 2021

"This really helped my rage/irritability, but not possible to continue taking due to severe weight gain. I was put on it when I was 12, and it completely halted my metabolism. I was 75 lbs when I started it, and within 2 months I was 140 lbs. I went from a double zero size to a size 13 in just 8 weeks. I no joke could gain weight from eating an apple. I have stretch marks and extra skin to this day (12 years later) from it. I got off it as soon as we switched doctors (my doctor at the time refused)."

• Sop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 7, 2025

"I took 2 mg of Abilify, and I now see a reason to keep living my life. I’ll make it to 18. My ugly thoughts are less. They are weakened. I am able to say no to them. I am happier. I no longer cry and scream at the tiniest things. I no longer lash out at people. I feel at peace. I feel emotionally regulated. Please don’t be scared to try this med out. It really, REALLY helps with emotional regulation. I wish the best for you all and your mental health journeys."

• Mae...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 15, 2015

"Autistic savant. High functioning. 5mg Abilify every morning. Miracle drug. So thankful for research and development of disease. Please try Abilify if you are high functioning autistic!"

• Joe...
• December 9, 2009

"Abilify works wonders, but it can have long-term side effects. Blood tests are taken every 6-8 months to make sure everything is okay."