Aripiprazole for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• AJano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 1, 2018

Abilify (aripiprazole) "Took Abilify 2mg / day for two weeks, so far so good. Upped the dosage to 5mg / day and things started to go very wrong for me. This medicine started giving me terrible panic attacks (after about a month in), and threw me into the worst mental state I’ve ever been in in my life. I also could not sit still for very long, and was generally tired throughout the day. This medicine may work well for you, but this medicine temporarily ruined my life."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 23, 2021

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I've never been diagnosed as Schizophrenic but this made me paranoid and delusional. Strong twitching and noticeable jerking movements, intense anger, frustration, anxiety, unwanted intrusive thoughts, weight gain and various other symptoms. In response, my psychiatrist increased the dose of aripiprazole and added additional meds to combat the symptoms. I stopped seeing friends, stopped attending events I had been going to on a weekly basis for years. Eventually I couldn't even go into a grocery store. 2 days after discontinuing aripiprazole (with new doc's blessing) I landed in a psychiatric ward. It never occurred to me that it was the medication's side effects and not me, my mind, my inability to just put on my "big girl pants" and deal with life. Approx 6 years since then and my mind is not the same, I'm not the same. The fallout is real. Then, I was working full time, just promoted and in school. Now, I'm on disability. It works for some but please proceed with caution."

• Rogue
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 12, 2022

Abilify (aripiprazole) "The medicine added to an antidepressant that was “pooping out” was a dream come true! I now wonder how well it may work alone… with no antidepressant drug along with it? So, it was a miracle for me— how it will effect you may be altogether different!"

• Final...
• September 29, 2014

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I have been dealing with depression/major depressive disorder for 10 years. Finally I had enough of the depressive episodes and anxiety. I'm taking Abilify 2mg (AM) and Seroquel 200mg (PM). This is the best I've felt in years. I also haven't gained weight, I did have some dizziness but that lasted about a week, and is now gone. It took about two weeks to start seeing a difference in my mood."

• NoAmm...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 10, 2016

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I have been taking Abilify for 10 yrs.I started when I was 16 yrsold after mental breakdown &going to be 26 yrsold on Oct. I never went over 15 mg. I'm currently taking 2.5 mg & I find it quite effective. I did gain some weight 15lb at the beginning but your mental health is very important. If you want to keep healthy and not gain weight while taking Abilify just eat healthy and hit the gym. I'm 5'6, have a curvy/slim toned body and I take Abilify and I feel great with my body. I'm 145lbs with muscle weight and I'm quite happy, im planning on some abs, thus Abilify hasn't stopped me. It's all in your head. Honestly this medication works well for me & I don't think its the major reason for weight gain. Always consult with your physiatrist"

• kelly...
• December 10, 2018

Abilify (aripiprazole) "Since starting Abilify (in combo with Lamictal), I find that my depression, both the major and mild symptoms, is gone! On just Lamictal it was mild but still there. Now it's as if it's been wiped out. Hope this lasts, as I haven't been on the drug very long. I also have mood swings and impulsivity issues so I think it helps with that too. Now I'm just waiting for something for my OCD and attention issues."

• Rever...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2022

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I was born with major depression and suffered abuse, so reactive depression was also an issue. Although I was internally sad all the time, I was very successful in school, ballet, piano, violin, art, singing and had lots of friends. I had learned the poem that begins, Sunday's child is full of grace,"so one day I asked my mother what day I was born, and she scoffed and told me my numeric birthday. I told her," No, the day." A Wednesday! Wednesday's child is full of woe. " At the age of six, I felt doomed. I went through life very successful and sad. In my forties, my doctor prescribed antidepressants which helped, but didn't completely alleviate the depression and sad mood. I saw commercials that touted medicines that added to your antidepressant would help. I went to see my doctor, discussed my situation with him, and he suggested trying 5 mg Abilify. After the third day of adding Abilify to my other medicines,I woke up feeling "normal" and good. I finally have the ability to be happy!"

• Randi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 6, 2022

Abilify (aripiprazole) "Has helped depression greatly. At 5mg dose 1st week only slept 8 hours whole week. Dose went up to 7.5 mg and I started getting 7 hours of sleep a night. I look forward to things now and am not sleeping 16 hours a day from depressed exhaustion. So give it time to level off before giving up due to anxiety or sleeplessness. I am having some anxiety but no panic attacks and experienced some larger chunks of memory loss yesterday so am decreasing my dose after year and half on Abilify. Would not like to have to stop taking it but there are other meds out there. I have been thru a lot though."

• Abili...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 17, 2019

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I had severe PTSD due to childhood abuse and sexual assault, had resulting severe depression/severe anxiety/severe suicidality because of the PTSD. Never been medically psychotic in my life however. Anyways- I went from a 5'4 woman at 100lbs to 170lbs in a year thanks to Abilify. The weight gain was absolutely crushing and completely demoralizing. Ability did very little to improve or stabilize my mood. When I went on it, I was suicidal. When I finally went off of it, I was obese and more suicidal, and to this day deal with disordered eating because of how horrific such rapid weight gain was. One year off of it, I'm back down to 128lbs, but holy moly did Abilify ruin my life for a good period of time. My body is still recovering. As for the PTSD? I had to deal with the root grief about the untold pain I lived through. An intense medication meant for psychotic patients didn't help me mourn in the slightest."

• Tiff
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 8, 2021

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I have spent the past 2 years in bed feeling so useless and miserable. I had absolutely no interest in anything, I felt like that was just my life, after trying so many SSRIs and anxiety meds. I even self medicated with alcohol and ANYTHING ELSE I could try to just feel any little bit of normalcy. Finally my Dr put me on Abilify 5mg and literally the next day it was like I was a COMPLETELY different person THE PERSON I ONCE WAS. I'm excited about life AND happy about small things. I even went and got a part-time job which was amazing because I haven't worked in 12 years. I recommend this medication for anyone who has been struggling to find themselves. Huge life changer!"

• Awesome
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 17, 2024

"This has worked well enough for me that I decided to come online and leave a review. I’ve been making incremental steps. Got off of Paxil, started CPAP, started fluvoxamine, and finally the magic bullet has turned out to be Aripiprazole. My mother took it and loved it but started to get tremors, so she had to stop taking it. She was heartbroken. I’ve always hated getting out of bed every day, now it’s nothing; weekends I'm up at 6:30, and I don’t want to go back to bed. I've never experienced anything like this. Never in my adult life have I gotten up early on weekends until now. I don’t feel speedy either, so I’m just keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I don’t get any tremors and have to stop taking this. Ruminating thoughts, bad thoughts, negative thoughts have melted away. It's a total game-changer for me."

• Kristin
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 13, 2018

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I was prescribed Abilify along with Cymbalta and it was horrible! I felt absolutely dead inside. I would rather be depressed that to feel nothing at all. Even when I'm depressed, I still manage to have a sense of humor, but not with Abilify. I just didn't care about anything."

• SuzieQ
• October 7, 2015

Abilify (aripiprazole) "Have taken Lamictal for about 5 years. Needed antidepressant to supplement, and have tried practically every one, new and old. Tried Abilify 2mg (?) at night. No side effects, especially weight gain, at all. After about 3 days, had more energy than I have had in years! Great mood, focus, and actually got things done! But only lasted about 3 weeks. Upped dose to 5mg. Same thing. If only it would last longer than 3 weeks. On the bright side, for 3 weeks at a time, my house was clean, etc! Lol"

• Deb
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 2, 2021

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I started on 5mg Abilify 6 days ago and I can honestly say I'm at least 50% better! I'm also taking Remeron to help with sleep and also may help along with the Abilify! I was so so so depressed!!! Didn't want to see or talk to ANYONE!!!! Yesterday I called my Son and we talked for an hour then after that I texted back and forth with my best friend for a while. I feel the FOG lifting, I'm very happy so far and I'm thinking it will only get better from here!!! Also I love listening to music and before Abilify, I didn't even care to listen to music. Yesterday I was jamming with the volume all the way up and dancing around my apartment singing as loud as I could and dancing!!! I couldn't tell you how long it's been since I've done that. At least a year!!!! 10/10 on the Abilify."

• mont
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 20, 2019

Abilify (aripiprazole) "Was placed on Abilify this past May due to continued symptoms of depression and anxiety related to body dysmorphia. My dr started on 5 mg Abilify along with Pristiq. Within a week or so I started noticing less preoccupations with my appearance and less depressed. Unfortunately my penis felt rubbery and no libido. No other side effects except maybe some weight gain. Told my dr and he said the more you take Abilify the better you’ll feel and your libido will improve. Continued to feel better but libido never improved. Then I found out I have low testosterone which I believe is from Abilify. I’m 41 years old! Starting researching and found that many anti psych meds affect prolactin which affects testosterone. This med helped but affected my sexual health. Now I’m depressed and anxious again-can’t win!"

• Halfb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 12, 2019

Abilify (aripiprazole) "Well I started this medication 2 weeks ago and I’m pretty sure I had a 10 day mental breakdown from it. Really dark thoughts, extreme depression, delusion thinking, I thought I was losing my mind to be honest. Finally stopped it and am feeling 100% better."

• Snowt...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 25, 2017

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I'm on 5mg Abilify with a combination of Wellbutrin and lexipro medication therapy. Having no side effects. My sugar levels are within normal range and my BMI is at 23, normal range. I've had nothing but success on this medication. Previously, having to try numerous medications Atypical and second generation antidepressants, the regimen I take now has significantly decreased my symptoms of wanting to harm self and severe depression (isolation, poor self care, etc). This medication is awesome! I would definitely recommend to others."

• tyhmy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 26, 2021

Abilify (aripiprazole) "Abilify was prescribed to me to combat psychotic depression and associated anxiety. However, it caused increasing akathisia (restlessness), seriously blurred vision, insomnia and 'brain zaps.' I'd wake up every hour through the night and finally start moving about at 4am. I couldn't see anything and had to move all the time - if not voluntarily, I'd shake so badly that I had to be prescribed another medication... meant for Parkinson's! Couldn't eat or use my phone at all and I was in excruciating pain. After "tolerating" said symptoms for a week, I had a relapse. So no, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone based on my experience. It could be the one for you though. Be very careful especially if you're in a vulnerable state."

• Nancy...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 18, 2015

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I am on 5mg of Abilify and 100mg of Pristiq. I have been on this combination for about a year. As a result, I've been the happiest I have been in many years of struggling with severe depression. HOWEVER, I'm torn. I recently recovered from a very severe eating disorder after 30 years! My weight in a lifetime has been as low as 70lbs and as high as 120lbs. I am 5' 3". NOW after a year of recovery from the eating disorder AND taking the Abilify and Pristiq, I have gained over 50lbs!!!! As you can imagine, I am totally freaked out. I suffer from arthritis and it is very difficult to exercise, although I try. At any rate, I don't know what to do. I feel great, but the weight gain is overwhelming and I'm still gaining! HELP!!!"

• Maddie
• October 3, 2015

Abilify (aripiprazole) "So this was honestly the best medicine I ever went on for my depression, BUT it made me gain 60lbs in a matter of 2 or 3 months. And I have always been small my entire life. Didn't change any habits either when I was on this. I've been off this medication for about a year now and haven't lost a pound of the weight I gained because of it, despite working extremely hard. It really sucks because this medicine made me feel great, until I became really overweight. Now I'm too self conscious and depressed about myself that I don't even go in public unless I absolutely have to."

• Anony...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2020

Abilify (aripiprazole) "This medication made my heart race so bad that I ended up in urgent care with an EKG because of said racing heart. I was on the lowest dose, too. Once I was told to stop taking it, my heart beat was back to normal but the muscle spasms everywhere were just as annoying and unwanted."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 8, 2021

Abilify (aripiprazole) "Didn't work and the side effects were awful. I constantly threw up, had fevers, blurred vision, and the worst stomachaches and headaches I've ever had. I'm generally sensitive to drugs, though, so take what I say with a grain of salt."

• beach...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 30, 2014

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I take this for depression. It keeps me from having major depression but I have had weight gain, increased acid reflux, and changes in my menstrual cycle. Unfortunately, the weight gain is the deal breaker. I am looking for something that doesn't have that side effect. Otherwise, Abilify would be a 9. The same is with Zoloft. It cures depression but the weight gain is even more rapid. Am looking for something that can do both-stop the depression and prevent the weight gain."

• jjbrown
• June 21, 2021

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I have been taking Paxil for about 4 years and it just seemed to stop working. I found myself doing destructive behaviors ie. watching porn and masturbating just to feel better. After taking Abilify for the first time, I started losing interest and can’t even do that stuff anymore. That means more time to focus on something positive. I’m definitely a fan."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 3, 2021

Abilify (aripiprazole) "I went on the generic Abilify for days and I started having suicidal ideation and ended up in the ER. I had inpatient psych stay at a hospital for a week. During my stay I continued having suicidal thoughts . I've never had either serious thoughts like this before this medication. I also developed akathisia and could not sleep. The medication was discontinued and I have gotten better but am still having sporadic thoughts a week later. I hope they continue to lessen as time goes on..."