What happens if you stop taking Abilify?

[Ryangee16]

So my Girlfriend has been taking abilify for about 2 years now ( she is 22 ) and recently we got the idea that maybe she should stop taking it... since she was always falling asleep, everywhere.

What would be the side effects if she stops taking it ?

[kiska]

Originally Posted by Ryangee16

So my Girlfriend has been taking abilify for about 2 years now ( she is 22 ) and recently we got the idea that maybe she should stop taking it... since she was always falling asleep, everywhere.

What would be the side effects if she stops taking it ?

i am trying to find out the same information, and also how common is tardive diskensia and the other harsh side effects of this drug?

[BP1]

Not many people are aware of this but Abilify lasts for a week in your system.

When I began Abilify they gave me a 5 or 10 mg doseage 1 a day. I was wiped out. My Psychiatrist made the usual mistake of prescribing a high doseage.

I experimented and found with my Psychiatrist that just 7.5mg once a week was all that I needed to maintain equilibrium. I am tired the day after I take Abilify but the rest of the 6 days I function well. I eventually stopped all the other anti-depressants they were unecessary Abilify works great for me along with the combination below.

I'm on the following
1. 400mg Provigil in the morning every day
2. 1 mg of Xanax every night
3. 7-10mg Abilify 1 a week.

I'm mildly Bipolar II with panic attack.

I'm functioning great on this combination and have been for over a year. One of the reasons that I'm writing in the forums is to make people aware that many doctors are overdosing there patients on Abilify. If your mental illness is mild just a little goes a long way.

Most important is that a 1 or twice weekly low dose is enough for many people.

Everyone is different so I don't expect that my advise will work for severely chemically imbalanced individuals but for mild Bipolar this has worked for me.

[pupsela]

I agree with the last post. If your girlfriend is tired all the time more than likely she is on to high of dosage or she is having a side effect from a combination of medications.
I have tried taking abilify a few times. The first time I ended up back in the hospital. The second time I was miserable, scitzo (spelling wrong) and was panicing all the time. The third and final time I tried to stop with my doctor's approval I was miserable and I didn't want to leave the house at all.
My suggestion to you is to try and ask the doctor if u could lower the dose. 5mg is usually a starting dose, going higher if needed. If that doesn't work, perhaps it would be best to find something new.
Best of luck!