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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 chinaboy on January 3, 2014, at 20:09:37
I had a long conversation with my psychiatrist because of him being unable to accurately diagnose me (He thought I might have negative symptoms of schizophrenia and that it might also be depression)
I told him what really troubled me is a constant feeling of restlessness and agitation.Given the fact that my mum is bipolar, he thought I might be bipolar depression. So he prescribed 15mg Abilify to rule out the possibilities of me being psychotic or bipolar.
I've read that 10mg is enough for bipolar depression.Is 15mg abilify too much for bipolar depression?
Posted by phidippus on January 5, 2014, at 14:45:39
In reply to Is 15mg abilify too much for bipolar depression?, posted by chinaboy on January 3, 2014, at 20:09:37
You can take up to 30 mg of Abilify to treat bipolar depression.
When do you feel restless and agitated?
Erric
Posted by SLS on January 5, 2014, at 15:13:43
In reply to Re: Is 15mg abilify too much for bipolar depression? » chinaboy, posted by phidippus on January 5, 2014, at 14:45:39
10 mg/day is the optimal dosage of Abilify for me in the treatment of bipolar depression. I was originally at 20 mg/day. The higher dosage made me feel "muddy". At 5.0 mg/day, I lose the benefit.
- Scott
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 5, 2014, at 15:36:16
In reply to Is 15mg abilify too much for bipolar depression?, posted by chinaboy on January 3, 2014, at 20:09:37
>So he prescribed 15mg Abilify to rule out the possibilities of me being psychotic or bipolar.
> I've read that 10mg is enough for bipolar depression.Is 15mg abilify too much for bipolar depression?Unfortunately, your response to Abilify will not 'rule out' any condition. Initially, Abilify can actually cause restlessness, especially if the starting dose it too high. Abilify can be started at 15mg in mania or schizophrenia but I would not advocate starting at 15mg in depressive disorders.
I suggest taking 1/2 a tablet initially, to test your response.
Posted by Christ_empowered on January 6, 2014, at 3:18:57
In reply to Re: Is 15mg abilify too much for bipolar depression?, posted by ed_uk2010 on January 5, 2014, at 15:36:16
Seems a bit high, although I'm clearly not your doctor. 15mgs was (maybe is?) the "target dose," back in the day. That was one of Abilify's selling points back in the day: start your patients on the target dose from day 1!!!Yeah, wasn't the best idea (for the patients, anyway). Personally, when I started way back when, 1/2 of a 15mgs tablet helped considerably. I only went up on the dose initially because of increased agitation from tapering off a benzo (lame) and general bad doctoring. I'm now on 20-30 because, after a medication-free period, my symptoms shifted more to the agitated end of things than depressive.
Anyway, doses for depression are all over the map. Some people take 2-5mgs once every 3 days. Some people take 10-15. Some people high dose it because of agitation, psychotic features, so on and so forth.
If you're already agitated, I think Abilify is a weird choice. Not **bad** per se, just...odd. There can be start up agitation with Abilify, kinda sorta like an antidepressant. That's one reason lots of docs have to give sedatives with Abilify when they start (the other reason is that, when used to treat acute psychosis and/or mania, Abilify isn't sedating enough, so a sedative helps keep people calm).
Good luck to you!
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