Abilify

[Guest guest]

I have never heard of the Paxil or the Abilify doing that but then Abilify

is new.

If you do a web search of each med with the name of the med side effects and

involuntary muscle movements in the search line you should find out if any

of them have that problem.

That is what I do when I have a problem like that and no one from my bipolar

group has a clue either. It has helped me several times. I use

extended search and it is usually pretty good.

I hope you find the culprit soon.

Betty Ann-61 yo, possibly Bipolar but undx'd, Effexor, Buspar

grandma and guardian to

- 11 yo-- Bipolar/ADHD on Depakote, Adderall, Singular

Evan - 9 yo nonverbal autism on 3 mg Risperdal, 5 mg Abilify stated

3/11/03

- 6 yo- Bipolar/ADHD/PTSD on Tegretol, Adderall, Clonidine .1 mg,

mother to -32 yo, their mom - Bipolar/ADHD on Topamax, Singular

wife to Bob - 71 yo, Effexor and too more many meds to remember

Abilify

> Alot. Including strattera and paxil to name a few.

[Guest guest]

Thanks, I think it is the abilify which is really sad because it was

helping with aggressive behaviors and now it will probably have to be

stopped after starting it a few weeks ago. So sad. Thanks.

[Guest guest]

That is too bad. Unfortunately there is not a single med that works for

everyone.

So far we are pleased with the results that we have seen in Evan. I hope

that he does not end up with any side effects that cause us to have to quit

it but then he has been on the 5 mg for over two months now. Today he was

actually playing appropriately with the helium ballons that we gave each

boy. Well, sort of appropriately. He was pulling on the strings, first to

make them go up and down to the ceiling and then he tried to 'dribble' one

of them like you would a basketball. Something that he has never done

before.

Betty Ann-61 yo, possibly Bipolar but undx'd, Effexor, Buspar

grandma and guardian to

- 11 yo-- Bipolar/ADHD on Depakote, Adderall, Singular

Evan - 9 yo nonverbal autism on 3 mg Risperdal, 5 mg Abilify stated

3/11/03

- 6 yo- Bipolar/ADHD/PTSD on Tegretol, Adderall, Clonidine .1 mg,

mother to -32 yo, their mom - Bipolar/ADHD on Topamax, Singular

wife to Bob - 71 yo, Effexor and too more many meds to remember

----- Original Message -----

From: " psarar " <Psarar@...>

> Thanks, I think it is the abilify which is really sad because it was

> helping with aggressive behaviors and now it will probably have to be

> stopped after starting it a few weeks ago. So sad. Thanks.

[Guest guest]

Oh, that is encouraging about Evan playing appropriately and no side effects

after two months of taking Abilify. Karac has been on Abilify just a week

and yesterday we had the best Easter luncheon at church; Karac sat at the

table eating appropriately for the entire time that we were all eating and

visiting; usually I have to spend the whole time trying to keep him in his

chair!! Has Evan quit the drooling? Does he have any aggression? Does he

ever have bouts of crying? Pat K

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I thought I posted this last night but it got lost somewhere. I

found it on the web and it basically says that using (Paxil) can slow

the body's ability to eliminate Abilify and that the Abilify has to

be less (at least half) the usual dose. This means that not only was

he getting too much to begin with but the Paxil caused the abilify to

accumulate instead of being excreted. Abilify also has a half life

of like four days so he got way too much. Right now he is being

taken off of it completely and maybe sometime next week, assuming

that all the shivering and trembling go away, we can start it again

at a tiny dose. The reason he was started on such a high dose is

because he seems to need a lot of medication to get any response. I

was so pleased with the abilify because he was starting to not be so

aggressive and was able to think more clearly, understand better to

the point that he was starting to poop on the potty instead of his

pullups. He was finally starting to get it!

Abilify Drug-to-Drug Interactions

The anticonvulsant mood stabilizer, carbamazepine (Tegretol), induces

CYP3A4 and 2D6 liver enzymes which can increase the ability of the

body to remove Abilify, and so decrease Abilify's concentration in

the blood. The manufacturer recommends that the dosage of Abilify be

doubled as long as both drugs are taken at the same time. This

consideration brings up the question as to whether Trileptal

(oxcarbazepine, an analogue of carbamazepine) can cause this same

increase in clearance as Trileptal also has some effect on the liver

enzyme CYP3A4 that normally removes Abilify. The possibility seems to

exist, but no one has a definitive answer about this yet and careful

dosing ad an attentive eye to the clinical picture will be required.

Antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac) fluvoxamine (Luvox) and

paroxetine (Paxil) can slow the body's ability to eliminate Abilify by

inhibiting CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 liver enzymes, and so increasing blood

levels of the drug. When any of these SSRIs are prescribed with

Abilify, the manufacturer recommends that the Abilify be reduced at

least to one-half of its current or usual dose.

Again, physicians who have patients on either class of these

medications will have to monitor the clinical picture carefully and

make adjustments as needed.

Mother

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I thought I posted this last night but it got lost somewhere. I

found it on the web and it basically says that using (Paxil) can slow

the body's ability to eliminate Abilify and that the Abilify has to

be less (at least half) the usual dose. This means that not only was

he getting too much to begin with but the Paxil caused the abilify to

accumulate instead of being excreted. Abilify also has a half life

of like four days so he got way too much. Right now he is being

taken off of it completely and maybe sometime next week, assuming

that all the shivering and trembling go away, we can start it again

at a tiny dose. The reason he was started on such a high dose is

because he seems to need a lot of medication to get any response. I

was so pleased with the abilify because he was starting to not be so

aggressive and was able to think more clearly, understand better to

the point that he was starting to poop on the potty instead of his

pullups. He was finally starting to get it!

Abilify Drug-to-Drug Interactions

The anticonvulsant mood stabilizer, carbamazepine (Tegretol), induces

CYP3A4 and 2D6 liver enzymes which can increase the ability of the

body to remove Abilify, and so decrease Abilify's concentration in

the blood. The manufacturer recommends that the dosage of Abilify be

doubled as long as both drugs are taken at the same time. This

consideration brings up the question as to whether Trileptal

(oxcarbazepine, an analogue of carbamazepine) can cause this same

increase in clearance as Trileptal also has some effect on the liver

enzyme CYP3A4 that normally removes Abilify. The possibility seems to

exist, but no one has a definitive answer about this yet and careful

dosing ad an attentive eye to the clinical picture will be required.

Antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac) fluvoxamine (Luvox) and

paroxetine (Paxil) can slow the body's ability to eliminate Abilify by

inhibiting CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 liver enzymes, and so increasing blood

levels of the drug. When any of these SSRIs are prescribed with

Abilify, the manufacturer recommends that the Abilify be reduced at

least to one-half of its current or usual dose.

Again, physicians who have patients on either class of these

medications will have to monitor the clinical picture carefully and

make adjustments as needed.

Mother

[Guest guest]

Pat that sounds great about Karac. Yes, Evan is still drooling from the

Risperdal. The more it is cut down the less he drools. He was screaming

today but I could tell he was having a problem breathing and found out that

he did not have his allergy meds for the day. So I gave him some Motrin and

his allergy med and a bit later he was fine. he will also start crying or

screaming if it is his dinner time and dinner does not look like it is

coming any time soon.

Betty Ann-61 yo, possibly Bipolar but undx'd, Effexor, Buspar

grandma and guardian to

- 11 yo-- Bipolar/ADHD on Depakote, Adderall, Singular

Evan - 9 yo nonverbal autism on 3 mg Risperdal, 5 mg Abilify stated

3/11/03

- 6 yo- Bipolar/ADHD/PTSD on Tegretol, Adderall, Clonidine .1 mg,

mother to -32 yo, their mom - Bipolar/ADHD on Topamax, Singular

wife to Bob - 71 yo, Effexor and too more many meds to remember

----- Original Message -----

From: <pkuenstler@...>

> Oh, that is encouraging about Evan playing appropriately and no side

effects

> after two months of taking Abilify. Karac has been on Abilify just a

week

> and yesterday we had the best Easter luncheon at church; Karac sat at the

> table eating appropriately for the entire time that we were all eating and

> visiting; usually I have to spend the whole time trying to keep him in his

> chair!! Has Evan quit the drooling? Does he have any aggression? Does

he

> ever have bouts of crying? Pat K

[Guest guest]

You just showed me that my brain is not always in working order. NOW that

your found it, I do remember hearing that some meds do interact with the

Abilify so that half the amount is needed. It seems that they need a new

book out of how meds interact every few months. I do hope that he is all

right soon and that you will be able to use the Abilify.

We did use the Paxil in the family for a short while (not Evan) for

depression but it is not a good med for bipolar families and we found that

out later so that is a med that we will not be using for anyone in the

family.

Betty Ann-61 yo, possibly Bipolar but undx'd, Effexor, Buspar

grandma and guardian to

- 11 yo-- Bipolar/ADHD on Depakote, Adderall, Singular

Evan - 9 yo nonverbal autism on 3 mg Risperdal, 5 mg Abilify stated

3/11/03

- 6 yo- Bipolar/ADHD/PTSD on Tegretol, Adderall, Clonidine .1 mg,

mother to -32 yo, their mom - Bipolar/ADHD on Topamax, Singular

wife to Bob - 71 yo, Effexor and too more many meds to remember

----- Original Message -----

From: " psarar " <Psarar@...>

> Hello,

>

> I thought I posted this last night but it got lost somewhere. I

> found it on the web and it basically says that using (Paxil) can slow

> the body's ability to eliminate Abilify and that the Abilify has to

> be less (at least half) the usual dose.

[Guest guest]

Well, Evan sounds like a typical male; they all want their dinner on time! I

always have an apple in the car for Karac when I pick him up from school, but

he starts asking for more food the minute he walks in the door. I just go

ahead and plan on it. He is not too happy if I am too slow getting his pizza

ready!! LOL, Pat K

[Guest guest]

We tried Paxil with Karac too, but it didn't take long to realize that was

not good for him! Pat K

[Guest guest]

We tried Paxil with Karac too, but it didn't take long to realize that was

not good for him! Pat K

[Guest guest]

Yes, Evan is the only kid I know who can eat a complete meal just before

dinner and still eat dinner! Andea gave both and Evan some ice cream

while I went to the store and by the time I got back no longer wanted

dinner.

Betty

----- Original Message -----

From: <pkuenstler@...>

> Well, Evan sounds like a typical male; they all want their dinner on time!

I

> always have an apple in the car for Karac when I pick him up from school,

but

> he starts asking for more food the minute he walks in the door. I just

go

> ahead and plan on it. He is not too happy if I am too slow getting his

pizza

> ready!! LOL, Pat K

[Guest guest]

Yes, Evan is the only kid I know who can eat a complete meal just before

dinner and still eat dinner! Andea gave both and Evan some ice cream

while I went to the store and by the time I got back no longer wanted

dinner.

Betty

----- Original Message -----

From: <pkuenstler@...>

> Well, Evan sounds like a typical male; they all want their dinner on time!

I

> always have an apple in the car for Karac when I pick him up from school,

but

> he starts asking for more food the minute he walks in the door. I just

go

> ahead and plan on it. He is not too happy if I am too slow getting his

pizza

> ready!! LOL, Pat K

[Guest guest]

What does Evan weigh? Karac is not eating as much since we have started him

on Abilify. He slept from 8:00 to 5;05 this morning. Yea!! Now, if he

would just start sleeping through the night at home! Is Evan sleeping

through the night ? Pat K

[Guest guest]

What does Evan weigh? Karac is not eating as much since we have started him

on Abilify. He slept from 8:00 to 5;05 this morning. Yea!! Now, if he

would just start sleeping through the night at home! Is Evan sleeping

through the night ? Pat K

[Guest guest]

Evan weighed 98 lbs a couple of months ago and was 55 " . He turned 9 in Feb.

is almost the same weight and a couple of inches taller. He was 11

last Aug. The boys are close enough to the same size to be twins. Evan is

still eating a lot but maybe down a couple of meals. I am not sure if being

completely off the Risperdal would help or not. Evan has always been a big

eater. Just before he got on the Abilify he was eating about 6 meals a day

plus snacks. We have to have food ready for him as he gets off the school

bus because he acts like he is starving and I know that they have snack just

before they get on the bus.

Evan burns a lot of energy. He is constantly on the go. He just ran in from

outside, jumped in the rocker, slammed it into the wall and jumped up again

to check out the salad he left on the table. He is one solid boy. Evan

used to have trouble getting to sleep and waiting up after a short time. We

tried the melatonin but he would go to sleep right away and wake up in 4

hours so we went with the melatonin and magnesium mix and then he started

sleeping all night. I rarely needed to give him anything to sleep until he

started the Abilify. He seemed to be staying awake longer on it but that

maybe because he was not getting as much Risperdal in the evenings. It may

be the Risperdal at night that is helping him sleep better but he was

sleeping good before he got on the Risperdal

Betty Ann-61 yo, possibly Bipolar but undx'd, Effexor, Buspar

grandma and guardian to

- 11 yo-- Bipolar/ADHD on Depakote, Adderall, Singular

Evan - 9 yo nonverbal autism on 3 mg Risperdal, 5 mg Abilify stated

3/11/03

- 6 yo- Bipolar/ADHD/PTSD on Tegretol, Adderall, Clonidine .1 mg,

mother to -32 yo, their mom - Bipolar/ADHD on Topamax, Singular

wife to Bob - 71 yo, Effexor and too more many meds to remember

[Guest guest]

Evan is Karac's size. Karac was that hyper before Clonidine and Abilify. Do

you buy that Magnesium and Melatonin together? That sounds like it works

well. I don't have a problem with Karac's sleeping here, but his mother does

at his house. Thanks for the info. Pat K

[Guest guest]

Evan is Karac's size. Karac was that hyper before Clonidine and Abilify. Do

you buy that Magnesium and Melatonin together? That sounds like it works

well. I don't have a problem with Karac's sleeping here, but his mother does

at his house. Thanks for the info. Pat K

[Guest guest]

, as you know, the kids are so different. We tried Paxil before the

Abilify, and it made Karac worse. Right now Karac is on the Abilify and so

far I like it; however that could change next week. What I have read about

the Abilify is that it has less side effects than the Resperdal and the

Zydis. We were afraid of the Resperdal because of tardis dyskenesia, weight

gain, and sometimes incontinence. The Zydis was perfect for karac except for

the weight gain. We are hoping that the Abilify is going to do what the

Zydis did without the weight gain. Last summer Karac wasn't on anything and

we had a great summer. I don't know if going back to school caused the

eruption in Karac's behavior or what, but I would love to get him off of all

medication this summer. It all seems to be trial and error. Blessings, Pat K

[Guest guest]

I have been following the thread about Abilfiy. My grandson is 7 and

has never been on meds. He has began exhibiting aggressive (new this

year) and increaded self abusive behaviors, even though he is on the

diet and supplements. We have stopped the supplements for the time

being. We are going to take him to the Neurologist to talk about

meds, which the doctor mentioned before. He said Paxil is good for

these kids. I don't Paxil will help with the aggressive behaviors.

Do you think it will be alright to put him on Abilfy before trying

something else first? Thanks for the response.

[Guest guest]

, I personally am leary of Paxil because of the problems it causes with

those who are bipolar and I have seen too many families that have both

autism spectrum children and bipolar children or children with both.

Although Abilify is a brand new med and not covered by all insurance

companies (Blue Cross does) I truly and excited about it and I would like to

see Evan's raised and also get his brothers on it. Unfortunately, 's

only insurance is medicaid and our state's Medi-Cal will not pay for it yet

but I was told that it probably would be soon because they are working on it

now. They are getting buried with requests for TARS (approval of something

normally denied on Medi-Cal) on this med. It is working where others has

failed.

What ever you do about meds remember with these children you must start slow

and work up. 2.5 mg or 5 mg is usually the starting point.

Betty Ann-61 yo, possibly Bipolar but undx'd, Effexor, Buspar

grandma and guardian to

- 11 yo-- Bipolar/ADHD on Depakote, Adderall, Singular

Evan - 9 yo nonverbal autism on 3 mg Risperdal, 5 mg Abilify stated

3/11/03

- 6 yo- Bipolar/ADHD/PTSD on Tegretol, Adderall, Clonidine .1 mg,

mother to -32 yo, their mom - Bipolar/ADHD on Topamax, Singular

wife to Bob - 71 yo, Effexor and too more many meds to remember

[Guest guest]

I bought the melatonin/magnesium capsules together from the Kirkman labs

site. www.kirkmanlabs.com They supply supplements for the autism community.

Betty

Re: RE: abilify

> Evan is Karac's size. Karac was that hyper before Clonidine and Abilify.

Do

> you buy that Magnesium and Melatonin together? That sounds like it works

> well. I don't have a problem with Karac's sleeping here, but his mother

does

> at his house. Thanks for the info. Pat K

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much, Betty; I have just ordered the Melatonin. You are so

helpful! blessings, Pat K

[Guest guest]

Betty, that is great! My daughter-in-law has taken Karac off of the Abilify,

and I am sorry, but since I am the grandmother I have no control. She has

attribute some of his recent aggressive behavior to the Abilify rather than to

his constipation which is what I think it is. It is so difficult to have

responsibility without control. Pat K

[Guest guest]

That is too bad but if Karac is still dealing with constipation you might

try the Primal Defense in the powder form. It help put the good bacteria

back into the gut and get rid of the yeast overgrowth that so commonly

causes constipation. Did Karac's agressive behavior stop when she stopped

the Abilify?

Betty Ann-61 yo, possibly Bipolar but undx'd, Effexor, Buspar

grandma and guardian to

- 11 yo-- Bipolar/ADHD on Depakote, Adderall, Singular

Evan - 9 yo nonverbal autism on 2 mg Risperdal,

10 mg Abilify stated 3/11/03, raised 5/05/03

- 7 yo- Bipolar/ADHD/PTSD on Tegretol, Adderall, Clonidine .1 mg,

mother to -32 yo, their mom - Bipolar/ADHD on Topamax, Tegretol,

Singular

wife to Bob - 71 yo, Effexor and too more many meds to remember