Abilify For Children
UpdatedMy son has just been put on Abilify for bipolar - He is 5yrs old... Does anyone have any advice or experience with children on this medication?
12 Replies
Well, I am not sure how crazy I am about a child that young using it, it has not been evaluated for safety and efficacy in children under 18 yet.
Here's the page with the info:
Ablify Info Click Here
My son has been on abilify for a little over a month and has been placed on this med for depression My son has also been diagnosed with add. Thus far its worked great hes no longer withdrawn, he can focus more and attentive and most of all he's happy it seems as though we may not need the add medicine. I feel as though you wont know if a med works until you try it and if we do start seeing side effects then he will have to stop taking this med, and keep the search going on what would work for him, also my son has been in therapy on and off 5 years We've tried not taking meds, and tried several diff types of add meds without any effect because of his deep depression, at this point I'm thankful that my son is happy and no side effects thus far. A month ago we were lost, arguing all the time, and I was walking on egg shells in fear that my son would take his own life, I'm hopeful at this point for our future!
My daughter was diagnosed with bipolar II when she was about 4, no one can understand except the parent what that is like. We went through every medication with no positive results until I found Abilify. For years it was a wonder drug, now at 13 I am wondering if it has been the cause of the emotional immaturity & anger she has been suffering for the past 2 years. I feel like low doses worked best & perhaps the positive effects have now ran their course. Good Luck with your child, it's a long rough road. Caring friends & family can be life savers!!
5 yrs old! That is just scary. How can you do this to a 5 yrs old. As a parent I cannot possibly imagine simply accepting it if a doctor told me my 5 yrs old son was Bi-Polar. That's far too young to diagnose. And far too young to directly force a child to take medication. And it is forcing, because no 5 yrs old can make a rational choice like that. Please look for alternative methods.
Okay I experienced a lot of addictive behavior with Abilify, shopping non stop online. But to be truthful it's like a black out from August to March 3rd, that's when I was taken off of it because of an impulsive suicide attempt and that is what Abilify did to me. I acted on impulse all the time. Abilify took the decision making and only left me with a black out impulsivity.
My 33 year old son was taking Palperidone by injection and it worked great except for the weight gain and less energy. This was something he shared with a nurse at CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) whose ONLY job is to inject him once a month.
She suggested he get on Abilify as it would make him less heavy and more energetic. The doctor was "iffy" about it but as my son states he allowed him to try it rather than see him go off his meds again! This issue of keeping him on needed medication has been a struggle for 10 years for both doctors and myself.
It has been a complete and total disaster for all of us! He has been back on palperidone again now for 2 months but as it takes such a long time to have these types of medications finally out of the system....God only knows how long it is going to be before he is back to normal....IF EVER.
This has completely changed my son's personality and I feel as if I am living with a total stranger. Everything he used to do he refuses to do now. He now is 100% totally Paranoid Schizophrenic and it has become a complete hell living with him.
He feels the neighborhood we live in is dangerous but it is not different than any other neighborhood in our city. He thinks all people are laughing at him and want to hurt him but in reality we do not even know people nor have any contact for this to come about.
He now wants to live in a home that is supervised by mental health workers...yet there is absolutely no reason for this. He constantly shuts the doors and locks them and the windows while it is warm/hot outside. He won't watch tv or movies with us but will remain in his room in the dark. He tries to read in his dark room and says he can see but that is impossible. He even got me to get him dark curtains which now in the day it looks like night in there. He will not use a computer anymore, he got rid of his facebook for no reason, he kicked all his friends out of his life and isolated himself adding to his paranoid state of mind and causing greater depression because he will just sit and think about terrible things. I cannot remember when he last laughed or genuinely smiled.
He and his brother used to play Xbox games and now he won't play at all or even use the system.
The past 5 weekends he has gone to either the hospital and signed himself in for a few days at one of the CMHA stabilization homes for 72 hours while there is NOTHING happening around us or in the home to create a feeling of fear. It is totally paranoia.
I am a 60 year old woman who cannot cope with this and I am seeking answers as to what to do or how to help him as I am at a loss. HELP!!
Abilify caused me all types of problems! I got off it in a March it's still causing havoc
I just started Abilify three days ago and have major concerns about the side effects... I've been battling major depressive disorder for a long time now. Is there anything I should be looking for specifically?
Re: Case (# 8)
For me, it seems to be giving me a lot of energy and I’ve been feeling really good but, major insomnia and restlessness
I'd get a second opinion or maybe a third two. Suicide is huge with these drugs and there is no way to figure out who is going to be affected. It also changes the brain. It could potentially cause them lifelong difficulty. No one will tell you the awful adverse effects of coming off them. I would check for vitamin and mineral deficiency, gut bacterial imbalance, possible brain injury and most importantly look at the environment and the people around him. Please exhaust all other possible causes before starting this drug meant for adult brains. It could be an infection like strep or inflammation from an immune system that won't shut down. You need to know big pharma is pushing doctors to perceive off-label for the sole purpose of increasing market share and profits.
Why would you put a 5 year old on medication????? This is the start of a lifetime of meds! Seems these days kids can’t be kids! And if I had a doctor telling me my kid was bi polar at 4-5 years old I’d walk out. Please stop these awful medications!!
Re: Case (# 8)
My issue has been insomnia and restlessness but it is giving me energy I am never had before
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