Abilify And Teens (Page 2)

My 13 yr old son has just been prescribed Abilify and I need to know if anyone has experience with their teen being on this.

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When I was 16 I was diagnosed bi polar/depression & put on Abilify 5mg & SeroquelRX 200mg. I took both for about 6 months. In 3 months I told my Dr I felt like the meds were not helping. She upped the Abilify to 10mg and Seroquel to 400mg then to 600mg. Two months later I tried to commit suicide for the second time in my life and Im only 20!! I would sleep for what felt like days at a time. I then gradually got off the Abilify and never took it again. Half way into my 11th grade year I dropped out. Before I turned 18 I had my first symptom, I flat out fainted while doing my make up in a bathroom with my best friend. A few months later I had a panic attack while sleeping that literally made me sit straight up and gasp for air..I was so loud I woke up my boyfriend next to me and he was totally freaked out. I can remember that I was dreaming about a spider and it was just about to land on me when I started to panic. Then about 6 months later I had a 2-3 min tonic-clonic seizure where afterwards I pissed my pants and stopped breathing all together. Thankfully a friend was right there to do mouth to mouth. I sat up within seconds completely confused to what just happened. It was very scary and just felt unreal. I also have a social anxiety problem where I sometimes don't want to walk in a gas station! I also have restless leg syndrome every few months & that sh*t is annoying. But Im still standing strong, Im not going to let that pill take over my life. Im not completely happy but I can feel the spirit bringing me more in touch with myself & life. I do meditation & yoga & that helps me a lot. I also have an amazing boyfriend who always is there for me no matter what the situation. He is my angel & I couldnt do it without him, he gives me the strength and courage to keep living.

So all I can say is, a drug is a drug no matter what the label. Everyone is effected differently and it's all at your own risk. Abilify works great for some people, but for the others it's a long, dark and scary road. Sometimes all someone needs is to be reassured that they will be ok, that life is beautiful and full of great things if they can just make it to the next day. To everyone who is suffering from depression my heart is with you I know how it feels to want to die but face that obstacle when it comes to you, don't bring it upon yourself. Think of your favorite memories, your favorite foods, the people you love/the people who love you, listen to music, write down how you feel in a journal/diary, connect with people over the internet, express yourself with some paint, go for a swim, lay in the grass and look up at the endless sky. Step by step you can over come your fears and insecurities, everything takes time and it will all be worth it in the end. <3minnie

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my son is 16 he has bad anger,very defiant does poorly in school, talks about fighting alot i had take him to a therapist and a phsychiatrist he told them he hears voices which he never mentioned to me before they want to put him on abilify i am so afraid about medication about the high risk of suicide i dont know what to do im trying to get any and all information i can get to help me, i told the doctor's when i tell him no about something he cant do or have then hell go into a anger rage if i let him do or get what he wants everything is fine , i dont know if one of his friends said anything about medication cause he is very eager to take it i would appreciate any HELP!

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yes i totally agree,because i am also 16 and on abilify and zoloft because my mother thought i was getting to irritated to deal with school and thats why ive been getting in so much trouble.But for me it just makes me tired and irritated and just makes me wanna snap on everybody they just says hello to me..so yes you are completely right,teens should not be on this medication!!

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All the replies I have read on this site regarding abilify have been negative. My son is 15yrs old and has been on abilfy for 3months now. Within 3 days of starting this med, his depression was gone completely, there were no more thoughts of suicide. Within a couple of weeks, he was dramatically more focused in school. His anger issues were gone. Now, all of his teachers say how much better he is doing in class and his grades are much better. He is continuing to do very well. He did suffer from some side effects the first few weeks, such as slight nausea, headache, and feelings of passing out with some tachycardia. All resolved at the 3-4week mark, and it was his decision to stick with it because he said he felt sooooo much better on abilify. I no longer worry about him. He makes good decisions now and is finally a happy teen. Our relationship has gotten so much better as well. Two different antidepressants were tried prior to abilify which made him much worse. He has not been "diagnosed" but my son was having all the symptoms of manic deppressive episodes. He is taking 7.5mg. I believe my son would not be here right now if it were not for this med. I pray it continues to work for him. I would never tell anyone that this is the med that will work for them. But, as the pharmacist said, its hit or miss, you will not know if it will work for you unless you try it. Everyone is different.

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How did you find out that you had a hormonal disorder?

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I dont know if you have recieved any help yet. I just read your post. My son is 18 and has behaved the same way. Needless to say this went on for over 6 months. Poor grades, anger, hearing voices. I took him to a hospital and he was admitted for 7 days and thru therapy and social workers talking to him. He has actually been smoking pot and experianced with bath salts which had caused a bizzare psychosis. The doctors put him on abilify which he refuses to take because of the side effects and poss long term problems ( would not recommend this for any child). He also is on carbatrol which seems to help him with control and concentration. He has not been diagosed with any mental illness. He has been out for a week and has been doing much better. He will also be getting ongoing counseling to learn to make better choices.

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I am 21 years old, but physically my body looks more like 15, or 16 year old's would. for me abilify made me have this empty feeling inside, (which leads ultimately to binge eating..) I just wanted to get rid of that feeling, and also the anxiety. eating is one of the things that softens the anxiety even for just a moment, for me personally. Sounds like your son may have had a similar reaction to the drug. i have only taken it about 3 weeks, but i can tell you, that it has made me want to eat a lot, when i took less than 15mg. but it also made me not want to sit still, i don't know if thats a lasting side effect, or just in the beginning. it made me extremely anxious.

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*side note. my doctor started me on 15mg abilify, and it made me very nauseated, dizzy, weak, and eventually led to me throwing up. so i started cutting the pill in half, and that caused me to feel the empty feeling, and feel incredibly anxiety ridden. i started taking 2 2mg's and the anxiety still persisted, so last night, i only took about .5. maybe it won't do anything, because i am feeling a little manic now, but i just couldn't handle the anxiety. maybe i am a wuss for giving up so easily....

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My 12 year old niece has been on abilify for 3 years and recently her dosage has been upped to 5mg. She is now having vivid dreams and false memories and seemingly has developed tardive dyskinesia with a facial tic in the form of eye blinking. Allegations have been made of child abuse and we think this drug my be related to these vivid dreams she has been having. Has anyone else had the vivid dreams that seem so real that they make you believe they are?

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My daughter is 13, she has been on Abilify for the past 5 years. When she first started taking it there was much improvement in her behavior. For the past 2 years the anger has grown, I have continued to note the emotional immaturity with her Dr. as well as her therapist, it seems to be the cause for many of her struggles with friends & school. No one has ever mentioned that the med. can hinder maturity or cause anger. If I am reading the comments right it seems there is a significant amount of talk on this. Where can I find info. on these types of side effects? At this point I am considering taking her off the Abilify, which she takes 12mg., along with .1mg of Clonodine. She has been on some type of medication since she was 5.

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My 14 yr old daughter was on Abilify for the past month. By day 2, it seemed that the aliens had come in the night and replaced my screaming, rude teen with someone who could do her homework and respond reasonably to other people. She has apparently been spitting it out for the past week. The screaming mimi is back. She also slaps her brother as she walks by him, and got into a fist fight at the library the other day. She is now openly refusing to take it. She complained that it made her sick to her stomach and sleepy. We started giving it to her at dinnertime instead of bedtime, which eased the sleepyness, and we did not go about 5 mg. At no point did I ever see her vomit or lose her appetite. I miss the reasonable, likeable kid very much. :(

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My 16 yr old daughter started with 5 mg then 10mg and her attitude has changed for the worst. Gained 15bs in 3 weeks. She is also taking lexapro for her depression. I'm going to seriously talk to her dr to review her medication. I'm not comfortable with Abilify did not like it at the beginning and after reading all your comments makes me really worried.

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I know this is a very old post but I felt the need to share my experience with abilify. I am 22 years old now (female) but I was prescribed abilify from age 16-18. I was rebellious and free spirited in school. I skipped classes and defied my teachers and parents. I saw several psychiatrists and therapists (none of them could figure me out) for over two years and I was never diagnosed with anything besides adhd. I was prescribed and took, Adderall for adhd, Stratera for adhd, Abilify for a condition I did not have, Geodon for a condition I did not have, and Rispridol for a condition I did not have. Now, medication free for 4 years, I look back at those doctors with disgust... I don't blame my parents and teachers for being concerned by my bad behavior, but the doctors responsible for the unnecessary medications are very questionable. I do not struggle with mental illness today and am living a productive and independent life. Even after being off abilify for 4 years, I am still dealing with the long term effects of the drug. Before the abilify, I was very little in size (98 lbs) and after 1 month of being on the drug, I had gained 20 lbs (118lbs) I complained about this to the psychiatrist responsible and she told me it could not be because of the medication and even if it was, It would all come off after stopping the drug. So I continued taking the drug for 2 whole years by the end of which, having gained over 50 lbs! (I went from 98 lbs to 155 lbs) a year later, I was diagnosed with insulin resistance and subsequently, polycystic ovarian syndrome (pcos). I found out that the psychiatrist should have ordered blood work during the course of treatment with abilify to check for glucose tolerance but she never did. The side effects of the drug have evolved into a full blown mess of medical conditions and my weight is still climbing -- I have now gained over 100 lbs, I have secondary amenorrhea (no period - stopped 1 year into taking abilify), Infertility, pre diabetes, the list goes on... I recently came across an article describing the correlation between abilify (and drugs like it) and pcos in women. I can't help but be completely devastated and am really just hoping to get control of my condition before it's too late. Just thought I should put this out there hoping that someone else in the earlier stages of my condition (i.e just started the med) will read this and find a way to get off the poison that is abilify or find a better means of treatment.

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My 13yo daughter started and took Abilify 2mg for 7 days, then 5mg for the next 13 days. I stopped it because for 2 days, she complained of unexplained chills and was literally shaking. I have some medical background so my first thought was tremors and diabetes. We watched her diet and kept her covered with blankets - she improved after the 3rd day of not having it and avoiding sugars and starchy foods. However, we continue her 100mg Zoloft and await our next appt. I knew that Abilify was affecting her but just didn't realize how much.

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I am the previous poster. Taking your daughter off the abilify sounds like a good idea. If I could go back in time to when I first started taking the drug and having complications, I would have gotten off of it right away... My doctor gave me inaccurate and incomplete information regarding my concerns and questions. I struggled with anorexia before abilify and during. After I started gaining the weight without even making a change in my diet, I felt so out of control. I could no longer loose weight by not eating or maintain it. Nothing I did would stop the weight gain. I still don't get how it was possible to gain so much weight out of nowhere. I have been off meds for 4 years now and although I am heavy and sick, my mental clarity is so much better without all of the toxic medication. I have found b-complex vitamins (especially the inositols) to be extremely helpful for stabilizing my mood and concentration. I have no fluctuations in mood or depression whatsoever and rarely struggle with concentration issues. It's worth looking into for your daughter even just to add to her regimen.

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It's good to read information on other's experience with this medication (drug). I'm a divorced father, my two kids live with thier mother, son(13), daughter(14). I have them every weekend. I noticed an additional medication pill in my son's backpack - my ex-wife never mentioned anything about it. He is taking Abilify in the mornings not, slong with five other prescription drugs (daily!) I'm very upset and obviously concerned for my son. I'm calling the doctor on Monday to question and contest the purpose for adding yet another drug into my son's body. He's now taking Limictal, Risperdal, Zoloft, Tenex, Adderall and now Abilify - good lord, this scares me to death!

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My son is 16 years old and has been on Abilify for about 4 months now. His symptoms are coming back, he sees negative imagines and has paranoid thoughts. I am questioning my judgement for letting him on it. He also takes Lithium. He has lost his personality, drools, and feels like a zombie. I doubt his diagnosis is even correct. I feel as hopeless as he does. He was told he has psychosis personality disorder unspecified and manic depression unspecified. He does have anger issues and has hallucinations but started smoking kitchen spices-literally- and they helped, he did not smoke nutmeg, thank goodness. Anyway, I question what is better? Lithium and Abilify or smoking Chili powder, Oregano, and parsley? Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.

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I just took my 12 year old off of Abilify after 5 months. I didn't think that it was dong anything except causing enormous weight gain and loss of his personality amd sense of humor. He has been off of it for 3 weeks and there is no change what so ever,which leads me to believe that it was useles to him. my nephew was on it and it was causing in increase in his tremors so he is being weaned as well. my friends 9 year old is on it too and she says there has been improvement but also weight gain. It is all so difficult! Good luck to you and your son

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My 17-year-old daughter is on Abilify and wants to continue, but her personality has changed. She is tired all the time and her affect is flat. She doesn't smile much anymore and her depression has increased. When I ask her questions, the answer is usually a monotone "I don't know," which was never the case before she started the Abilify. The point of the Abilify was to boost the antidepressant. She hurt herself recently. The doctor's response is to increase the dosage. It's not working so they give her more? I am at my wit's end. She will be 18 next month so there is no point in putting my foot down - she is intelligent and wants to be on this drug. I cannot find any evidence of these deleterious side effects in the literature, but this forum is full of these stories. What is going on here?

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I am wondering about the hormonal disorder too. During some random labs it has been discovered my daughter, (13/major depressive disorder with psychosis, psychotic episodes, hears voices, suicidal and a cutter) has extremely low prolactin levels. 4 prolactin tests have come back at around 1.1. Lowest it should be is 2.8. Now her doctor says it is probably because of her abilify 15mg and Wellbutrin SR 100mg. I'm thinking now maybe her psychological issues are related to a pituitary gland abnormality. Has anyone else had a similar situation.

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