New Medication: Abilify??

I know how you feel. My son (almost 10) has been taking Abilify for several years. It was the only medication that seemed to help with these mood swings. He just resently had to start taking a higher dosage (due to outgrowing the original dosage). The only cons that I have seen are some weight gain. Nothing horrible, just slightly noticeable. It really does help with my son, but it is always scary when you are prescribing medication to children. Hope this helps.

This is an antipsychotic drug used mainly to treat schizophrenia. Did the Dr. diagnose schiphrenia or is he using the drug off label? Has a psychiatrist prescribed this for him or just a pediatrician or family doctor.

I am a clinical child and family psychology and child development major and working towards getting my license. I am also a member of the American Psychological Society. I really try to get parents to see a psychologist or psychiatrist (they prescribe the meds) instead of family Dr.s for things like this. The rate at which family Drs. are prescribing these medications really concerns me because I have seen many children have bad side effect from medications and good results from therapy without putting these toxins in their developing bodies.

If you are seeing a psychiatrist who put him on the medication, great, if not please get a 2nd opinion from a psychologist/psychiatrist who is well versed in these disorders. I think of it like this, would you go see a dentist for a problem with your toes? No you'd see a podiatrist (foot Dr).

You really need to see a specialist if you aren't already. Drugs alone rarely work, there is a much more successful treatment rate when medication and therapy are used in conjunction with each other.

I know everyone reacts to medication differently, but I took abilify once and it caused severe hallucinations...something I had never experienced before. With a child that young I would be very careful with that medicine. I would talk to the pharmacist about it and maybe even get a second opinion. Good luck.
M. M.

Hi C.,
I feel for you. It is so difficult to medicate your child. I have three who all needed help. Oldest suffered depression, ADHD, & some signs of Bipolar when he was in adolescence. Middle ADHD. Youngest is now struggling with GAD & psychosis NOS. He is the saddest (had to spend time in a mental health facility after a breakdown last summer.
My oldest took Abilify & it made him sleepy & he gained quite a bit of weight. He no longer uses any meds & is quite well adjusted & successful. My youngest just started (1 mg) as an add-on to his Prozac. He seems to be doing well with it. increased appetite & a tiny bit of anxiety at night (which could just be GAD). I am increasing to 2 mg in a week, crossing my fingers.
Different meds work for different people. And rest assured, you are a GOOD MOTHER for being tuned in, concerned & making tough decisions. If this med isn't a good fit, another will be.
I wish you all the best.
E.

My daughter (8) has been taking abilify for about 1 year now, it has helped extremely well. The only problem is weight gain, she has gained about 15 pounds which before she was underweight anyways so it really didnt bother me. But I am thinking about talking to her doctor about it because I grew up as a chubby kid and I dont want her to go through that at school.

My sister's son (11)is taking Abilify. He has been for quite some time. He's recently been dignosed as Bi-polar and this is one drug that he wasn't taken off, unlike the Focalin (i think that's how its spelled) Honestly I say it helps but certainly do not correct this problem. He is VERY whinny when he doesnt get his way. VERY explosive in his temperment. He is not able to attend public school. He is now forced to attend an Alternated School. He is constantly in and out of dr offices. Speacilist. He even attended a behavorial center for quite sometime (Brentwood) So to answer your question, yes in my opinion it works, somewhat. Please remember it could always be worse.

Hey sweety,

I used to work at Walgreen's Parmacy as a Pharmacy Technician. As many people that I saw that took that medication did pretty good on it. Some people, it made them feel worse but I guess it just depends on the person. If you see no improvement within 30 days (which I am sure the dr. told you this) I would talk to them about something else. You may notice a change in a matter of a 1 to 2 weeks. Good luck and I H. that he does great on it.

H.

the medication worked great for mei took it for ptsd i only had a few side affectsmain one being sleepy. but i hope he has great sucess with it also