Posted by bleauberry on December 19, 2007, at 17:10:23
In reply to Abilify or Lamictal, what is your preference?, posted by oldschool305 on December 19, 2007, at 0:14:07
I have never tried abilify and never would so I can't tell you much about it except that, yeah, akathisia reports are common.
Abilifty is an antipsychotic. Lamictal isn't. Make your choice. Lamictal is an anticonvulsant for seizures, bipolar, and depression.
My own feelings on antipsychotics is to avoid them. I see them as last resorts for serious cases. A couple exceptions...zyprexa added to prozac, zyprexa for sleep, zyprexa for weight gain (if too skinny); seroquel for insomnia.
It is impossible to predict side effects. Some people feel benefits on lamictal very quickly. Some feel good at first and then feel much worse in a few days. Some get heavy anxiety. Some get nice anti-anxiety.
And again, just my own personal opinion, I favor the longtime mood stabilizers depakote or lithium as first line agents, followed by lamictal if they don't work out. The mood stabilizer tegretol is beneficial if there is adrenal fatigue involved as it helps to reset the cortisol axis. On the natural front, mood stabilizers are often a sign that the person just needs more magnesium and/or taurine.
If you end up psychotic, or in a hospital, or just totally flipping out, then maybe a short term use of an antipsychotic would be useful to get control of the situation. But even in that situation I personally would go for zyprexa and keep abilify far away from me. To be fair, other people have done very well on abilify. The drug is too powerful, too complicated, too scary, and too new for my comfort.
poster:bleauberry
thread:801536
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071213/msgs/801614.html