Posted by Tomatheus on May 15, 2013, at 14:20:51
In reply to 5mg Abilify is enough? Tomateus?, posted by Lamdage22 on May 15, 2013, at 13:27:26
Lamdage22,
I would say that 5 mg of Abilify keeps my positive psychotic symptoms mostly under control. Does it completely eliminate my hallucinations and other perceptual disturbances? No. I still hear tapping, clicking, snapping, and popping sounds that others can't hear and get these thought-like "voices" that I like to call pseudohallucinations on 5 mg of Abilify. I also occasionally experience residual ideas of reference and very mild visual perceptual disturbances on 5 mg of Abilify, but my ideas of reference are for the most part under control at this dose of Abilify, and my sound hallucinations and pseudohallucinations are also much reduced.
As much as I'd like to have all of my positive psychotic symptoms eliminated, the cons of taking the amount of antipsychotic that would be required to eliminate all positive symptoms for me far outweigh the pros of doing so. I've tried taking higher doses of Abilify and other antipsychotics, and in most cases, my fatigue and hypersomnia became so severe that I was pretty much functionally useless. In the cases where this didn't happen (Seroquel and Geodon), my positive psychotic symptoms became much more severe right off the bat, prompting me to stop taking the medications.
It's my understanding that the amount of antipsychotic that's best for any individual with schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, or a related disorder isn't necessarily going to be the same that's best for another individual with the same disorder. Some individuals seem to require high doses, while others can get by with lower doses. Although I think it's possible that 5 mg of Abilify might be able to keep most of your psychotic symptoms under control, I wouldn't assume that it would just because that's the case for me. After all, if everybody with schizoaffective disorder responded to medications in the same way that I do, Seroquel and Geodon would be listed as medications to avoid because they worsen my psychotic symptoms.
Now, having said what I've said, maybe 5 mg of Abilify in combination with the Geodon that you're taking might be enough to suppress your psychotic symptoms. Although most individuals with schizoaffective disorder probably wouldn't find 5 mg of Abilify alone to be enough to keep their psychotic symptoms under control, I do think that taking 5 mg of Abilify *with* a moderate dose of Geodon might do the trick for many with the disorder.
But again, responses to antipsychotics, as with many medications, can be as unique as the individuals taking them. So, while taking 5 mg of Abilify with a moderate dose of Geodon might look good on paper, you really won't know how such a combo might affect you unless you try taking it.
T.
Conditions:
* fatigue, hypersomnia, and related symptoms likely caused by prolonged partial sleep deprivation
* schizoaffective disordertomatheus.blogspot.com
poster:Tomatheus
thread:1043354
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130501/msgs/1043698.html