![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TheMeanReds on March 4, 2007, at 11:35:34
I've been on 2.5 mg of abilify since tues. Its like smoking grass, but no paranoia, or cotton mouth. Muchies, laughing forever over weird things, watching the twilight zone is utterly fasinating. HaHa....It's great.
Posted by Meri-Tuuli on March 4, 2007, at 12:19:36
In reply to Abilify is like Grass, posted by TheMeanReds on March 4, 2007, at 11:35:34
Posted by yxibow on March 4, 2007, at 16:00:23
In reply to Abilify is like Grass, posted by TheMeanReds on March 4, 2007, at 11:35:34
> I've been on 2.5 mg of abilify since tues. Its like smoking grass, but no paranoia, or cotton mouth. Muchies, laughing forever over weird things, watching the twilight zone is utterly fasinating. HaHa....It's great.
Goodness. It was all akathisia for me. I've only experienced three interesting things from prescribed psychotropics:an intense and warm "come to bed" suck in feeling from Ambien (once, never again)
and finding cartoons incredibly amusing with percocet after wisdom tooth removal
and hypnagogic hallucinations from Remeron sleep to wake states where I could see the last "frame" of my dream in the air (sort of a mixing of my visual illness and whatever Remeron was doing.) Remeron also sounded like a buzzing bee -- brrzap, when I escaped sleep paralysis.
Posted by alienatari on March 4, 2007, at 17:18:22
In reply to Abilify is like Grass, posted by TheMeanReds on March 4, 2007, at 11:35:34
I think your getting your oxy's mixed up with your abilify.
All abilify ever gave me was akathisia :(
> I've been on 2.5 mg of abilify since tues. Its like smoking grass, but no paranoia, or cotton mouth. Muchies, laughing forever over weird things, watching the twilight zone is utterly fasinating. HaHa....It's great.
Posted by cgd092 on March 4, 2007, at 20:45:11
In reply to Abilify is like Grass, posted by TheMeanReds on March 4, 2007, at 11:35:34
The one time I tried a little Abilify, I got really bad akathisia and never wanted to try it again. But Seroquel doesn't do that to me.
Posted by croy on March 5, 2007, at 9:02:24
In reply to Abilify is like Grass, posted by TheMeanReds on March 4, 2007, at 11:35:34
TheMeanReds,
It's wonderful that Abilify is helping you so much!
If I can share my experiene: Abilify makes me calm and confident but also makes me gain a LOT of weight very fast. within three days I cannot fit into my clothes. every day I look in the mirror and I'm heavier. It doesn't seem to matter how much self-control I excercise! I weigh more than I ever have and now need to lose more than fifty pounds. :)
I'm on 5mg. When I started at 2.5 it didn't have any effect on weight and did do a little for mood. But with the weight issue I quit taking it in defiance of my doctor. I would rather be dead than an obese woman in this society.
You're on a lower dose, of course. My story is just a cautionary tale that might encourage you to avoid higher doses if you possibly can. A very close relative of mine is the editorial director of the American Journal of Psychiatry (the flagship journal of psychiatry) and tells me that ALL the atypicals cause metabolic syndrome and enormous weight gain.
I know this is a downer! BUT, we're all different; I've known people with naturally fast metabolisms not gain any weight even on famously weight-gain causing drugs like Depakote, Lithium, even Risperdal. Unfortunately, I've also seen a person triple her weight over the years(and it continues to rise) on a not-that-high dose of Risperdal. She's five feet two and three hundred and fifty pounds.
Again, just a cautionary tale. I'm really hoping that you can keep feeling this good with no ill effects. Best of luck!
Posted by TheMeanReds on March 5, 2007, at 11:36:56
In reply to Re: Abilify is like Grass, posted by croy on March 5, 2007, at 9:02:24
Please someone tell me what askesia is. I read the word all the time around here, and it doesnt have a 'good' connotation.
Im also on lamical 100mg, knlonopin 2mg, valium once in a while, and seroquel 100mg.
I'm not sure which one is cuasing my horrid munchies. probably not the benzos. Yesterday I bought a couple of pairs of lounge pants. Ack! im 5'5 and usually fit into a size 5...not anymore though. I know someone wants to slap me on the face for my last sentence.
I dont want to gain a ton of weight, but abilify really is a giggle drug for me. I'm going out for sushi for lunch, my fav food. It makes my toes tingle I love it sooo much! =)
I'll start a better diet tommorrow......hehe
Posted by TheMeanReds on March 5, 2007, at 11:41:21
In reply to Re: Abilify is like Grass, posted by alienatari on March 4, 2007, at 17:18:22
> I think your getting your oxy's mixed up with your abilify.
I dont take any pain pills except for recreation once and a while. I did last night. Vicodin. I watched 'Stranger than Fiction', and it was only funny for the first 20 minutes...what a rip off!
Posted by yxibow on March 8, 2007, at 1:21:23
In reply to Re: Abilify is like Grass, posted by TheMeanReds on March 5, 2007, at 11:36:56
> Please someone tell me what askesia is. I read the word all the time around here, and it doesnt have a 'good' connotation.
>
> Im also on lamical 100mg, knlonopin 2mg, valium once in a while, and seroquel 100mg.
>
> I'm not sure which one is cuasing my horrid munchies. probably not the benzos. Yesterday I bought a couple of pairs of lounge pants. Ack! im 5'5 and usually fit into a size 5...not anymore though. I know someone wants to slap me on the face for my last sentence.
>
> I dont want to gain a ton of weight, but abilify really is a giggle drug for me. I'm going out for sushi for lunch, my fav food. It makes my toes tingle I love it sooo much! =)
> I'll start a better diet tommorrow......hehe
Well I guess you're the exception to what has generally been seen with Abilify, that it has EPS similar to Geodon and the pushme-pullyou partial D2 doesn't pan out.
Akathisia is the intense (depending on the neuroleptic) feeling of internal motion -- it is a movement disorder but you do not move, you feel like you have to move even if a wall is in front of you. If its strong enough it even confuses you so you can't have a conversation (at least my experience with Compazine). If its mild, its often mistaken as anxiety but it is definately NOT an anxiety disorder. It is felt strongest with the phenothiazine old line neuroleptics but for people such as me especially with affective disorders EPS like akathisia is experienced from Risperdal down through Abilify and Geodon. Usually not experienced with Zyprexa and Seroquel except in the most sensitive. Other nasty EPS can happen though, and I have them.-- tidings
Posted by TheMeanReds on March 8, 2007, at 10:40:40
In reply to Re: Abilify is like Grass » TheMeanReds, posted by yxibow on March 8, 2007, at 1:21:23
Well I guess I get the move move moves when I take high doeses of lamictal, and sometimes I feel like I dont want/cant to move. Its kinda like being on speed and not feeling energy? Lamictal higher than 100 gives me axiety shakes. But Being on lam and abilify I think somehow evens things out? I know nothin aboot chemistry, sorry I cannot speak in those terms. I know I like dopamine release...thats it. =)
> > Please someone tell me what askesia is. I read the word all the time around here, and it doesnt have a 'good' connotation.
> >
> > Im also on lamical 100mg, knlonopin 2mg, valium once in a while, and seroquel 100mg.
> >
> > I'm not sure which one is cuasing my horrid munchies. probably not the benzos. Yesterday I bought a couple of pairs of lounge pants. Ack! im 5'5 and usually fit into a size 5...not anymore though. I know someone wants to slap me on the face for my last sentence.
> >
> > I dont want to gain a ton of weight, but abilify really is a giggle drug for me. I'm going out for sushi for lunch, my fav food. It makes my toes tingle I love it sooo much! =)
> > I'll start a better diet tommorrow......hehe
>
>
> Well I guess you're the exception to what has generally been seen with Abilify, that it has EPS similar to Geodon and the pushme-pullyou partial D2 doesn't pan out.
>
>
> Akathisia is the intense (depending on the neuroleptic) feeling of internal motion -- it is a movement disorder but you do not move, you feel like you have to move even if a wall is in front of you. If its strong enough it even confuses you so you can't have a conversation (at least my experience with Compazine). If its mild, its often mistaken as anxiety but it is definately NOT an anxiety disorder. It is felt strongest with the phenothiazine old line neuroleptics but for people such as me especially with affective disorders EPS like akathisia is experienced from Risperdal down through Abilify and Geodon. Usually not experienced with Zyprexa and Seroquel except in the most sensitive. Other nasty EPS can happen though, and I have them.
>
> -- tidings
Posted by yxibow on March 10, 2007, at 1:45:11
In reply to Re: Abilify is like Grass » yxibow, posted by TheMeanReds on March 8, 2007, at 10:40:40
> Well I guess I get the move move moves when I take high doeses of lamictal, and sometimes I feel like I dont want/cant to move. Its kinda like being on speed and not feeling energy? Lamictal higher than 100 gives me axiety shakes. But Being on lam and abilify I think somehow evens things out? I know nothin aboot chemistry, sorry I cannot speak in those terms. I know I like dopamine release...thats it. =)
Its not dopamine release, its a dopamine antagonist and blockade, as all antipsychotics are, as well as several esoteric antidepressants such as Amoxapine, and to an extent some of the tricyclics such as Ludiomil (technically a tetracylic).
And the dopamine blockade isn't perfect so it goes after dopamine in other parts of the brain, which causes EPS, such as akathisia.
Its possible that the Lamictal "evens" things out but generally nothing really blocks EPS in a big way except anticholinergics and benzodiazepines.-- tidings
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.