urbanskipper4 said:Glad you're feeling better and managed to ditch the Zyprexa. I was on Zyprexa a few different times back in the day, and honestly, it didn't do much for me besides making me gain 45 pounds, which was a total nightmare to lose later. And man, when I was on Prozac, I was acting like a total maniac—just like Bertha. I felt wired, hyperactive, hypomanic, just super jittery... I used to walk so fast down the street I felt like I was sprinting.🙂I went from zero to sixty in ten seconds flat, not even mentioning those random bursts of loud, uncontrollable laughing fits.😂I was a completely different person, just a total freaking weirdo. 🙂 Anyway, I finally found the right combo after eight long years of trial and error with different prescriptions. I'm on Seroquel for my OCD and two other mood stabilizers. Now I actually feel normal, without those crazy hypomanic episodes shooting out of nowhere. Plus, living with OCD is way more manageable now.
Well, if you ask me, Zyprexa was actually one of my favorites because it acted as an anti-anxiety and antidepressant all in one, which nothing else seemed to do. Now that my treatment plan is actually working, I don't need the Zyprexa anymore. It’s true it makes you gain weight—I put on a few pounds myself while I was on it—but it wasn't a huge deal since I watched what I ate. If you don't mind me asking, what mood stabilizers are you on?
quietgull75 said:I used to take Ambien all the time. For as long as I can remember, you pop one and within thirty minutes you're out cold—like hitting a brick wall. No dreams, nothing. You just close your eyes and suddenly ten hours have passed. You sleep like a log, and honestly, you wake up feeling way too rested. But because I took them for such a long stretch, I eventually built up a tolerance. After a while, no matter how exhausted I was, I couldn't even drift off without them. Better not get hooked for too long.
It's true. I took some Prazin last night around 10 PM, and within twenty minutes or so, I was in such a deep, heavy stupor that I didn't hear a thing—not my phone, not the doorbell, nothing. And I actually had to let my sister into the apartment. Honestly, it's the strongest hypnotic I've ever tried, but I am definitely done with it. I didn't crawl out of bed until about 10:30 AM, and I felt so incredibly groggy. I called my doctor, and we agreed that I should stop the Prazin and slowly taper off all benzodiazepines altogether. The plan is to start waking up at 6 AM, get a bit more physical activity during the day, and maybe read a book in the evening... I think I'll be able to sleep just fine without the meds. I'm pretty fed up with this 120 mg daily dose of SSRI combined with 2x200 mg of Sulpiride. Anyway, the main thing is that I'm feeling good, and I'm gradually scaling back on the psychotropic drugs while staying consistent with my psychotherapy sessions. Cheers everyone (especially fadedbear92), and take care. Things will get better, even when it doesn't feel that way.👋
My doctor put me on Empty at 100 mg today—just one dose at night before I turn in. Has anyone here actually dealt with this medication? I'm wondering how it feels... does it really provide that anxiolytic effect people talk about, or help with sleep?
Awesome :-), really happy for you. Hopefully that 1mg dose hits the spot—it seems like nobody's even talking about it on here lately. By the way, how's the Klonopin treating you? If I remember correctly, that's clonazepam, right? Does it give you that heavy sedative or hypnotic feeling?
Hey everyone... finally feeling like myself again. It’s been a long two years of navigating the psychiatric system, but I think—and I really mean this—that we've finally hit on the right therapeutic balance. Thank God, I managed to get off the Zyprexa. Now, my daily regimen looks like this: 60 mg of Paxil, 60 mg of Prozac, then 2x200 mg of Sulpiride, plus 20 mg of Norvasc and 1 mg of Xanax about an hour before bed, and just before sleep, 20 mg of Ambien. Yeah, yeah, I know... it sounds like quite the cocktail. A lot of pills, I realize. But for the first time in forever, I actually feel great. I truly hope you all are doing well too. :-)
Nicole Barrett76 said:That is precisely why I included the phrase ...but you absolutely cannot mess around with that! What I mean is that I am by no means advocating for mixing benzodiazepines, but I refuse to play the fool and pretend these occurrences don't exist, especially since I have found myself in that exact situation on a few occasions.
Look, I’ve had days where I’ve taken up to 10 mg of Lorazepam alongside 30 mg or even 50 mg of Diazepam, and unfortunately, nothing seems to touch my anxiety. They say 1 mg of Lorazepam is roughly equivalent to 10 mg of Diazepam, right? Well, I've sat down with two different psychiatrists, and both warned me that playing around with these doses is dangerous because it could trigger seizures. Yet, somehow, nobody has been able to explain to me why these massive doses of benzodiazepines don't actually work on me. So, honestly, your take on mixing benzos might not be the universal truth here. At any rate, there could be all sorts of metabolic issues preventing the drugs from working—I haven't gone out and gotten tested for it, obviously, but my gut tells me that's probably what's going on.
So, what’s the consensus here... can you actually mix Lorazepam and Diazepam? Personally, I take 5 mg of Lorazepam along with 30 mg of Diazepam and, honestly, I feel absolutely nothing. Not even a hint of a sedative effect. It's just... zero. Also, does anyone happen to know anything about Fluzepam?
Mark Nelson said:Does anyone know if there are any stronger pills I can take for period cramps while I'm on Seroquel? Tylenol just isn't cutting it.
From what I gather, analgesics and antipsychotics don't really have much of an interaction, so you could probably try a different painkiller. Though, honestly, I'm not the expert here—it’s always best to run things by your doctor first. Just as a suggestion, though, maybe look into Nalgesin or even something like Motrin. There's a massive mountain of painkillers out there; you just have to find the one that actually works for you, which is something your physician can help navigate.
It seems there might have been a typo in your message, or perhaps you were trying to start a conversation about something specific? I’m all ears, though I can't quite make heads or tails of that particular word. If you were looking to discuss something else—medication, life, or just some random thought—feel free to throw it my way. I'll try my best to follow along, even if I stumble over the words a bit. kaže: So, I was looking into Abilify, specifically those Abilify tablets from Otsuka America... just one of those deep dives that starts at 10 PM and ends with you staring at the ceiling at 2 AM. It’s funny how you can get sucked into the weeds of pharmaceutical data when you aren't even trying to. Anyway, back to the point. There's a lot to digest there. Just a lot.
Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis It’s a sobering reality, really... when you look at the data regarding elderly patients dealing with dementia-related psychosis and their use of atypical antipsychotics. There’s a documented increase in mortality risks here compared to those on a placebo. I was looking through some analyses of seventeen different placebo-controlled trials—most of them running for about ten weeks—and the numbers are quite stark. It turns out that patients treated with these drugs faced a death risk between 1.6 to 1.7 times higher than the placebo group. To put a more concrete figure on it, over a standard ten-week stretch, the death rate for those on the medication sat around 4.5%, while the placebo group stayed much lower, at roughly 2.6%. The causes of death weren't all the same, mind you; they were varied. But from what we can see, the majority seemed to stem from cardiovascular issues—think things like heart failure or sudden cardiac events—or perhaps infectious complications, like pneumonia. It's a lot to process. And just as a necessary reminder: Abilify is not approved for treating patients with dementia-related psychosis. Safety first, I suppose.
DESCRIPTION
So, let's talk about ABILIFY® (aripiprazole). It’s one of those psychotropic medications you see around, and it comes in both tablet form and an oral solution—useful if swallowing pills isn't exactly your favorite pastime. If you want to get really deep into the weeds with the chemistry of it all... which, granted, I tend to do more than necessary... the technical side defines it as 7-[4-[4-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-1-piperazinyl]butoxy]-3,4-dihydrocarbostyril. Its empirical formula works out to C 23 H 27 Cl 2 N 3 O 2, giving it a molecular weight of 448.38. As for the actual chemical structure... well, it looks like this: ...
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
Schizophrenia. It’s one of those heavy, complicated words that carries so much weight, isn't it? Just sitting there on the page, feeling... immense. I was thinking about it earlier—well, more like spiraling into it, if we're being honest—and how much people tend to misunderstand the sheer complexity of the condition. It isn't just a single thing; it’s this vast, shifting landscape of experiences. Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to map out a fog bank while standing right in the middle of it. It's exhausting, really. Trying to wrap your head around the neurobiology, the social stigma, the way it alters one's very perception of reality... it’s a lot to carry. And yet, here we are, navigating it. One day at a time, I suppose. Or one thought at a time. That might be a better way to put it.
Standard dosage... well, that’s always the question, isn't it? It varies, of course. Always does. Depends on the individual, their specific situation, all those little nuances doctors weigh. One size definitely doesn't fit all here.
So, regarding Abilify... if you're looking at the numbers, the usual starting point—or even the target dose, really—is sitting right around 10 or 15 mg per day. It’s a once-a-day thing, and you don't even have to worry about whether you've eaten or not. Quite convenient, I suppose. Now, they've done all the systematic testing, and the data shows it works within that 10 to 30 mg daily window when you're using the tablets. But here’s the kicker—and it's a bit of a funny realization—that pushing the dose beyond those initial 10 or 15 mg marks didn't actually show any extra effectiveness in the trials. So, why push it? Anyway, one shouldn't go rushing to bump up the dosage too quickly. You really need to wait at least two weeks to let things settle and reach a steady state. Patience is key, I guess. Even if it feels like a long wait.
Dosage in special Populations
You don't typically need to mess with the dosage just because of someone's age, gender, or race—nor does renal or hepatic impairment usually trigger an adjustment. For those interested in the nitty-gritty details, you can check out the section on Dosage in special Populations.
So, I was looking over the notes on dosage adjustments when you have someone on aripiprazole who also happens to be taking a CYP3A4 inhibitor. It’s a bit of a balancing act, really. If someone is taking ketoconazole alongside their aripiprazole, you actually need to cut that aripiprazole dose right down to half of what it would normally be. Just... halfway. Then, once that CYP3A4 inhibitor is finally out of the system and the combination therapy ends, you have to step things back up and increase the aripiprazole dose again. A bit of a moving target, isn't it?
So, I was looking over the notes on dosage adjustments when you're dealing with someone on aripiprazole alongside potential CYP2D6 inhibitors—you know, things like quinidine, fluoxetine, or paroxetine. It’s a bit of a balancing act, really. If they're taking those inhibitors at the same time, you basically have to scale the aripiprazole back to at least half of the standard dose. Just... cut it down significantly. Then, once that CYP2D6 inhibitor is finally out of the picture and the combination therapy ends, you’ll need to gradually bump the aripiprazole dose back up. It's a delicate dance, isn't it? One wrong step and the whole thing feels off.
So, about those dosage adjustments when you’ve got someone on a potential CYP3A4 inducers... it gets a bit tricky. If you decide to add something like carbamazepine to an existing aripiprazole regimen, you really ought to look at doubling that aripiprazole dose—we're talking moving up to 20 or 30 mg. Of course, any further tweaks to the dose should really come down to a careful clinical evaluation of how the patient is actually doing. Then, if you eventually pull the carbamazepine out of the mix, you can't just leave things where they are; you'll need to scale the aripiprazole back down to somewhere between 10 and 15 mg. Just a bit of a balancing act, really.
Maintenance therapy... it’s one of those things you think you have a handle on until you don't. You settle into a rhythm, everything feels stable, and then suddenly you're questioning the whole foundation. It's a delicate balancing act, really. One day you feel like you've finally found that sweet spot, and the next, you're wondering if the stability is actually just a plateau. It's exhausting, honestly. Just trying to stay level.
Look, we don't exactly have a definitive guidebook that tells us just how long someone should stay on aripiprazole—there isn’t a mountain of data out there to give us a hard "stop" date. It’s one of those gray areas in medicine, I suppose. However, there was this specific study involving patients with schizophrenia who had actually been doing quite well on different antipsychotics for at least three months. They switched those folks over to Abilify at a 15 mg/day dose and watched them closely for up to 26 weeks to see if they’d relapse. Turns out, sticking with that maintenance treatment actually showed a real benefit (you can dig into the details in the CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY section under Clinical Studies). At the end of the day, it really comes down to regular check-ins; you’ve got to periodically reassess the patient to decide if staying on the maintenance dose is still the right call.
Switching from Other Antipsychotics
We don't really have any systematic datasets that look specifically at what happens when you switch someone with schizophrenia from a different antipsychotic over to Abilify, nor do we have much on mixing them together. Now, for some patients, just stopping the old medication immediately might be fine—really, it’s up to the situation—but for others, a slower, more gradual taper is probably the smarter way to go. Regardless, you want to keep that window where they are taking both drugs at the same time as short as possible.
Bipolar Disorder
Standard Dosing
During the clinical trials, researchers started things off at 30 mg once a day. It turns out 30 mg/day works quite well when used in the tablet form. That said, about 15% of the folks in those studies ended up having their dose dropped down to 15 mg because of how they were handling the side effects. We haven't actually tested what happens if you go higher than 30 mg/day in these trials.
Dosage in special Populations
Check out the section on Dosage in special Populations under the Schizophrenia portion of the DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION heading.
Long-term Maintenance
Honestly, there isn't a massive mountain of evidence to tell us exactly how long a patient should stay on aripiprazole. However, we did see some interesting results with patients diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder. These individuals stayed symptomatically stable on Abilify (either at 15 mg/day or 30 mg/day, starting at 30 mg/day) for at least six straight weeks before being randomized to either the drug or a placebo to watch for relapses. Those who stayed on the treatment showed a clear benefit (you can dig into the details in the CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: Clinical Studies section). Generally speaking, everyone agrees that staying on meds after the initial manic phase passes is a good idea—both to keep that stability and to prevent a new episode from hitting—but we still lack the kind of organized, large-scale data needed to officially back using aripiprazole for these long-term stretches (meaning, anything past that 6-week mark).
Liquid Oral Solution
If you need to use the oral solution instead of the 5-, 10-, 15-, or 20-mg tablets, you can do a direct mg-to-mg swap. You can substitute the liquid for the tablets up to a 25 mg limit. If a patient is supposed to be on the 30-mg tablets, they should take 25 mg of the solution (check the CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: Pharmacokinetics section for the math).
ANIMAL STUDIES
In a 26-week study looking at chronic toxicity, albino rats given 60 mg/kg developed retinal degeneration. They also saw it in a 2-year cancer study at doses of 40 and 60 mg/kg. To put that in perspective, those 40 and 60 mg/kg doses are significantly higher than what a human would take—about 13 to 19 times the max recommended human dose based on body surface area, and roughly 7 to 14 times the human exposure based on AUC. On the flip side, when they looked at the retinas of albino mice and monkeys, they didn't find any signs of retinal damage. We haven't done extra studies to figure out exactly why this happened, so frankly, we don't know if this poses a real risk to humans.
AVAILABILITY
Abilify (aripiprazole) Tablets come in various strengths and packaging options.
The 5-mg Abilify tablets are blue, shaped somewhat like a rectangle, and have "A-007" and "5" stamped on one side.
30-count bottles NDC 59148-007-13
100-count blister packs NDC 59148-007-35
The 10-mg Abilify tablets are pink, modified rectangles, stamped with "A-008" and "10".
30-count bottles NDC 59148-008-13
100-count blister packs NDC 59148-008-35
The 15-mg Abilify tablets are yellow and round, marked with "A-009" and "15".
30-count bottles NDC 59148-009-13
100-count blister packs NDC 59148-009-35
The 20-mg Abilify tablets are white and round, featuring "A-010" and "20".
30-count bottles NDC 59148-010-13
100-count blister packs NDC 59148-010-35
The 30-mg Abilify tablets are pink and round, debossed with "A-011" and "30".
30-count bottles NDC 59148-011-13
100-count blisters NDC 59148-011-35
ABILIFY (aripiprazole) Oral Solution (1 mg/mL) comes in child-resistant bottles and includes a calibrated dosing cup for oral use. Here is how you can get ABILIFY oral solution:
150-mL bottle NDC 59148-012-15
Storage
Tablets
Keep at 77° F (25° C); temporary shifts between 59° F and 86° F (15° C to 30° C) are okay [refer to USP Controlled Room Temperature guidelines].
Oral Solution
Keep refrigerated between 36° F and 46° F (2° C to 8° C). Once you open an ABILIFY oral solution bottle, stick it in the fridge; it’ll stay good for up to 6 months.
Tablets produced by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 101-8535 Japan or Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ 08543 USA
Oral Solution produced by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ 08543 USA
Distributed and marketed by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., Rockville, MD 20850 USA
Marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ 08543 USA
Thanks for the info, really. But look, if I managed to get through Zyprexa without feeling like a total wreck, I should be fine with Abilify too. It’s actually considered the first third-generation atypical antipsychotic, and word is it's supposed to have the fewest side effects out of the whole bunch. Plus, it's one of those rare ones the FDA has cleared as an add-on treatment for resistant depression when the standard antidepressants just aren't cutting it. Anyway, if you're looking to dive deeper into the details on Abilify, just check out the official site here: Abilify
Hey everyone, how’s it going? Honestly, I’m still out here wrestling with BPD. This summer was particularly rough—I even dealt with some psychotic episodes, and don't even get me started on the depression side of things. I feel like I've cycled through just about every SSRI, SNRI, and MAOI out there, and nothing seems to touch it. Right now, my cocktail consists of 60 mg Paxil and 60 mg Prozac daily, plus 10 mg Zyprexa, 5 mg Ativan, and 20 mg Ambien. The Zyprexa has been brutal, though; I've put on quite a bit of weight, my glucose levels have spiked, and my hair is thinning out terribly. It feels like I'm hitting a wall with everything, to the point where I actually started considering ECT. But then, I saw that Abilify Tablets are finally available here in the States, so next time I see my psychiatrist, I'm going to ask about swapping the Zyprexa for Abilify Tablets. I'm really putting a lot of hope into this one. Anyway, that's enough from me. Take care of yourselves.
Has anyone here actually dealt with Fevarin before? My doctor switched me over to it instead of Lexapro. From what I gather, it’s my first go at an SSRI. Currently sitting at 300 mg a day... just trying to figure out what to expect.
Hey everyone, It’s been a while since I’ve posted, though I’ve been lurking here and reading everything you all share quite regularly. Things have been a bit rough lately—my psychotic symptoms took a turn for the worse, so my doctor bumped things up. Right now, I’m on a daily regimen of 20 mg Zyprexa, 20 mg Lexapro, 300 mg Wellbutrin XR, 20 mg Ambien, and then some Xanax as needed. The thing is... the Xanax just isn't doing a damn thing for me. Even when I take 3 mg, I feel absolutely zero effect whatsoever. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of resistance? My next check-up isn't until September, so until then, I'm basically left to navigate this mess on my own.
Well, I figured I’d chime in here and share my own experience with taking Zyprexa sublingually. Honestly, ever since I switched to the sublingual method, that constant hunger spike just... disappeared. It’s been a game-changer. I actually managed to stick to a diet and hit the gym, losing about 11 pounds in a single month. I’m pretty pleased with the progress, all things considered. Currently, I’m on 10 mg of Zyprexa alongside 20 mg of Lexapro, and I genuinely feel better than I ever have—mostly thanks to the Zyprexa. I did try to go without it for two days once, but man, the depression and anxiety symptoms came rushing back almost immediately. So, yeah, I’m sticking with the Zyprexa for the foreseeable future. I’d actually suggest to anyone considering it that they talk to their doctor about the sublingual route; it really seems to work wonders because of how broad its effects are.
velvetsailor26 said:So, has anyone here ever tried mixing alcohol with Effexor? I’m curious to hear if anyone has actually gone through it—any experiences or lessons learned?
Well, I have. Personally, I didn't run into any side effects.
velvetsailor26 said:Look, my doctor put me on a regimen of 0.5mg doses plus some supplemental stuff, claiming there was absolutely zero risk of getting hooked... though, if I'm being honest, I have my doubts about that one.
Well, maybe it won't trigger an addiction for you—I keep saying this, but everyone's biology is just different. As for the whole "addiction" debate? I’ve always been a bit skeptical of what doctors tell us, even if they're supposed to be the experts. For instance, my physician prescribed Ambien and insisted there was no risk of dependency, yet here I was, needing to double my dose after just two weeks. And look, you can become dependent on a medication without ever hitting that messy withdrawal phase. I actually went through it with Diazepam myself; I was taking up to 50mg in a single go, but when I finally quit, I didn't experience any withdrawal symptoms at all. This whole business of drug dependency—whether it's physical or psychological—is just strange. There really isn't a predictable rule to follow.
urbanskipper4 said:You can't really get addicted to it—as far as I know, it’s an anti-epileptic, though people use it for all sorts of other stuff too. I was only on it for a tiny bit because it made me feel absolutely sick to my stomach. It kept making me want to throw up.
That’s just not true. Klonopin is clonazepam, which belongs to the benzodiazepine class, and just like any other benzo, it absolutely causes dependency.
velvetsailor26 said:I’ve been on Zyprex 5 mg for about eight months now, and honestly, I haven't gained a single pound; if anything, it feels like I’ve actually dropped a couple of pounds
Well, you're definitely one of the lucky ones then—someone for whom Zyprexa doesn't mess with their weight at all. You should honestly be grateful for that. I'm on the 10 mg dose myself. Do you take your Velotab sublingually, or do you just let it dissolve in your mouth before swallowing?