Posted by Tomatheus on June 2, 2008, at 20:51:47
In reply to Abilify for depression and anxiety, posted by IAMtheWalrus on May 31, 2008, at 13:03:33
> Anyone have good luck with abilify for depression and/or anxiety?
IAMtheWalrus,
I currently take 5 mg of Abilify for schizoaffective disorder and could not tolerate the medication at 10 mg because it made my depressive symptoms that much *worse*. I do not notice any antidepressant benefits at my current dose of Abilify, but I would say that I am somewhat less anxious than I was before I started the medication. When I was hospitalized, one doctor told me that I seemed to be extremely less anxious on Abilify than I was before I took Abilify, but I question how "extreme" the reduction in my anxiety was.
Please realize that my experiences with Abilify are most likely unrepresentative of the general population or even the population of patients that take the drug. Most antipsychotics worsen my depressive symptoms if I stay on them for more than a day or two; this has been the rule for me since I began experiencing psychotic symptoms last year, but I understand that *I* am the exception.
I also recall reading that Abilify was recently approved for the add-on treatment of depression, which suggests that it may be helpful in treating depressive symptoms despite apparently not being effective enough to earn FDA approval as a stand-alone treatment for depression.
So, it seems like Abilify might be useful at reducing depressive and/or anxiety symptoms, even though it doesn't sound like the most potent treatment for depression that's out there.
Tomatheus
poster:Tomatheus
thread:832214
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080528/msgs/832596.html