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Author
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sat July 1, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 1
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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none to report
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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heavy weight gain
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I became destabilized and gained @ 20lbs. In a short period of time.
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Beautiful_Pain
Poohbah
Registered: May 2004
Location: Inside myself
Posts: 1211
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Review Date: Sat July 8, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: $25.00| Rating: 6
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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It helped with my auditory hallucinations
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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Forgetfullness
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I couldn't remember things I had just done, if I had eaten or taken meds, even what I had just said. I, personally, will never go back on Abilify or recommend it to anyone. It did help, but the price of side effects were too high for me to continue.
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Suzy5654
Poohbah
Registered: May 2006
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1086
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Review Date: Sun September 24, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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cleared up my delusional thinking & helped stabilize my mood
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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weight gain, sedation, have been unable to get long-term nursing home care insurance due to being on it
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Has been very helpful in stopping delusional thinking due to bipolar I, pretty stable mood-wise on it, but also take several other medications so it seems to be a combined effect.
Have gained about 40 lbs. on it & having trouble trying to take it off.
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complic8d
Grand Member
Registered: January 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 585
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Review Date: Tue October 3, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 7
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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helped bipolar II
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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side effects
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Abilify seemed to be helping me stay stabilized, but the side effects got so bad I had to stop it.
The side effect I experienced was akathesia. It's this inner feeling of restlessness, having to move (not tremors). They had to give me Inderal (a beta blocker) to help with this side effect while I was weaning off of it. It did seem to help with bipolar symptoms though, and I didn't experience any weight gain.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Mon October 23, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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gives me energy, works well with bipolar I
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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insomnia (even w/ambien)
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all around good drug for me.
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abilifyguy
Member
Registered: November 2006
Location: Memphis, TN
Posts: 72
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Review Date: Wed November 1, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Fantastic drug
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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none
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No side effects for me. This drug (at 30mg/day) cleared my mind of intrusive thoughts and made me able to concentrate better. I'm more alert and able to live in the present. Disturbing thoughts that used to obsess me, I can now dismiss. I did have some insomnia initially, but got over it.
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cricks181
New Member
Registered: October 2006
Location: new mexico
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Sun November 26, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 8
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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My self esteem has increased after just 3 short weeks.
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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dry mouth is terrible. I can live with it.
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I have only been on the drug for 3 weeks already my thoughts aren't as negative towards myself mainly. My self esteem is on the rise. I am tierd alot but that has to do with other health issues.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sat January 13, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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It works, without side effects.
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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This drug has revolutionised my life. I no longer have the memory loss or fatigue associated with previous medication, and I am able to work and have a normal life again.
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joan2
New Member
Registered: January 2007
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Fri January 26, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: $13.00| Rating: 2
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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abates hostility
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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fatigue,weight gain,increased blood sugar,word loss,foggy
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I would almost rather live with the symptoms than take this medication. It is a constant struggle to stay on the lowest dose I can manage. Weight gain and diabetes are certainly as upsetting as any mental illness.
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manic1
New Member
Registered: February 2007
Location: Kansas City Area
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Wed February 28, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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clear thinking, weight loss, no drowsiness, increased ability to concentrate
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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very expensive
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I've been able to lose some of the 80 pounds I gained while taking Zyprexa. I have absolutely no side effects with Abilify, and I take 30mg/day. The manic behavior is gone, I can concentrate better, there is no drowsiness or "drunk" feeling after taking the med, or no inner restlessness. On the bad side---if I didn't have insurance, I could never afford this medication.
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DePressMe
Magnate
Registered: March 2007
Location: ohio
Posts: 2318
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Review Date: Wed April 4, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $1.15| Rating: 9
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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No side effects. Helped with intrusive thoughts. Helped with psychosis.
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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takes forever to find the right dose
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Excellent med for me. No side effects and really helped me with intrusive thoughts and some psychotic symptoms.
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tawny762
New Member
Registered: April 2007
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Mon April 16, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 3
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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gives some balance and stability.
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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wordloss, forgetfulness, weight gain, spacy. Too many side effects for me to deal with.
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hopefully my doctor takes me off of this. It doesn't work as well as I thought it would. It actually did things that I wasn't use to dealing with.
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Psychotic_Phil
Member
Registered: February 2007
Location: Seattle WA USA
Posts: 295
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Review Date: Fri April 27, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 1
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Relieves psychosis
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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Experience nausea, akatheisa, sleeping much less and tiredness.
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My opinion on Abilify is it is the worst drug I have tried since the onset of my illness. It relieves psychosis for sure, but the side effects, even at 5 mg are unbearable. I would not recommend this treatment to anyone.
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Orlin
New Member
Registered: May 2007
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Fri May 18, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 1
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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None
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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Akathisia, depression, anxiety, insomnia, heartburn, drowsiness, cognitive impairment.
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My experience with Abilify was the worst of any med I've ever taken. I was close to suicidal by the end of three days of constant restlessness without a wink of sleep. I could not recommend this drug to anybody - I've heard of too many people having the same experience re: akathisia with this drug. Approach with caution.
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toocute
Junior Member
Registered: June 2007
Location: Cheese Country, USA
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Mon June 11, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 1
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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depression is gone; self-doubt & self-deprecation are lower
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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akathesia, blurred vision, constant vertigo, tiny pupils, even lower blood sugar, elevated blood pressure, loose stool, excessive thirst, weight gain, excessive hunger
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I've been on this medication for three weeks at a ridiculously low dose, and still have debilitating side-effects. I have been on leave from work for a week because I can't maintain accuracy with the vertigo (aka intense dizziness). The obsessive thoughts have definitely abated, as well as the depression. One really bad part is that I'm having more grandiose thoughts and more of them, and my pressured speech is more frequent too.
Bi-polar II is a new diagnosis for me, and we're just starting to test the drug therapies. I'm wondering if this drug just affects Bi-Polar II differently than Bi-Polar I. I sure hope that the other drugs out there aren't worse than this one.
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biplr4me
Junior Member
Registered: July 2007
Location: Pewaukee, WI
Posts: 15
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Review Date: Tue July 31, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 5
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Helps mood swings
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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Kills off all of your emotions. You become numb. Very hard to get off of.
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I became a very numb. True to it's use that is what it's supposed to do. I got tired of it and went off of it with my Doctor's consent.Withdrawl is a nightmare when going off it. I finally felt better after 3 months. Unless your Bipolar cycles are out of control I would be reluctant to use it.
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lhanson
Junior Member
Registered: August 2007
Posts: 12
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Review Date: Mon August 20, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 8
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Relieved depression, motivated energy.
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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nausea (in beginning), restlessness, sleep issues.
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Horrible nausea and thn uncomfortable stomach for the first week or two. Tiredness and blurred vision was very bad in the beginning, but once I shifted the time I took it to the evening, the tiredness wasn't a problem. The restlessness can get annoying.
I like the fact that I don't have to sleep as much while I'm on it because I have excessive sleep issues, but it does cause me to wake up throughout the night..but I still sleep hard and well.
Within the first couple of weeks, my severe and lingering depression subsided. It also helped with my excessive tiredness during the day by increasing my energy.
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wbl526
Member
Registered: March 2007
Location: Northeast - USA
Posts: 49
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Review Date: Thu August 23, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $20.00| Rating: 4
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Made me calmer and more aloof so I'm not worrying about things all the time.
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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Tiredness, Blurred Vision, Body Aches
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I'm very exhausted taking Abilify but I'm going to switch from taking it in the morning to taking it at night and see if that helps. I've only been taking it two weeks so hopefully the side effects will go away, I'll give it another week and see. I feel tired and restless at the same time all the time but I am calmer since starting Abilify.
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mystikraz
New Member
Registered: August 2007
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Wed August 29, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 8
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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stability with Bipolar
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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felt drunk but went away after a few weeks
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I have been on a lot of meds in my life. This so far has been my miracle drug. I only had one side effect and it only lasted for the first couple of weeks then it went away. I felt a little drunk.
This has helped my temper,has made me stable with my Bipolar and has even helped with my depression.
It is very expensive if you dont have insurance though.
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ghostmed
New Member
Registered: August 2007
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Wed August 29, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $35.00| Rating: 8
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Finally fixed my bipolar issues - feel more stabalized, sex is great now, have emotion
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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first week was awful, had to go from 5 to 7.5 to 10 mg. Suffer from akathisia more and the price is high even with my insurance.
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I am getting medicated and can still have great sex. I never thought I would be able to type that sentence after Lexapro, prozac, wellbutrin, effexor, and cymbalta left me in ruins over the course of 10 years. After battling depression for years, I beat it only to suffer from bipolar disorder. Lexapro was incorrectly prescribed to me and made me feel like a zombie. Abilify is really good so far after my second week - though the first few days were a nightmare.
The Akathisia (restlessness) is pretty bad for me right now though - I am working on it.
Oh and take it at night. That is what I have been doing to get rid of most of the side effects (I sleep the side effects off).
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BerBer
New Member
Registered: September 2007
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Sun September 2, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Stable Moods
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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None to speak of yet
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Just started the pill so I've only taken 4 pills so far without any negative side effects. I feel like I have more stable moods but am not sure if the Lorazepam (ativan) I'm taking has anything to do with it. I'll repost in a couple weeks to update.
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RedSmurf
New Member
Registered: September 2007
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Sat September 15, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 6
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Happy/Stable
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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Blurrrred Vision, slight drunken feelings
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2 weeks in Restlesness was intense not tremers though, just...cant freakin sleep...also on a BetaBlocker for the restlessness
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Derkon
Junior Member
Registered: September 2007
Location: USA, CO
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Mon October 1, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $3.59| Rating: 7
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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It removed 5 meds from my regimen.
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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Price before insurance.
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I like the effects of this medication, but not the price.
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candi1128
New Member
Registered: October 2007
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Tue October 30, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 7
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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helped my racing thoughts and negative thinking. also helped my daydreaming and manic episodes
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Negative aspects of the product (cons):
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Agitated feeling; drunk-like dreamy like state (hard to explain because Im not daydreaming). Antsy but tired; axious but tired and have trouble sleeping through the night.
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