Dear Pam,

This is going to sound dumb. But listen for a second.

I had an ex-husband and other people close to me suffer from diabetes 1 and 2.

A. So I know that scientists think that Diabetes 2 seems to have a genetic component.

B. And I know that Abilify seems to cause / trigger Diabetes 2 in some folks.

But I don't know if the research know if these two things (A and B) interact.
In other words, I don't know if we have studies that show that Abilify causes more problems in (A) people who seem to have family susceptibility or if it causes the same problems across the board regardless of genetics.

Also, remember that your genes might not have that genetic component (A).

OK.
Not sure if that was helpful or not. I'm just thinking aloud.
I guess my point is that there is much we don't know yet -- we can still hope for the best, esp. since most of us need these meds anyway.

I hope that your blood work comes out clean.

Mari

What are other medications for Bipolar 1,or 2. I'm especial interested in bipolar 2 medication. What are some medications that other people have used successfully.

This Abilify doesn't seem to be working for me. The only thing it does is help me to forget what I'm going to say. It makes me feel like I have Altzheimers disease. This is not good. People in town are starting to talk. Not good at all.

I cannot afford this medicine anyway at $400.00 a month. This is not possible for me.

I just called my doctor,and left a message that this Abilify isn't working.

Broke

abilify didn't work for me and it also made my mouth move involuntarily. I forgot why i stopped geodon. I am on risperdal.

Dear Friend,

You might not have given Abilify enough time to work. Also, the pdoc can increase the dose.
The other thing is that all these meds cause some degree of brain disfunction. It's a matter of choosing how much and what type of disfunction we are willing to put up with. Generally, if the med is helping a great deal in one area, we learn to tolerate some side effects in another area.

But it seems that Abilify is not showing any promise of hope/help for you anyway.

Truthfully, I thought Abilify was a weird choice for you because I had heard that it can cause anxiety. Also, it is an expensive med.
The old meds do not have samples. Drugs without samples are the cheap ones.


Here are some tables listing mood stabilizers.
http://www.psycheducation.org/depres...tabilizers.htm

Here is a list from that page in no particular order.

-lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith)
-valproate (Depakote)
-carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol)
-olanzapine (Zyprexa)
-lamotrigine (Lamictal
-quetiapine (Seroquel)
-oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
-risperidone (Risperdal)
-aripiprazole (Abilify)
-ziprasidone (Geodon)


I take Verapamil. The page here talks about that too.

For some of us it is a matter of trial and error to find the right one.
Sometimes it requires patience. Other times, it helps to know soon that a certain drug is not going to work.

Good luck.
I am glad to hear that you have a pdoc you can call now.

M.

I have experienced more anxiety. I didn't want to believe it,but I have. I cannot remember what I want to say. I don't want anymore of it.

If they increase it to 60,that would be $782.40 a month. This is way,way to expensive,and unrealistic of that drug company,and I don't care what kind of Baloney they feed me in justifications. I'm standing up for myself. I'm not paying for their commercials either. I don't know whats going on. I have felt paranoid also. Not good. The price is not fair. Thank you for letting me vent. Brokenfriend

Dear Friend,
Keep venting.
Perhaps the pdoc was trying to help you by giving you samples. Lots of pdocs have samples of Abilify right now.

And most of us need to go through several med "trials" before we find one that works.

I'm glad that you feel that you can speak up for yourself now.
You are going to get better. I really believe that.

Mari

Hi Friend,

I just wanted to chime in and say that 30 is the maximum dose so if you've been on that for a couple of weeks it['s definitely time to try something else. Best wishes to you in your search for relief, I remember how hard it was finding something to work.

Once you find what works though you're set. Abilify isn't for everyone and if it's making you more anxious it's time to talk to the Pdoc and see about cross tapering onto something else and OFF abilify.

Thank you Mari,and Pamster. I felt better today. I appreciate you all. I wish I could get rid of the anxiety pain in the middle left side of my chest.

I became agitated today,and lost my strength,and crashed on the couch. I'm OK now. I keep getting this physical pain in my chest. Brokenfriend

Definitely sounds like anxiety to me Friend. How long til you go in to see your Pdoc? If it's going to be a week or two you might call in and try to talk with them through the nurses or staff and let him/her know you're having such pains as well as anxiety, maybe they would be able to direct you to something to help, like call in something for the anxiety. I hope you feel better soon Friend.

Thank you Pamster. I see a Nurse Practitioner on Thursday. I see my pdoc in two weeks. I called my pdoc,and his secretary didn't call back.

My anxiety just shifted to my head,neck,and breathing. I went to the Sanctuary area on this site,and asked for prayer. BF