My son is 6 and has been on Risperdal for almost a year now, to help with his severe anger outbursts, but he has also gained a large amount of weight. The doctor has now prescribed Abilify to see if that will help prevent more weight gain and still help with the "outbursts".
My struggle is with my ex husband. He is totally against using any medications at all and refuses to give our son his medicine when he has visitation with him. He wants to use therapy only. However, we went thru 2 years of different therapies before we opt'd to finally try medicine.
I am needing any advice as to if this medicine has either worked or not worked, positives & negatives of it, or any other kind of helpful information that will assure me I am doing what is absolutely best for my child.
2007-08-06 09:03:59 · 6 answers · asked by lizzietallon 2 in Health ➔ Mental Health
I take Abilify at 10 mg. For 6 months it was working well, now I'm having depression come back. I'm an adult female diagnosed with bipolar with psychosis.
I don't experience rage (but that wasn't a symptom of my illness). I do not experience weight gain.
I liked the med...... but I'm not sure about my current state of mind. Sorry for the mixed news. I personally think it's a good med to try especially for the stable weight.
As far as "absolutely best"-- people react differently to the different meds.
And going on and off the medication when he is with his father could be very hard on him physically. I would consult with a doctor about that.
2007-08-07 19:44:46 · answer #1 · answered by lexi m 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Abilify, by some, is the last line of defense with medications. It is generally useful and used when other meds haven't had the desired effect, or when the side effects are extreme (such as the weight gain you mentioned). Abilify is a safe drug when monitored by a psychiatrist or physician.
If you haven't tried cognitive-behavioral therapy for your son, I would try that as soon as possible. It is the most effective form of treatment available, and will very likely demonstrate results in a short amount of time. If you have tried this, then I would say that Ability would be a viable next step. Good luck!
2007-08-06 09:13:07 · answer #2 · answered by Police 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't want to scare you, but Abilify really messed me up. I was completely disoriented, very irritable and totally lost the ability to concentrate on anything or anyone.
I promise you that i'm not overexaggerating any of this..it was by far the worst experience i've ever had in my life.
With that said, everyone reacts differently, so the best advice I can give is to pay very close attention to the slightest change in behavior..especially "ADD" type symptoms.
I hope I didn't freak you out, I just don't want to see it mess anyone else up like it did me. And i'm 34, so i'm thinking it could be even harder for a child to tolerate it.
I have a dual diagnosis of bipolar and ADHD, and they switched me to Lithium,Lamictal and Seroquel which have worked perfectly with no side effects whatsoever.
Good Luck
2007-08-09 03:44:06 · answer #3 · answered by pssyctva 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My daughter was on risperdal and she too gained so much weight she went from a size 6x to a 10 within 3 months. She was put on Abilify and didn't work she would still have "rages". She is now on Adderall they tried to change things because the Doctor didn't like how much weight she lost, (over a 1 1/2 yrears she is back to a normal weight)but we came back to the Adderall, it has been working the best. But she has ADHD, Bipolar and OCD. So you just have to work to get their cocktail of meds to work for them.
2007-08-06 09:58:31 · answer #4 · answered by Kim K 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It works great for me, no side effects, controls 95% of my symptoms. --- Abilify addresses what none of the other drugs could do for me.
Then, again, I am an adult female, with different symptoms.
Make sure your Dr. knows that your child will not be getting his medication on the days he's with his dad.
2007-08-06 10:02:41 · answer #5 · answered by Hope 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It facilitates lots with melancholy indications. the only destructive effects I had (besides as a pal of mine who took it around the comparable time as I did) have been abdomen aches and a few gentle weight benefit. the outcomes have been by no ability so extreme that I felt i necessary to provide up taking them, and it helped me fantastically. solid success :)
2016-10-01 12:53:35 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋