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Abilify Index | Expanded Brand, Generic & Availability ›
Crazy Meds Comprehensive Abilify pages

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1. Brand & Generic Names; Drug Class
2. Approved and off-label uses of Abilify (aripiprazole)
1. 2.1 US FDA approved use(s)
2. 2.2 Popular off-label uses
3. Abilify’s (aripiprazole’s) Pros and Cons
1. 3.1 Pros
2. 3.2 Cons
3. 3.3 Interesting stuff your doctor probably didn’t tell you
4. Abilify’s (aripiprazole’s) Side Effects
1. 4.1 Typical side effects
2. 4.2 Uncommon side effects
3. 4.3 Freaky rare side effects
5. How to take and stop taking Abilify (aripiprazole)
1. 5.1 How to take Abilify
2. 5.2 How to stop taking Abilify
6. When will Abilify (aripiprazole) start working?
1. 6.1 How long until Abilify starts working
2. 6.2 Chances of Abilify working
7. What Abilify (aripiprazole) is best known for
8. Abilify’s (aripiprazole’s) half-life & how long until it clears your system
9. How Abilify (aripiprazole) works (the best current guess at any rate).
10. Comments
11. Discussion board, PI sheet and other useful links

This is our basic overview for Abilify, and is a brief summary of what we know about it. Clicking on a “Read more…” link will take you to a page with greater detail. The Comprehensive Abilify pages contain the information from all of the “Read more…” pages.

1. Brand & Generic Names; Drug Class

US brand name:	Abilify
Generic name:	aripiprazole
Drug class:	Antipsychotics

2. Approved and off-label uses of Abilify (aripiprazole)

2.1 US FDA approved use(s)

Schizophrenia in adults & adolescents; Bipolar 1 in adults & children over 10; as an add-on to antidepressants for MDD in adults;

2.2 Popular off-label uses

Schizoaffective disorder, bipolar depression, monotherapy for depression-spectrum disorder, delusional disorders without psychoses, OCD, Parkinson’s.

3. Abilify’s (aripiprazole’s) Pros and Cons

3.1 Pros

As it sort of acts as a Parkinson’s/RLS med, so you’re somewhat less likely to get a couple of the more annoying AP side effects - most movement disorders and those involving prolactin.
The anticholinergic side effects are also less likely than other APs.
The long half-lives of of Abilify and its active metabolite mean you don’t have to worry about a dosing schedule, and you can even take a tablet every other day.

3.2 Cons

Since it kind of acts like a Parkinson’s/RLS med, you can get the oddball side effects of a Parkinson’s/RLS med, like pathological gambling. It also means you can’t take another dopamine agonist to deal with movement disorders and need to take a potent anticholinergic like Cogentin.
Abilify’s long-ass half-lives mean if you two don’t get along you can be stuck with the side effects for at least one, and possibly two weeks after you stop taking it.

3.3 Interesting stuff your doctor probably didn’t tell you

Abilify is the first third-generation antipsychotic (TGA) to hit the US market. TGAs are defined as being partial agonists at dopamine D₂ receptors, and that’s what makes them act sort of like Parkinson’s/RLS meds. So, unlike Zyprexa, Abilify doesn’t just mask movement disorders by being a potent anticholinergic, it tries to prevent them from happening in the first place.
Read more of Abilify’s pros, cons, and interesting stuff

4. Abilify’s (aripiprazole’s) Side Effects

4.1 Typical side effects

Headache. Agitation, akathisia (the inability to sit still), anxiety, insomnia, restlessness; unlike almost all other APs, Abilify is more likely to make you hyper instead of turning you into a zombie.
The Abilify Burp - a type of mild-to-moderate gastric reflux. You’ll know it when you taste it. Abilify so many GI-related side effects that you might as well be taking valproic acid or felbamate.
These side effects are in the “Usually temporary, but they’ll flare up, especially when you change your dosage” category.

4.2 Uncommon side effects

Blurred vision, mania (regardless of your being bipolar or not), teeth grinding & jaw clenching (but rarely progressing to TMJ like Lexapro), muscle aches, orthostatic hypotension (getting dizzy, feeling faint and nearly-to-actually passing out when you stand up).
Unlike most APs, Parkinson’s-like movement disorders (EPS & TD) are uncommon. They can still happen, but they’re just a lot less likely. The same applies to weight gain. Abilify can still hose your blood sugar, though.

4.3 Freaky rare side effects

Rabbit syndrome. Bone pain. Waxing-and-waning catatonia.
Read more of Abilify’s side effects

5. How to take and stop taking Abilify (aripiprazole)

5.1 How to take Abilify

As with many APs, BMS recommends you just start at the target dosage. That’s 10–15mg a day for Schizophrenia, 15mg a day for bipolar (as monotherapy), and 10–15mg a day for bipolar (when taken with Depakote or lithium). The maximum dosage is 30mg a day, and you should wait at least two weeks before increasing the dosage.
The only application where you start at a low dosage a move up is when you add it to an AD for depression. That’s when they recommend you start at 2–5mg a day, work up to 5–10mg a day, and the maximum dosage is 15mg a day, and you should wait at least a week before increasing the dosage.

5.2 How to stop taking Abilify

With its long-ass half-lives, a lot easier than most meds. Severe rebound symptoms are less likely as well.
Read more about taking and discontinuing Abilify

6. When will Abilify (aripiprazole) start working?

6.1 How long until Abilify starts working

Faster than Seroquel, but slower than most other AAPs. I.e. 3–7 days, with 3 days more likely (but not always) when adding Abilify to an AD (or anything else) and 7 days more likely when using Abilify by itself.

6.2 Chances of Abilify working

Given its activating nature, Abilify is probably more likely to work as an add-on to treat depression or bipolar disorder than as monotherapy for bipolar disorder.
Read more about Abilify’s efficacy & comparisons with other medications

7. What Abilify (aripiprazole) is best known for

The Abilify Burp.
Read more of Abilify’s noted traits, effects, and warnings

8. Abilify’s (aripiprazole’s) half-life & how long until it clears your system

Half-lives: 75 hours for Abilfy, 94 hours for its active metabolite. Clearance: 20 days!
Drugs.com’s drug-drug and drug-food interaction checker
Read more about Abilify’s pharmacokinetics & noted drug-drug & drug-food interactions

9. How Abilify (aripiprazole) works (the best current guess at any rate).

Abilify is a potent antagonist at the dopamine D₂ and D₃, serotonin 5-HT_1A and 5-HT_2A receptors, a moderate one at dopamine D₄, serotonin 5-HT_2C and 5-HT₇, alpha1-adrenergic and histamine H₁ receptors, and even does a little serotonin reuptake inhibition.
Like a few other APs, Abilify is a partial agonist at serotonin 5-HT_1A receptors, but what makes it special (for now) is also being a partial agonist at the dopamine D₂ receptors. Blocking 5-HT_2A, and having a positive effect on 5-HT_1A and D₂ are responsible for fewer movement disorder and prolactin problems, and all those agitating/antsy/activating side effects.
Read more about Abilify’s pharmacodynamics

10. Comments

In case you don’t watch enough TV, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is pushing Abilify as an add-on for your antidepressant (AD). Depression is a far more socially acceptable form of brain cooties than bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, so it’s no surprise that you’ll see way more ads about ADs than mood stabilizers. And recent approvals are always heavily advertized.
Read more comments
Read consumer/patient comments about & experiences with Abilify

11. Discussion board, PI sheet and other useful links

Crazy Meds’ Abilify discussion board
Abilify’s Full US Prescribing Information / PI Sheet
Useful Links