Risperdone instead of Abilify
My dd has been on Abilify for over a year now. It seems that it works for a couple weeks after prescribing it then its like she gets used to it so we have to up the dose. Once we got to 10mg pdoc said she doesnt normally go any higher than that. Well going from 7.5mg to 10mg did absolutely nothing so she upped it to 15mg. That was at the beginning of Dec and for the past couple weeks dd has been getting increasingly angry and mean again. She also developed what is sometimes called "pill rollling" Because of this pdoc wants her off Abilify asap and wants to replace with Risperdone. I have not heard to much about this med other than weight gain. We had some weight gain with Abilify but dd is involved in cheerleading and gymnastics so the weight gain wasnt to bad. Is the weight gain worse with the risperdone? What are some of your experiences with this med? We go back to pdoc Tuesday, which is when we are starting the change over of meds. She also mentioned Seroquil.... I've heard that this is an extremely strong med. Any suggestions which is better and which has less side effects??
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Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
Hi Teresa- My DS 14 had done well with Risperdal but after he was on it a year or so we had to add the Abilify, to get full mood coverage. I acutually think the Abilify has contributed more to his weight gain than the Risperdal. Our new Pdoc (changed b/c of insurance) is tapering his Zoloft (now on 25 mg) to see how he does off AD.
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Wendy
48-adoptive mom
47-DH-adoptive Dad
DS age 14, (adopted 5.5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:)
Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 25mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon) and Melatonin
DD- age 20
DS- age 14-other son
Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD
I have heard both good and bad about this med. I hate switching meds especially one like this. I guess for a while she will be on both untill we can get her off the Abilify completely. I just really hope the hand trembling goes away because I have read that sometimes it doesnt. I'm wondering how she will handle the change. I hate that there are so many unknowns!!
Have you put your son on Lamictal yet? How is it working for him? It is extremely frustrating how slow it has to be increased but in our case it was definately worth it.
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Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
If DS doesnt do well after Zoloft is tapered off, he'sgoing to put him on the Lamictal (for the depression/anxiety properties) then try to reduce Abilify.So Far he's been down to 25 mg Zoloft from 50mg and I have noticed no change. Other than weight gain, DS has been in a good place so pdoc hates to rock the boat too much. Hope your DD's hand trembling goes away soon and Risperdal proves to be successful for her!
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Wendy
48-adoptive mom
47-DH-adoptive Dad
DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:)
Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 50mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon-weaning off slowly the last few months) and Melatonin
DD- age 20
DS- age 14-other son
Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD
My son was on abilify for over a year when it too started making him very mean. He was taking 20 mg in the am. Finally we got a pdoc that hopefully seems to know more. P did have weight gain on abilify & I know that the risperdal causes weight gain. We've only been on it for a few weeks & I can see the gain. (I have made sure the scale is put away) We needed him to be stable & then we'll wean him off this med on to another med that hopefully will work. He's on lamictal also, along with serqouel. Right now, even though he's only up to 125mg of lamictal(headed to 150mg) I can see the change in him, so its working I think. HATE to see the weight gain but I couldnt have him in crisis mode all the time. Serquoel makes P sleepy so we give it at bedtime. He's on a low dose but without it he cant sleep & his mood in the morning is terrible.
Sue Mother of P- 11 yr old son bipolar mixed & ADHD, lamictal 125mg, risperdone .5mg 3X's day, serqouel .25 mg at bed time. risperdal .5 mg meltaways as needed as PRN.
Have tried stattera, adderall xr, concentra, clonidine, intuniv, risperdal, trilepta, vyvanse, lithium, abilify..sure I missed a few.
1 year old full of energy daughter
expecting child # 3 in July
married to supporting husband but getting sick of it....
Oregon
We just took DS13 off of Abilify and replaced it with Resperdal. The Abilify caused him to gain 75 pounds in 9 months. We are hoping that the new med doesn't make him eat as much and still controls his anger. We are in the first several days of the Resp., and he is very sleepy. Does this wear off?
Mom to:
Son, 16, ADD, depression: Adderall, Depakote, Prozac
Son 10, ADHD: Ritalin LA
Son, 13, ADD, most likely BP: Depakote, Celexa.
Me-Pristiq
yes, that does level off and they become less sleepy. As you know it works well to give a dose before bedtime.
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Wendy
48-adoptive mom
47-DH-adoptive Dad
DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:)
Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 50mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon-weaning off slowly the last few months) and Melatonin
DD- age 20
DS- age 14-other son
Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD
Well pdoc decided against Risperidone and decided on seroquel. She says it has better results for anxiety, which dd has been struggling with for a while. We start the med change today and continue over the next 15 days untill the Abilify is no longer being used... I am extremely nervous about this change because I'm wondering how she is going to react. Pdoc says she will be moody... Ha, she's moody anyway. We are in our 4th day straight of meldowns morn and night... I am really losing patience and so is dh.... Last night she wouldnt stop pacing and she was talking to fast her lips couldnt keep up with what she was saying.... Scary!!! She has been manic for going on 2 weeks and has become increasingly obsessive... Mentioned that to pdoc, not sure if thats one of the reasons she decided on Seroquel but I am really hoping it works. I dont how much longer I can deal with this!!!!!!!
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Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
Hang in there. My dd did the switch from Abilify to Seroquel a few months back. They also added Lamictal a bit after. I really like this combination for her. The Seroquel DOES knock down both the mania and the anxiety for her. And the Lamictal allows her to recover from her mood swings in a much faster time frame. I have to change my signature info. Now she is on 150 mg Lamictal in the am and 550 mg Seroquel in the am. Nothing at night. We also supplement with B12, B complex and fish oil. She is more stable that I have seen her in over a year. She talks all the time about how she feels. She actually goes to therapy and participates. And she asked for a prediatrician appoinment to explore food intolerances and allergies so the meds can work better.
I am wishing you similar results!
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Karenj
Self: as sane as I can be everyday
A - DD (17yo) well adjusted, high functioning, motivated, successful, waiting patiently to go away to college
M - DD (13yo) Bipolar I (dx 4/2011) ADHD (dx 2nd grade), dumb high IQ, mainstream education with IEP/BIP, Seroquel XR 400mg - morning: Seroquel 50mg evening; Lamictal 150mg - morning
BF - Live in boyfriend of 5 years, supportive and learning more every day
EX - Ex-husband, divorced since 2002, family history of bipolar, unpredictable and sometimes explosive
Teresa,
How much Seroquel is he putting her on? If she is manic, it will take a pretty good dose, maybe 400mg or higher, to get that reined in.
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Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 15 1/2, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 & H, 11
Married 18 years to DH, 50
FROM TBMF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.
She is starting at 50mg and then going up to 150mg after 5 days. We go back to see pdoc in 2 weeks and she said she will most likely have to up it again. She just went down to 10mg of Abilify this morning and will start the 50mg of Seroquel tonight.
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Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
Hopefully the Seroquel will help her sleep. I am surprised he is titrating so slowly on the Seroquel. It tends to be very sedating at lower doses, and it is one med that can be titrated up fairly quickly to get out of that sedating effect.
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Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17 1/2, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 16, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 1/2 & H, 11 1/2
Married 18 years to DH, 51
FROM TBMF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.
Well, we started Seroquel 2 days ago. Dd hasn't been any sleepier than normal. She does wake up in the morning in a somewhat better mood. After being in a constant rage for almost 4 days, we have been rage free since we started Seroquel. She does typically rage at the end into beginning of the month, so its hard to tell if its the med or if its her "cycle" She is not as manic as she was, and she's kinda starting to show a little personality (good personal) I just hate to get my hopes up and then not have this be a good med for her. It's like I'm on my own rollercoaster... I get hopeful with each med increase and each change, and then I end up devastated because it doesnt work.... Although Tenex happened to work out well... Anxiety has decreased tremendously and she is not down in guidance or at the nurses office every day. She can sit through more of her homework than she used to and the other night she did it without being asked!!!! That hasnt happened since preschool when homework was "fun" Hopeful that things continue to improve....
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Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
Teresa,
I'll keep my fingers crossed that the improvement continues. You mention she cycles on a monthly basis--could this be related to menstrual cycles?
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Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17 1/2, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 16, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 1/2 & H, 11 1/2
Married 18 years to DH, 51
FROM TBMF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.
Brenda-
I do believe some of it is related to her menstrual cycle. She has not started her period yet, but I'm assuming its coming soon. She def rages at other times but the end of the month is a time we can pretty much guarentee its gonna happen. Last night she was going on and on about how we dont love her and we dont wanna help her... We are doing everything in our power to help her, she just doesnt see it that way..... She is using bipolar as an excuse for everything. She is famous for saying I cant do that I have bipolar... I sat down with her and explained that just because she has bp doesnt mean she has to sit and waste her life. I then told her about all the famous people that I know of that have bp. My question is does the rages get less after she does start her period???
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Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
It may become more clearly cyclic after she starts her period. I have heard of several girls here who were put on birth control pills in order to even out their moods. I would just keep that in the back of my mind for possible future use.
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Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17 1/2, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 16, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 1/2 & H, 11 1/2
Married 18 years to DH, 51
FROM TBMF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.