Abilify

[Jemi]

Has anyone ever used Abilify (think is how you spell it) for aggression, we have had set backs and I need some advice, we are on Risperdal now, tried Clondine, adderall and ritalin with no help, actually worse. Any ideas any one? Thanks Jemi

[brensmom]

My son is on abilify. Though the doc who put him on it,swears by it, I'm not sure it helped my son too much. The main change we saw was he was less sedated than he was on Risperidol. Unfortunately, and contrary to the reported side effects, he gained a ton of weight. We are in the process of slowly weaning him off it. So far, so good. The doc who put him on it said he had success with several kids with similar behaviors as my son. Guess it's pretty individual, response and side effects.

[Lisa S]

Hi Jemi,
Well, Abilify is sort of in the same class of medicines as Risperdal, but sometimes one drug in a class works better for a particular person than another. Abilify is a newer drug than Risperdal and is supposed to have fewer side effects. I know Kane is not bipolar but I found a early onset bipolar site that has more information about Abilify.

http://www.bipolarchild.com/newsletters/0302.html

Really Adderall and Ritalin have a totally different effect on brain chemistry than Abilify and Risperdal so it makes sense they may have made his aggression worse. How long has Kane been off of them? I was told it can take months for the brain chemistry to return to pre-stimulant levels.

How much Risperdal is Kane taking now and what is it doing? Does it seem to help his aggression? I remember he had a lot of sensory integration issues. Has he gotten OT or a sensory diet? That might help as well.
Lisa

[puzzleman]

My son Luke did not do well with Abilify. It helped him in school but when he came down from it his aggressions were pretty mean.:wave:

[Autismskat]

Hello,
We have just started Josh on Abilify about 2 weeks ago. He's always sleepy,his constipation has not improved much, he has not been aggressive so far. His body is still adjusting to the Abilify. We stopped clonidine because it was conflicting with other meds like tylenol which was one reason for the aggression. If you can let me know how your child is doing, Medications make me nervous.
Jannette:)

[Jemi]

I am not sure that it is helping as much as the risperdal first did but we have just started it 2 1/2 weeks ago, but....has anyone seen a rash with the abilify it is only on the presure points; elbows, knee's and thighs, strange places, very dry and raised and red-brown spots, we are still on the depakote for seizures, migranes and moods. The aggression and yelling including just normal talking is still yelling; is out of control. I think I have seen about a 15 to 20 % lowering of the aggression with the abilify. any one know of a different Psychiatrist in Lincoln or omaha nebraska I am not satisfied with where we are going, I feel like they act like I am exagerating the behaviors at times. Any ideas about any other meds for a 4 year old 38 pounds. Help Please.