What Is Aripiprazole (Abilify) Used for in Mental Health?

Author:

Emma Loker

B.S

Editor:

Ashley Pena

LCSW

If you’re thinking about taking Aripiprazole (brand name, Abilify) for your mental health condition, you probably have some questions about how it works and what you can expect. Maybe your doctor has already prescribed it to you or you might be thinking about discontinuing your treatment.

Whatever the situation, we’ve created this page to answer any questions you may have. This page will explore:

Common uses for Aripiprazole
Aripiprazole side effects to be aware of
Whether Aripiprazole can be used by teenagers
How to withdraw from Aripiprazole safely
How Aripiprazole compares to other antipsychotics
And other FAQs

Keep reading to get the key facts about Aripiprazole.

What Is Aripiprazole Commonly Used For?

Aripiprazole is a second-generation atypical antipsychotic medication used to treat patients with schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, mania associated with bipolar disorder 1, irritability associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and major depressive disorder. While reducing symptoms of psychosis in patients with schizophrenia, and mania in those with bipolar, Aripiprazole also decreases hyperactivity and irritability in patients with ASD.¹

If you’re prescribed Abilify for depression, it’s probably because you’ve already tried selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like sertraline (Zoloft) or fluoxetine (Prozac) but they haven’t worked effectively. In those with major depressive disorder, Aripiprazole is FDA-approved as adjunctive therapy. This means it’s prescribed alongside antidepressants. This is a safe and usually well-tolerated approach.¹⁴

If you want to take Abilify as a mood stabilizer, you should know it doesn’t technically belong in that classification along with lithium or valproate. However, it does work to stabilize mood in people with bipolar, whether they’re experiencing depression, mania, or mixed episodes.

What Are the Side Effects of Taking Aripiprazole?

Aripiprazole differs from other second-generation antipsychotics, sometimes referred to as a third-generation antipsychotic, due to how it only partially blocks dopamine (a so-called “happy” hormone) receptors in the brain.¹ As it balances dopamine activity instead of blocking it, Aripiprazole causes fewer significant side effects.

Impressively, Aripiprazole seems to be replacing the first and second-generation antipsychotics that have come before it. Treatment is found to reduce instances of movement disorders common with other antipsychotics, improve cognitive function, restore sexual function, decrease cardiovascular risks, and reduce alcohol craving in patients with dependence.¹

Nevertheless, no antipsychotic comes without side effects. You can expect common Aripiprazole side effects to include nausea, restlessness, light-headedness, and drowsiness. There are also risks of weight gain, extrapyramidal symptoms, and metabolic syndromes, though these are significantly less when compared to other antipsychotics.1 Similarly, there are low associated risks of sexual dysfunction, increased cholesterol, and menstrual spotting.¹

Let’s explore some commonly talked about side effects:

Abilify and Weight Gain

Similarly to other antipsychotic medications, Aripiprazole is associated with the side effect of weight gain.¹⁰ However, this risk is low compared with AAPs like Olanzapine, Clozapine, and Quetiapine. Aripiprazole also carries the lowest risk of insulin resistance and metabolic disturbances, though your doctor should still monitor you for these.¹¹

It’s understandable to be worried about weight gain while taking Aripiprazole, but you stand a better chance if you’re aware of how your medication could increase your appetite. Speak to your doctor about maintaining a healthy lifestyle during the course of your treatment.

Aripiprazole and Impulse Control

It’s suggested that the way in which Aripiprazole interacts with dopamine signaling can affect impulse control (the ability to delay actions or behaviors and think before acting), as this is observed with other dopamine agonists, meaning drugs that mimic the effects of dopamine on the brain.⁹

There are reports of Aripiprazole being associated with hypersexuality, problem gambling, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, problem eating, trichotillomania (hair pulling), kleptomania (stealing without need), impulsivity, and problem shopping. These reports include people who had experienced these problems prior to treatment and some who had not. In most cases, ceasing the administration of Aripiprazole resolved these issues.⁸

Being aware of this side effect is the first step to managing it. Speak to your doctor about any concerns and if you struggle with impulse control already; together you can make a plan to monitor any red flags.

Signs Abilify is Working

If you’re feeling an improvement in your mood, or an alleviation of your hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thoughts, and agitation, your Abilify prescription is probably working effectively. In addition, if you’re finding any side effects to be easy to tolerate, you’re probably taking an optimal dose.

If this changes, be sure to tell your doctor so they can adjust your treatment.

Abilify for Teens

Since the side effect profile of Aripiprazole is more easily tolerated, it can be safely given to children and teenagers. This includes treating teens for schizophrenia (13-17 years old), bipolar disorder 1 (10-17 years old), and irritability associated with ASD (6-17 years old). When treating teenagers for bipolar, doctors may prescribe it alone or in conjunction with lithium or valproate.¹²

Teenagers may also be prescribed Aripiprazole for reducing symptoms of ADHD, tic disorders, delusional disorders, and OCD, though these are off-label.¹²

Stopping Abilify Safely

You can choose to discontinue your antipsychotic medication at any time. If you choose to do so, you should know how withdrawal might impact you to give you the best chance at managing this potentially challenging time.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of research into withdrawing from Aripiprazole specifically. However, we can draw from what we know about withdrawing from antipsychotics more generally. On that basis, the Abilify withdrawal symptoms to expect include:

Headaches
Nausea and vomiting
Agitation and anxiety
Tremors
Insomnia
Extreme emotions
Psychosis (even when patients didn’t have psychosis before treatment)

You might also experience positive effects from withdrawal such as clearer thinking and increased energy.¹³

Though there’s a lack of research into discontinuing antipsychotics, it’s a good idea to consider tapering off Abilify instead of going cold turkey. You can do this by gradually reducing your dose until your final one is very small. Be sure to tell your family, friends, and doctor that you’re planning to withdraw. You’ll benefit from having a support system around you to monitor your mental and physical health.

Alternatives to Aripiprazole

If you don’t respond well to Aripiprazole, you can discuss alternative options with your doctor. Depending on your condition, there might be a few to choose from. To learn about lots of different second-generation antipsychotics, check out our other page.

Here, we’ll explore two comparisons:

Abilify vs Risperdal

Research has found Aripiprazole to be not only as effective at treating schizophrenia compared to Risperidone (brand name, Risperdal) but also much better tolerated. Adverse effects were seen more frequently in patients taking Risperidone, including weight gain and extrapyramidal symptoms.⁵

In research that compared Aripiprazole to Risperidone in the treatment of bipolar, the drugs were found to be similarly effective at treating mania. However, Aripiprazole worked faster.⁴

On the whole, it seems patients are more likely to be satisfied with their treatment when being prescribed Abilify. However, you should always ask your doctor if you have questions about alternative options.

When treating irritability associated with ASD, Aripiprazole and Risperidone are the only FDA-approved options. While some research finds these drugs to be similarly effective,³other studies suggest Risperidone is superior.²

Abilify vs Seroquel

Research into treating patients for schizophrenia and bipolar depression finds Quetiapine (Seroquel) and Aripiprazole to be similarly effective.^6,7 However, your treatment may be guided by more individual factors such as your preference, lifestyle, and experience of side effects.

Aripiprazole FAQs

Is Aripiprazole a Strong Antipsychotic?

Aripiprazole’s side effects tend to be well-tolerated by patients and carry much lower risk compared to other antipsychotics. Research observes that Aripiprazole causes less weight gain, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, seizures, sedation, extrapyramidal symptoms, and other effects compared to Clozapine, Olanzapine, Quetiapine, Risperidone, and Ziprasidone.¹¹

As a result, Aripiprazole could be deemed ‘less strong’ but that doesn’t mean it’s less effective.

How Long Does Abilify Take to Work?

You might begin to experience side effects within the first few days of starting your Aripiprazole prescription. However, it will be unique to you when you start feeling better. It might be fairly quick (within a couple of weeks) or take a bit longer (a few months).

Even if you’re feeling better from your medication, that doesn’t mean you should stop taking it.

Is Aripiprazole a Sleeping Pill?

Aripiprazole is not a sleeping pill, even if it causes drowsiness and sedation. Compared to other antipsychotic medications, Aripiprazole causes low amounts of sedation.¹⁵ This may be experienced as a positive side effect if insomnia is part of your condition. However, if sleeping problems are your only issue, you’re more likely to be prescribed specific sleep-aiding medication.

Why Take Aripiprazole at Night?

Since many people experience drowsiness as a side effect of taking Aripiprazole, they may choose to take their medication before bedtime to reduce the impact this can have on their daytime activities. They may also find it easier to tolerate side effects like restlessness, nausea, or lightheadedness during the night than in the day.

Is Aripiprazole a High-Risk Drug?

As discussed above, there are risks to taking Aripiprazole in terms of impulse control issues and consequences to physical health. However, these risks are much lower compared to other antipsychotics available and are well-tolerated on the whole.

In addition, Aripiprazole is FDA-approved, which means it has been rigorously tested to ensure it’s effective and safe, and that the benefits to patients’ mental health outweigh its potential risks.

Find Out More About Aripiprazole

If you seek help for your mental health condition from us here at Mission Connection, you’ll have a range of options for your care. If you’re prescribed medication, we’ll work closely with you and your family to ensure your treatment is personalized to you. If you’d benefit from talking therapy, we offer cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-focused therapy, exposure therapy, mindfulness therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and many more approaches.

Call us today or complete our contact form to arrange a personalized consultation and begin receiving support.

References

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