What You Need to Know About Abilify Drug Interactions
Abilify drug interactions should be considered and understood when taking this medication. According to the manufacturer and the comprehensive label there are some drugs that can affect Abilify - also known as Aripiprazole. And Aripiprazole can affect other drugs.
Other Drugs That Affect Abilify
Ketaconazole - May increase concentrations of Arapiprazole. If taking both, the dosage of the aripiprazole should be reduced to 50% of what is normally prescribed. Other inhibitors such as itraconazole will have similar effects, thus also require a reduction in the dose of Aripiprazole that is taken. Once these inhibitors are no longer being taken, the aripiprazole dose can be increased back to the recommended dosage.
Quinidine, Fluoxetine and Paroxetine – May cause increased aripiprazole plasma levels, potentially increasing the risk of side effects. Again, the aripiprazole dose should be cut in half when taking these inhibitors concurrently. Increase the does once the inhibitors are no longer being taken. The only exception is when these inhibitors are being taken by patients with major depressive disorders. In this case, no dosage adjustment is necessary.
Carbamazepine – When taken with Abilify, a decrease in aripiprazole concentrations may be experienced. As a result, the Abilify dosage should be doubled. When carbamazepine is discontinued the Abilify dosage should be reduced.
Abilify’s Affects on Other Drugs
Based on studies about Abilify drug interactions, there is a low probability of Abilify causing any clinical interactions with drugs metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes.
Alcohol – As with most antipsychotic medications, it is not recommended that a patient consume alcohol while taking antipsychotic meds.
Minimal / Non-existent Abilify Drug Interactions
The list below includes drugs that did not interact with aripiprazole, thus no changes were necessary to the prescribed dose when taken with the list of drugs below:
Famotidine
Valproate
Lithium
Lamotrigine
Dextromethorphan
Warfarin
Omeprazole
Lorazepam
Escitalopram
Venlafaxine
As you can see there are a lot of things to consider when taking medications. Once you understand how they interact and affect each other, you can make informed decisions about what to take and when to take it. This ensures that you reap the benefits of what you are taking and that they do what they are suppose to do. Unfortunately, there are a lot of accidental deaths out there because they mixed drugs that didn't interact well with each other, leading to tragedy. If people would take the tine to educate themselves (like you are doing!) they can avoid this. So I applaud you for taking that step and learning more.
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