An Introduction to Abilify Medication

Many people wonder, what is Abilify? Abilify medication is prescribed to treat manic depression, otherwise known as Bipolar Disorder, and Schizophrenia. In some cases, it may be prescribed in conjunction with another medication to treat depression. The generic term for Abilify is Aripiprazole, which is a drug known to balance the neurotransmitters, specifically serotonin and dopamine.

There are many Abilify side effects, ranging from common to uncommon and they range in levels of severity.

The biggest “watch out” (although it is very rare) is that this medication can cause tardive dyskinesia. What is tardive dyskinesia, you ask?! Well, it is a condition that triggers involuntary spasms and twitches within the body and the facial muscles.

If any uncontrolled, involuntary movements begin to happen it is important to contact your physician immediately as this condition can become permanent. For some reason , this reaction is more common in elderly, in particular women, versus younger populations .

Also, important to note that this medication is not an approved treatment for forms of dementia.

Abilify medication, while successful treating Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, can interact with other drugs and make for a very bad situation. Some quality documentation / studies have been done to determine which drugs may have an interaction and what the result might be, as shown below.