Taking Abilify For Anxiety, Depression. Does It Have Side Effects As Hives, Swollen Face, Trembling, Excess Saliva?

Posted on Fri, 26 Apr 2013

Question: i am 16 yrs old I was prescribed Abilify. The side effects were hives,swollen face,trembling and excess saliva. i told the psyciatrist i didnt want to take it anymore and he told me i was imagining these symptoms. for two days i didnt take the med. my mom called him and said she was worried about me coming down from it cold XXXXXXX but he didnt seem worried. now because i did have withdrawl symptoms he says ive gotten worse and wants me to go back on. i didnt have a medical checkup before being put on abilify,or was told of any side effects to be aware of. my family has a history of diabetes and i did gain over 20 lbs the month i took it. should i trust this psyciatrist?? ihad anxiety and some depression before he prescribed this.

Answered by Dr. Sundar Gnanavel (32 minutes later)

Hello........
Thanks for your query. Abilify is aripiprazole, an antipsychotic. It does not have the side effects of hives or trembling etc. The side effects include a sense of restlessness and rarely induces mania. It causes the least weight gain among all antipsychotics. Hence your psychiatrist was more or less correct in his assessment and can be trusted in my opinion.
Regards
Dr Sundar
Psychiatrist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sundar Gnanavel (16 minutes later)

thank you for your answer. arent hives a sign of an allergic reaction?Why did it make me tremble? i dont understand why my face was swollen either. I dont think living with these side effects is worth it. im still puzzled why i wasnt advised to not go off cold XXXXXXX the side effects were not imaginary,i wish i could get a straight answer from someone

Answered by Dr. Sundar Gnanavel (35 minutes later)

Hello
Any drug including abilify can induce a hypersensitivity reaction in an individual in which case you can stop the same immediately. However many psychotropic medication may result in withdrawal symptoms on cold XXXXXXX stoppage in which case a fast taper is advised. Your hypersensitivity to abilify does not mean allergy to other antipsychotics. Hence a different antipsychotic can be considered.
Regards
Dr Sundar
Psychiatrist

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar