Today is when I shift my Abilify dosing from night to morning. Before it knocked me out cold, but it seems to be energizing me so I need to switch otherwise I’ll face a horrible night of not sleeping. I’ll chronicle how things go through the day and keep posting what it feels like to be on this drug. I hope that it’s useful to anyone who is thinking of trying it. I’d have loved to find detailed experiences of my other antipsychotics before I tried them. Taking these drugs can be scary because of all the odd side effects, so hopefully if you’re on it or thinking of taking it, this will put into perspective what it is like (for me) to take it.
Hour 3:
Ok, waiting game is starting to end. Right now I’m at 3 hours after taking the drug and my hands feel different. My mind feels alert, but at the same time it’s calming down. I still have the usual feeling of needing to do something. It feels very much like the way that I feel when I’m on vicodin. I have paradoxical reactions to vicodin where it ups me and makes me need to do things while at the same time calming me. This is very interesting. I’m amazed at how I can actually feel the drug in me. It’s not unpleasant, it’s just odd to feel drugged yet good.
It’s also different from the other antipsychotics I’ve taken, seroquel and risperidone. After about 2-3 hours on that, I couldn’t walk and was heavily sedated to the point that I passed out even sitting down. So to have this mild calming effect yet still be alert is definitely a plus. I still need to determine the cognitive side effects of this drug, but it’s looking promising.
Hour 5:
By this time I’ve already peaked. I’ve definitely got energy and am very irritable. Already started a fight with my girlfriend over a triviality. I’m waiting to calm down a little bit.
Hour 7:
I’m feeling much calmer than before. Usually around this time I feel like I need an afternoon nap, don’t feel like that today. I’ve stopped twitching constantly and my agitation has gone way down. I’m also able to focus fairly well on tasks like driving and reading. I do have a sort of creeping anxiety, but I think that’s just being in the co-op right now finishing out my last two weeks here. I really hate living here right now, so that’s not too good for my mental health. Looking back over these past few hours, I’m really hoping that this up and down swing just evens out over the next few weeks so that I’m stable, otherwise it’s going to be another drug that I ditch.
Hour 9:
Reading today seems to be going well so far. I’ve worked through some heady material without too much difficulty. The only thing impairing me right now is that I’m sleepy. Although that might be due to the massive burrito that I ate for lunch/dinner. That’s another thing that I’ve noticed while on abilify. I don’t eat as much or as often as before. I eat once or twice a day and that’s it. I don’t know if it’s the drugs or the stress, but in a few weeks I’ll know. That’s the waiting game for you, it’s always “we’ll see in a couple of weeks.” good news is that it seems that my up swing doesn’t seem to be mood related and instead is drug related. That’s great because right now the last thing that I really want is a manic episode. Even though I’d feel really good, I need to get some solid writing done, and so at most I what I’d like is a creative hypomania. But this drug seems to give that to me anyways, so I’ll be sticking with abilify for a while now. I’ll keep posting every 2-3 hours now. I might try to take a nap, isn’t likely, but it’d feel good to rest (this drug makes me keep going and going without letting me stop).
Hour 12
Well, I finally napped. Groggy as hell. I feel like doing something but just don’t have the energy to do it. It’s kinda frustrating. I have no clue if this is what normal people feel all the time, but it sucks. At least I was able to get through two articles today. That’s a decent day, but I can do better and focus better. All I really want to do right now is go back to bed and sleep until tomorrow comes. I guess I’m mildly depressed in that way. Which isn’t good, because that means that I went through a minor cycle today. Thankfully though, it’s a result of a drug that’ll even out over time. Still, it’s a long road ahead of acclimating to this drug. I might head back to my parents for a few days just so I can remove the co op from the equation.
Philosophy, Science, Bipolar I, and Life
Today is when I shift my Abilify dosing from night to morning. Before it knocked me out cold, but it seems to be energizing me so I need to switch otherwise I’ll face a horrible night of not sleeping. I’ll chronicle how things go through the day and keep posting what it feels like to be on this drug. I hope that it’s useful to anyone who is thinking of trying it. I’d have loved to find detailed experiences of my other antipsychotics before I tried them. Taking these drugs can be scary because of all the odd side effects, so hopefully if you’re on it or thinking of taking it, this will put into perspective what it is like (for me) to take it.
Hour 3:
Ok, waiting game is starting to end. Right now I’m at 3 hours after taking the drug and my hands feel different. My mind feels alert, but at the same time it’s calming down. I still have the usual feeling of needing to do something. It feels very much like the way that I feel when I’m on vicodin. I have paradoxical reactions to vicodin where it ups me and makes me need to do things while at the same time calming me. This is very interesting. I’m amazed at how I can actually feel the drug in me. It’s not unpleasant, it’s just odd to feel drugged yet good.
It’s also different from the other antipsychotics I’ve taken, seroquel and risperidone. After about 2-3 hours on that, I couldn’t walk and was heavily sedated to the point that I passed out even sitting down. So to have this mild calming effect yet still be alert is definitely a plus. I still need to determine the cognitive side effects of this drug, but it’s looking promising.
Hour 5:
By this time I’ve already peaked. I’ve definitely got energy and am very irritable. Already started a fight with my girlfriend over a triviality. I’m waiting to calm down a little bit.
Hour 7:
I’m feeling much calmer than before. Usually around this time I feel like I need an afternoon nap, don’t feel like that today. I’ve stopped twitching constantly and my agitation has gone way down. I’m also able to focus fairly well on tasks like driving and reading. I do have a sort of creeping anxiety, but I think that’s just being in the co-op right now finishing out my last two weeks here. I really hate living here right now, so that’s not too good for my mental health. Looking back over these past few hours, I’m really hoping that this up and down swing just evens out over the next few weeks so that I’m stable, otherwise it’s going to be another drug that I ditch.
Hour 9:
Reading today seems to be going well so far. I’ve worked through some heady material without too much difficulty. The only thing impairing me right now is that I’m sleepy. Although that might be due to the massive burrito that I ate for lunch/dinner. That’s another thing that I’ve noticed while on abilify. I don’t eat as much or as often as before. I eat once or twice a day and that’s it. I don’t know if it’s the drugs or the stress, but in a few weeks I’ll know. That’s the waiting game for you, it’s always “we’ll see in a couple of weeks.” good news is that it seems that my up swing doesn’t seem to be mood related and instead is drug related. That’s great because right now the last thing that I really want is a manic episode. Even though I’d feel really good, I need to get some solid writing done, and so at most I what I’d like is a creative hypomania. But this drug seems to give that to me anyways, so I’ll be sticking with abilify for a while now. I’ll keep posting every 2-3 hours now. I might try to take a nap, isn’t likely, but it’d feel good to rest (this drug makes me keep going and going without letting me stop).
Hour 12
Well, I finally napped. Groggy as hell. I feel like doing something but just don’t have the energy to do it. It’s kinda frustrating. I have no clue if this is what normal people feel all the time, but it sucks. At least I was able to get through two articles today. That’s a decent day, but I can do better and focus better. All I really want to do right now is go back to bed and sleep until tomorrow comes. I guess I’m mildly depressed in that way. Which isn’t good, because that means that I went through a minor cycle today. Thankfully though, it’s a result of a drug that’ll even out over time. Still, it’s a long road ahead of acclimating to this drug. I might head back to my parents for a few days just so I can remove the co op from the equation.