Abilify

Abilify (aripiprazole) is a medicine that can be prescribed for the treatment of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and a number of other medicines. It can be also combined with other drugs, but this is a decision that is supposed to be taken by your health care provider only. Before you start taking this medicine, your health care provider needs to know as much as possible about your current health conditions and any health conditions and states you have been diagnosed with. The following ones are very important to mention: a history of breast cancer, history of diabetes, heart disease, a history of heart attack, a history of a stroke, liver or kidney disease, seizures, high blood pressure, and trouble swallowing. You will need to make sure you tell your doctor about any of them, as a dose adjustment may be required for your treatment to be safe. There may also be some side effects possible when you start taking Abilify, and your health care provider may want to monitor your progress. The following side effects are sometimes experienced: stomach upset, anxiety, sleep problems, dizziness, trouble swallowing, drowsiness, constipation, weakness, and headache. The side effects mentioned are generally mild and do not need to be reported to your health care provider. More serious side effects you will have to notify your doctor of may be some or any of the following: body aches, fever, flu symptoms, headache, suicidal thoughts, urinating less than usual, confusion, seizure, yellowing of your skin or eyes, fast or uneven heartbeats, and stiff muscles. This drug is FDA pregnancy category C, as it is not known for sure whether it can be harmful to an unborn baby. However, this drug can pass into breast milk and affect the health of a nursing infant. It’s not a very god idea to start taking this drug without previously talking to your health care provider. If you get pregnant while taking Abilify – talk to your doctor as soon as possible to learn about the options you have. Some drugs you are taking at the moment can interfere with the effectiveness of Abilify. Make sure you mention the fact of using the following ones to your health care provider to avoid dangerous and unpleasant interactions: high blood pressure medications, itraconazole, rifampin, ketoconazole, fluoxetine, paroxetine, carbamazepine, rifabutin, phenobarbital, phenytoin, or quinidine.