Has anyone out there heard of/tried this med? My son (4 1/2) was just prescribed it by his adhd doc (child psychiatrist), and I've never heard of it before, so have no history/knowledge of it, so obviously am not at all familiar with it.

Here's a little history:

* Tried Concerta....made him worse.

* Tried Adderall.....no effect.

* Tried Ritalin....GODSEND! It was nothing short of a MIRACLE CURE for him, he was himself, but in a much happier, content, eager to please and learn form....the ONLY reason we discontinued it's use was because he started chewing on his fingers and toes....no, not just biting toenails or whatever, but actually gnawing on his knuckles, etc to the point where they'd bleed and get all gross and infected and junk.

* Tried Straterra.....mixed emotions.....I know (mostly from being on here) that it takes a WHILE for it to fully "kick in", what with the absence of any stimulants, etc, which is really hard, as it's tough to tell if it's just not the right med for your kid, or if it just hasn't had enough time to work yet, you know? I'd have considered leaving him on it if there were no change at all (negative or positive) as that might've led me to beleive that it just wasn't fully "in him" yet, but his behavior has actually gotten worse since starting on it almost 3weeks ago....he's taken to blurting out things he KNOWS better than to say, total lack/disregard for others' personal space/feelings, no self control (verbally or physically), and is just "on" 24/7 now.......so....decision was made (mutually) by doc and me to discontinue it's use, as it seems to be going downhill rather than up.....

* Just prescribed this new med, Abilify (aripiprazole)....will look it up on Internet in just a minute, but wanted to know if anyone here had used it before or even heard of it before.

I asked doc if we could re-try Ritalin again, as it had the best effect (not zombie like at all, which was what I had anticipated), but doc is relunctant to revisit it just yet. I keep holding out hope that maybe the gnawing was maybe somehow associated with something else, or at least in part contributed by something else, but doc reminds me that it wasn't happening before Ritalin, and hasn't happened since (well, he HAS been biting his shoes lately), soooooooo......

The reason we went ahead and switched again was because his teachers (and principal) have communicated to me that he's just not learning (he's in PreK).....at one point doc had him taking half a tab of Risperdal to help curb the aggression he was displaying, but it completely knocked him out, no matter what time of day we gave it to him, which, again, if he's sleeping all day, they can't teach him. If we can't get him under control (hitting others, spitting on others, cannot sit down....not still...DOWN!, WILL NOT BE QUIET, even if not "talking", he's still making noise, and it's like he's developed a mild case of Tourette's, as he's yelling out all kinds of inappropriate things and just generally being ridiculous. (now don't go getting me wrong, I'm allllll for kids goofing off and being silly, it's their job as far as I'm concerned, but some of the stuff he's saying, it's not necessarilly cursing, but it's not all that great either, and he's doing it ad nauseum, you dig?).....if he can't be "reigned in", then they'll end up dropping his days to where I have to pick him up at 10:30am every day.....now how am I supposed to hold down a full time job if I'm doing that?!

Feed back is welcome, though not a big fan of you "preachers" out there, so if you're gonna villify me for having a 4 yr old on meds, save your breath, it was not my decision alone, nor was it done without education, as my 4 yr old has a 12 yr old older brother who is ALSO adhd, ok?!

Thanks!

pjcofer

Hi pj, haven't seen you in a while.

While I personally know nothing about this med, here is what I found.  It seems really strong though, so why so you think the Dr. wants to use this?

http://www.healthyplace.com/medications/abilify.asp

ABILIFY (aripiprazole) is a psychotropic drug (antipsychotic medication) used in the treatment of schizophrenia that is available as tablets for oral administration.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS):
A potentially fatal symptom complex sometimes referred to as Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) has been reported in association with administration of antipsychotic drugs, including aripiprazole. Two possible cases of NMS occurred during aripiprazole treatment in the premarketing worldwide clinical database. Clinical manifestations of NMS are hyperpyrexia, muscle rigidity, altered mental status, and evidence of autonomic instability (irregular pulse or blood pressure, tachycardia, diaphoresis, and cardiac dysrhythmia). Additional signs may include elevated creatine phosphokinase, myoglobinuria (rhabdomyolysis), and acute renal failure.

Tardive Dyskinesia:
A syndrome of potentially irreversible, involuntary, dyskinetic movements may develop in patients treated with antipsychotic drugs. Although the prevalence of the syndrome appears to be highest among the elderly, especially elderly women, it is impossible to rely upon prevalence estimates to predict, at the inception of antipsychotic treatment, which patients are likely to develop the syndrome. Whether antipsychotic drug products differ in their potential to cause tardive dyskinesia is unknown.

The risk of developing tardive dyskinesia and the likelihood that it will become irreversible are believed to increase as the duration of treatment and the total cumulative dose of antipsychotic drugs administered to the patient increase. However, the syndrome can develop, although much less commonly, after relatively brief treatment periods at low doses.

http://www.medicinenet.com/aripiprazole/article.htm

DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Aripiprazole is an anti-psychotic drug for treating psychoses. Like other anti-psychotic drugs, the mechanism of action of aripiprazole is unknown. Moreover, like other anti-psychotics, it blocks several receptors on the nerves of the brain for several neurotransmitters (chemicals that nerves use to communicate with each other). It is thought that its beneficial effect is due to its effects on dopamine and serotonin receptors. Its effects on these receptors are complex, involving stimulation of the receptors but to a lesser degree than the naturally-occurring neurotransmitters (a process called partial agonism). The FDA approved aripiprazole as a treatment for schizophrenia in November of 2002.

PRESCRIBED FOR: Aripiprazole is used to treat severe mental disorders (psychoses) like schizophrenia, which are characterized by distorted thoughts, perceptions, and emotions,.

My Daughter (5) has been taking Abilify for 8 months.  She has not been diagnosed ADHD.  Her diagnosis is Sensory Integration Dysfunction (Otherwise know as Sensory Processing Disorder) with Sensory defensiveness.  Possible ODD due to sensory overload.  She was really hard to handle before she started this medicine.  Although it is an antiphsychotic my daughters doctor said we were taking it for its other benefits.  Prescribing a med for something other than it was intended is a common practice although some insurances won't pay for them if they are prescribed off label.  Although the side effects csmommy posted are possible they are very rare.  Like with any medication you as the parent have to weight the possible side effects and/or problems any medication might cause.  All I can tell you is this med has made a real difference in my daughters life.  She was always really hard to handle and mean to other children.  She can now play with other children and is on the whole a much happier child.  She still has her moments but don't all kids.

That being said we are currently weaning her off this medicine.  Not because of anything really bad but she has gained almost 20 lbs in the last several months.  Unfortuneatley weight gain is one of the possible side effects.  Luckily she has also grown some in the same time so it isn't quite as bad as it could have been.  Regardless her doctor is concerned with her weight gain causing other health problems.  She is currently staring the drug Clonidine, a hypertensive (also another off label use medication). 

OH, I forgot to add that she tried Adderall XR 5 mg and it made her even more angry and violent.  We tried Strattera which might have worked except I could not get her to swallow the pill (due to the sensory problems she has to chew everything) so we didn't really get to give that one a chance.

If you are concerned after reading about this med please ask your childs doctor.  I wish you the best.  -Gettingagrip-

Hey csmommy, yeah, it's been a while, you're right, we just bought a new house and moved in Halloween weekend, so needless to say, it's been a bit on the chaotic side around here!

I read all the same stuff you did, and also found that it's being used to treat Tourette's as well as OCD, among other things. I talked with his school nurse about it (previous experience handling/managing children of this nature), and says that the only negative experience she's witnessed is the sleepiness it can sometimes cause, but other than that, she's seen it prescribed a lot to help curb aggression, which is what we're going for. He's just gotten so mean lately, it's really hard to manage him.

Hey Gettingagrip, how long did it take this med to "kick in" with your daughter? We just started it last night, should I have seen something already, or will it take a couple of days? I ask as his day at school today was pretty bad...saying inappropriate things, calling children/teachers names, chewing on his shoes....etc.

I have experience with the Clonindine, he was prescribed it when he was on the Ritalin, it helped him fall asleep at night....I beleive that one was originally made for high blood pressure. It worked nicely for him, helped him calm down and sleep, but didn't completely render him incapacitated....he was still able to wake himself up to go to the bathroom and stuff during the night.....good luck with it, it's good stuff!

Thank you both for replying to my post, I appreciate the feedback!

pjcofer

pj,

No experience personally with abilify, but supposed to be useful for those kids with some bipolar or atypcial adhd. Worth a try, certainly no more dangerous than risperdal, very similar potential side effects.

If he has not tried guanfacine yet, and did ok at night with clonidine, I would give the guanfacine(tenex) a try. Just be aware that he might get really hyper/manic with it if he has an atypical reaction, but look on the bright side - the reaction wears off after about 8-12 hours as the med wears off, and no permanent damage.  Good luck.

Thanks for the website Brian, I checked it out already, and you're right about the colorful language (I'll bet that guy's a character in person, eh?! ahahah), but it was ok. I did find Abilify in there, I guess as with all meds, there's some scary stuff associated with them, huh?

pjcofer

pjcofer127,  I really don't recall how long it took to see a difference.  I think it was about a week before we really saw a differecnce.  What dosage is your son getting?  She started on 5 mg and we were supposed to move her up to 10 mg but when we did she just cried about everything so I put her back down to the 5mg.  We also tried to go down to the 2.5 mg but that didn't do the job.  Thinking back now it seems that it took a few days for the effects of the lower dosage to be recognized as well.  Are you giving it to him at bedtime or in the morning?  My daughter has been taking it about 1/2 hour before bedtime exclusively and that worked very well.  This med also has a sedating effect and helps with bedtime tremendously.  Before we started it she would get out of bed maybe 20 times over an hour to 2 hour period before she would finally fall asleep.  The abilify cut this down to about 1 to 2 times in the first 1/2 an hour before she fell asleep.  I saw that one of the other responders referred to Risperdal.  My daughter actually tried this before the Abilify.  He weight gain started on that med.  We switched to the Abilify because of the weight gain.  Abilify has a lower incidence of this side effect.  Unfortuneately my daughter was one that had it.  Both Risperdahl and Abilify are in the same drug family.

I hope things start looking up for your son and family.  Happy Thanksgiving.  -Gettingagrip-

You aren't going to get these. I promise.


I loved that when I read that part for the first time.

the advice for getting off some of the meds with bad side effects when trying to get off of them,  is really right on,

My Doc, when switching from one med to another,
no you don't need to do anything, just start taking the new one tomorrow.

some things on the net are way out there, and you know not to trust it,

on the other hand theres the dr with a phd whose read less about a med that he's prescribing (mostly listening to the drug reps, when they bring over lunch, and drop off samples) then most of us here.

Brian

Hey gettingagrip,

Right now he's taking it at bedtime, at the 2.5 mg dose, and already we're seeing that crying business going on....we had a feeling it was due to the meds, but with your experience, now we're pretty certain. I'll continue to monitor his moods....he's wanting to sleep more during the day now, too....he only just had his 3rd dose today, so we'll watch him over the weekend and keep everyone posted.

Thanks Brian, I agree with what you said about the dr's prescribing stuff without knowing too much about it.....just talk to your friendly pharmacist, I know mine points out all the time stuff that shouldn't be taken with other stuff....ahahhaah

hey pjcofer, I know it's been a year since your posting, but I'd really like to speak or email you as I think we are in very similar situations..I have 6 YO w/ same symptoms, and similar med history...we have recently had brain scans done, very informative...how can we speak soon?  I could send you an email with my toll free number if you would be willing..I'd relally like to pick your brain a bit too..

javahed

YOU GO COWBOY, err, girl???  Anywho, I had the same experience.  We tried Adderall, he was emotional.  Then we tried Ritalin 5mg twice daily.  That really worked.  But his Doc wasn't fond of the school administering the meds so he put him on Ritalin 20mg LA.  My son started picking at his scabs.  (I just posted a message on that as well.)  Doc took him off of that and put him on Concerta.  We started at 18mg, then went to 27mg, then 36mg, and nothing was working.  Plus he was extremely emotional.  After two weeks of him being on 54mg, he and I were talking one night.  He said he was "seeing things that weren't there".  Can you say GUILT!!!  So I immediately took him off of it, going to see a child psychiatrist and a nuerologist and leaving his pediatrician out of it.  I would like to put him back on the Ritilan.  It seems to be the most effective w/o all the horrible side effects.

Anyway, I have never heard of that medication before.  You've probably found a lot about it on the net by now.  Let me know how it works.

Serina,

I think your judgement about seeing a psychiatrist is good.  If Ritalin at 5 mg twice a day worked.  Your doctor should have prescribed Ritalin LA at 10 mg NOT 20 mg.  That may have been why you were seeing the undesirable side effects. 

I am no doctor but if Ritalin LA works anything like adderall XR you double the mg when going from the single dose to the extended dose.  You are the 2nd person I've heard of where the doctors had difficulty translating the single dose stimulant into the extended dose amount.  Kind of scary!

Gettingagrip

Hi all! Thanks for the post!

Man, I had no idea so much time had elapsed since I last "signed on", sorry for the absence!

My 4 year old (about to be 5 in July) is still taking the Abilify. The pills are 5mg each, but he's not taking a whole one just yet, he started off taking half a pill (which would be about 2.5 mgs), but things still weren't "right", so we upped it to 2/3 of the pill (about 3.5 or 4 mgs?), and he's been on that for a while with no probs at all...no side effects, no "zombie tendencies", nothing. His personality comes through completely, sleeps through the night-but not wanting to sleep all day long, no bed-wetting, finger-chewing, or decreased appetite. He's happy and healthy and full of energy, but not too much energy! Recently we've seen some bad language and disrespectful actions coming from him, but hey, we can't blame EVERYTHING on the good ol' adhd monster, now can we? ahahahhah His teacher assures me that he's easilly redirected, easilly frustrated, but totally "normal". He had an "IEP" in place at his school, but there have been no "issues" that have warranted any kind of conference or meeting since right after he started on the Abilify.

His older brother (13) is still taking Seroquel at nighttime and in the morning, and partners it with 30mgs of Adderall, but only during the school week. He's "med free" over the weekends so that he'll eat...that's the only big drawback to the Aderall for him, is that it really does kill his appetite, and we worry about him being small for his age. (weighs in at about 74 lbs, but then, he's still shorter than I am, and I'm only 5'0! We hope he'll hit some growth spurts here in the next year or so, as his father is over 5'10")

All for now!

PJ

Oh yeah, and Javahed....

Feel free to IM me and I will give you my email address...in fact, I think I may have already gotten an actual email from you, as your name sounds familiar, but I didn't recognize you, so you might've gotten "spammed"! Sorry! ahahahah

IM me, I like having my brain picked....feels nice! teehee

pjcofer

my 15yo dd has been on abilify since 2004.it has been wonderful for her! it takes care of the negative moods....she was on zyprexa prior to that & it made her gain too much weight,which thankfully came off when she switched meds.