May 18, 2006

Spare Me: Abilify For Maintenance

I'm not even going to detangle this. But Abilify's maker is now claiming that the atypical antipsychotic is a "maintenance" medication for bipolar disorder. They make this claim based on a 6-week study. No, I am not making that up. Maintenance in the psych world means a med taken for the long-term not 6 weeks, so I haven't the faintest how Otsuka gets to spin their meds healing properties this way.

I think pharma companies need to be held accountable for how they advertise and market their meds, right down to the language they use. Oh wait, the FDA has those regulations in place. And they enforce them so well!

Posted by Philip Dawdy at May 18, 2006 10:44 AM
StumbleUpon Toolbar del.icio.us Digg it reddit
Comments

I am sick of this. Money driven claims that promise shit in the end.

Posted by: Stephany at May 19, 2006 06:13 PM

I almost hate to offer contrary information to you since I so agree with what you write. But in the interests of more information I'll mention that as of May I've been taking 10mg of Abilify since Feb of 2004. I was given it in Providence after I went in for a cutting incident and a few months afterwards I noticed I was feeling "better". I hate to say that, cause it surely jinxes my prognosis. But not this time . I'm still taking Abilify and I still think it's helping me.

Not that I'm stable , or not cuttting or not suicidally depressed, and a bit too hypomanic now and then but still a bit "better". So maybe there are a few of us who can benefit from maintenance therapy with Abilify. Maybe. I'm not a great objective model since I'm still so out of it so much but subjectively I have to say something good is going on. The only other psych med I take is klonipin tho I also take cogentin for the akathesia the Abilify causes in my legs and hands. (yes there are side effects, but mostly that one). Just for context - over the years I've been on at least a couple dozen meds and Abiify is the first to make me feel it's actually helping me.

Just so you know I've been dx'd since nov 1995 with BPl, BPll, BP nos, and schizoaffetive disorder as well as anxiety, panic, add/adhd and a few others like sad and personality disorders. Clearly I believe in the concept of the bipolar spectrum since I seem to flow back and forth on it constantly. Oh yeah, also ultradian rapidcycling and frequent mixed states are in there too. And chronic pain (oxycontin), and migraines (imitrex), and....

OK, too much information. Sorry. I just wanted to make the point about Abilify.

Thanks for your words, and the space to reply with mine.
Steve Wells

Posted by: Steven Wells at May 25, 2006 08:59 PM

I have bipolar I and have rigorously and scientifically (I have degrees in Medicine and Pharmacology and a good psychiatrist) tried everything under the Sun, coming to the conclusions that:

1) Lamotrigine is an excellent mood-stabilizer (better than lithium or valproate) because of the low side-effect profile, but better at treating bipolar depression than mania.

2) Therefore an additional anti-psychotic prophylactic drug is required to prevent manic relapse. Currently I am on Olanzapine but I am thinking of trying Aripiprazole (Abilify) instead.

Although I read that FDA in America has approved the drug for mainentance of Bipolar, am concerned that this seems to be based on only one 6-week study sponsored by manufacturers of Abilify.

Does anyone know of any other evidence for the efficacy of Abilify in prophylaxis of Bipolar I disorder. Please e-mail to me.

Mark:
Sydney, Australia.

Posted by: Mark Stevenson at June 5, 2006 01:39 AM

pic1.jpg

Patient Blogs. Sites.
Doctor Blogs. Sites.
Activists. News.
Social Networking. Forums.
Science. Big Pharma. Ethics.
Current Affairs
Seattle Stuff
Smoking. Stuff.

Info
About Furious Seasons
Email
Other Articles
ZYPREXA Documents
Alt ZYPREXA Documents Source
Blakemore-Brown Transcript

 Subscribe in a reader

Recent Entries
Jim Carrey Criticizes Extended Anti-Depressant Use
FDA Orders Suicide Warning For Bipolar, Epilepsy Drugs
Another Seroquel Related Arrest
Minnesota Forced ECT Case Hits NPR Airwaves
Fundraiser Over
Boston Globe Reports Sexual Problems With SSRIs As High As 50 Percent
Winter Fundraiser, So Close It's Not Even Funny
Two Child Physicians Criticize ADHD Meds, The Bipolar Child, Pharma Influence
Michael Phelps: "I Didn't Want To Take Ritalin Anymore"
Winter Fundraiser, Oh So Close
Winter Fundraiser, Inching Closer
10-Year-Old Who Killed Father After Beginning Prozac Gets New Trial
Scientific American Interview: Is Depression Overdiagnosed?
Winter Fundraiser, Day 11
Paxil Documents Online
Recent Comments

Mark Stevenson on Spare Me: Abilify For Maintenance

Steven Wells on Spare Me: Abilify For Maintenance

Stephany on Spare Me: Abilify For Maintenance

Archives
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
Resources
Mental Health America
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
National Institute of Mental Health
McMan Web
Search


Powered by
Movable Type 3.2