I beleive that the majority of people taking Abilify have been coerced by their family and doctor who tell them they are sick.

Physicians (even psychiatrists) continue to be held in high esteem by the public. And if the doc says Abilify is what you need then, by gum, that's obviously what you need. Sometimes I envision the entire North American public as one huge sheep being led around by a twine.

Abilify has been aiming for the female market for quite a while now. Last year, I noticed full-page, friendly ads in the NY Times, WA Post, and other papers. They did a soft sell on the drug, making bipolar sound like you might like to have it. This thus differentiated them in the market from the other atypicals, which had a more "masculine" approach.

They have also gone all out to convince the docs that this is the safest drug and that fewer people with die or get diabetes from it. Actually this could be true but I sure haven't seen the study.

Unfortunately, I think it came on the market last, or was it Geodon, so it will be around for awhile and then, like Risperdol, a copycat drug will appear.

I've been at least 40 psychoactive drugs, and have never been coerced, hell I used to go in and rattle off my order and snap to it. But Abilify was the one that made me quit two years ago, we added it to Effexor and it flipped me into mania within a week. That was the first time a drug hit me like an earthquake and I didn't want to quit, but I knew something was way wrong, I was irritating people and going days without sleep so I squared my shoulders and called the pdoc who told me to abort both drugs and come in for an appointment. I never went back, and of course at the time thought that adverse reaction was "just me."

I just went on Abilify last week by my p-doc. He gave it to me because he had a plethora of samples in his closet and even gave me a pen and another tzchoke on top of that. My mother was thrilled to hear I was on the drug, and I asked if she knew about it.

Yes, she replied, I have seen their ad on TV last week and in print. She assumed it was a good drug because it was on Tv.

I told her with all due respect ( she is my mother!) just because something is on TV that doesn't make it good.

I can tell you it did make me sleep after over 3 days of not sleeping, but at present there are some wicked side effects going on and second opinion is Monday. All I know is right now I am experiencing paranoia, mental confusion, lightheadness, and fainted this morning.

But at least I am sleeping, Thank heaven for little things.

And yes, I just looked at the blister pack information. The drug is marketed in the town I live in. They also include a form for patient info, name, addy, doctor, etc, and what emergency room the person should go to. On the other side are national numbers for NAMI and the National Mental Heath Association. Hmm.

Bristol-Myers settles government charges-Abilify pediatric use off-label.

"Charges also include that from 2002 through the end of 2005, Bristol-Myers knowingly promoted the sale and use of Abilify, an antipsychotic drug, for pediatric use.."

"Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and its unit Apothecon Inc. agreed to pay more than $515 million as part of a civil settlement related to the drug maker's marketing, pricing and sales activities, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday."

"Under finalized terms, the company entered a five-year "corporate integrity agreement" with the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services. As part of that deal, the company will be required to report accurate average sales prices and average manufacturer prices for its drugs covered by Medicare and other federal health care programs."

My foster son was on Abilify when we were placed with him. He was violent, never stopped eating, and very unpredictable. For some reason, a Doctor decided he needed this medication for ADHD. We since have taken him off of it and have seen vast improvements.

Would someone please tell me how so many kids have been diagnosed with such similar problems so quickly that we have almost forty million children worldwide on anti-psychotics? Are parents becoming that stupid? Are our new drug dealers wearing white lab coats? YES. Our children need more sunshine, more vitamins, more discipline, more love, more of their parents and doctors than a pill. And speaking of these "pills"...Do you understand what they are doing to our childrens brains, their bodies, their growth, their emotions, their pituitary glands, thalymus, hypothalymus? Do you understand what the dopamines in your brain do? Do you understand what happens when you don't absorb your calcium and your magnesium and your potassium/sodium balance is out of whack? DO YOU? Do you know that our children are being set up for diabetes, hypothyroidism, stroke, heart attack,and much, much more, but, hey, let's just put them on more medication if they are not doing what the teacher said? Why not, everybody's doing it nowadays. Do you think about what is in our food, diet drinks, preservatives in our meat, sugar, sugar, sugar, etc. etc. etc. We are walking chemical bombs. Let me ask you something, does the doctor tell you how your liver and pancreas is going to handle all your sugar? Does your brain tell you "Oh, God, I'm not getting enough FOOD for thinking correctly, today?" Does your stomach tell you "What the hell was that pink package of sweet stuff you sent down here for?" Does it say, "I'm sorry, I cannot process that for brain food...and, oh, that fortieth soda pop you just gave me is seriously imbalancing your system...and, oh my, did you know your bones are being dissolved as we speak because of all the phosphorus and sodium and let me tell you about the sugar"...People, our brains and body function TOGETHER...what you do to the brain to alter it's chemistry IS GOING TO EFFECT your body. Long term results for our kids? God help us. Let me give you some pointers....Get it together...Get strong...Get your kids out from behind the computer and television. Make them work in the yard and get some sunshine and activity. Stand for something. Stop feeding them crap. Read to them. Give them a regular schedule and stick to it. Make yourself unpopular if necessary. READ about important things. Understand how your body is made and what it needs to function properly. Did you know that three glasses of milk a day give you great magnesium and calcium. What's that for...Hmmm...how about balanced hormones and happy sleep? Did you know that the lack of folic acid is the number one reason for birth defects? Pregnant mothers...stop drinking soda pops and eat more salad. Try some pinapple juice to make your body more alkaline because when it's acidic (which all of these prescriptions make us acidic) we are more prone to disease...like CANCER!!!

People, make no mistake about it, the grown-ups in this world are not all about making your children's life better...They are out to make MONEY! And, guess what, your kids can't talk back. They are scared. Take a few of those pills yourself and see how weird you get, especially if your under stress and cannot sleep.

GET WITH IT, PEOPLE. Our children's lives are at stake. Everything about them is. Their freedom to speak, act, be themselves. PLEASE LOVE YOUR CHILDREN ENOUGH TO GIVE THEM CONFIDENCE IN WHO THEY ARE AND WHO GOD MADE THEM TO BE. Don't let the next time your teen ager slams the door be the one that makes you take him to the doctor...Let it be the time you tell him to get a JOB!

We are raising children that would starve on their own. Make them deal with their issues and please bring God into your home. That's right, invite him in...Let him sit down to the table with you at night and tell you what your purpose is. Read about him. Make him your refuge and your center in life. HE CREATED ALL OF US TO BE UNIQUE AND GOOD. He created us to work and love and laugh. He didn't say anything would be simple. He just said, I'll walk you through it.

When I say stand for something. I mean, get real with things and understand YOUR weaknesses as parents and grown-ups. Look in the mirror and deal with the issues at hand in your life. If you think real hard and beg for God to show you where the bad stuff is and how to fix it, He will. Then, maybe, just maybe, you might start to function as the human being he meant for you to be. Then you can start being the parent and mother and friend you are meant to be...most of us are just plain spoiled and selfish about us...and those doctors pushing those drugs know that you want an easy solution to your child's problem so that it doesn't mess up YOUR social agenda. Quick fix...no worries. STOP! Whatever you do right now with your sweet babies will stick with them forever and it may get worse over time. We've got this huge campaign against drugs in this country, but we are spending billions going to the pharmacy...and guess what, those drugs kill more people every year than the huge drug companies care to EVER let you know. You think their still practicing on mice? GET REAL. You can't ask Great Aunt Alice how that Abilify made her feel if she's already dead. Remember this, there's a whole lot of money in Washington and a whole lot of ass kissing going on. The FDA ain't what it used to be and the government really wants you to believe they work in your best interest, especially while they are okaying a tax hike or upholding policies that diminish your rights...of course, it is a lot easier if you are all doped up and your kids are doped up, right?

Oh, yeah, one more thing. None of us are perfect..never will be. Teach your kids that they are going to be fine and that you are there for them, even when their friends and teachers aren't. We gotta all learn to love each other and live together. This isn't reality TV. This is life.