It’s also used to treat Tourette’s disorder and irritability related to autism.
The active ingredient in Abilify is aripiprazole.
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What Is Abilify?
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Abilify is an antipsychotic available in the following forms:
The active ingredient in Abilify is aripiprazole.
They also have different brand names.
These include:
The information in this article will focus on the standard forms of Abilify.
This is called an off-label use.
Serotonin helps to regulate your mood and feelings of happiness.
Like serotonin, dopamine helps regulate your mood.
It also affects movement and how you experience pleasure and pain.
Abilify helps to balance these chemicals.
How Long Does It Take for Abilify to Work?
How long it takes for Abilify to work depends on the form of Abilify you take or use.
Abilify intramuscular injection typically works faster than the oral forms.
The effects of Abilify intramuscular injection only last a few hours.
Both parts of the drug are active in your body.
In general, it takes about four to five half-lives for your body to clear a drug completely.
Each drug has a different half-life, which may vary from person to person based on certain factors.
These include:
With Abilify, both the active ingredient and its byproduct have a different half-life.
The half-life of aripiprazole is about 75 hours, and for its byproduct, it’s 94 hours.
For some people, their CYP2D6 protein breaks down drugs slower than usual.
In these cases, the half-life of Abilify is about 146 hours.
So, it would take about 24 to 30 days to completely wipe the drug.
Because of this, healthcare providers typically prescribe lower doses of Abilify for people with a slower-acting CYP2D6 protein.
Dosing Abilify
Your healthcare provider will prescribe a dosage of Abilify specific to your condition.
Be sure to take Abilify precisely as your healthcare provider recommends.
The table above summarizes dosages for Abilify oral tablets, solution, and tablets that dissolve in your mouth.
Abilify intramuscular injection is approved to treat agitation due to schizophrenia or bipolar manic episodes.
For this use, the recommended dose is 9.75 mg (1.3mL) injected into the muscle once.
If additional doses are necessary, they should be spaced at least two hours apart.
Side Effects and Precautions
Like most medications, Abilify may cause side effects in some people.
For example, tardive dyskinesia is a rare side effect of Abilify.
It’s more likely to happen after you’ve been taking the medication for a long time.
With tardive dyskinesia, you may have involuntary movements, such as lip smacking or excessive eye blinking.
This side effect may go away after you stop taking Abilify.
However, in some cases, it may continue after you’ve stopped taking the medication.
Boxed Warnings
Abilify has the following serious warnings from the FDA.
To learn more about the potential side effects of Abilify, talk with your pharmacist or another healthcare provider.
They’ll help you decide whether Abilify is safe for you to take.
Some medications may negatively interact with Abilify.
They may affect how well Abilify works or increase your risk of side effects.
Drugs that may interact with Abilify include:
Abilify can also interact with grapefruit or grapefruit juice.
Consuming these foods may cause Abilify to build up in your body, increasing your risk of side effects.
Drinking alcohol while taking Abilify can increase your risk of side effects, such as sleepiness and nausea.
These studies showed that Abilify was more effective than placebo in relieving symptoms of schizophrenia in adults and children.
Diagnosing Schizophrenia
Symptoms of schizophrenia typically start between the ages of 16 and 30.
They can include:
To diagnose schizophrenia, a psychiatrist typically conducts an examination.
They first check to see whether symptoms are due to another mental health condition or substance use disorder.
Before a psychiatrist diagnoses schizophrenia, symptoms must have been present for at least six months.
It takes about two weeks to feel the full effects of Abilify oral forms.
The effects of one dose last a full day.
Abilify intramuscular injection starts working within two hours of receiving a dose.
However, the effects only last a few hours.
Sharing this information with them will help determine if Abilify is safe for you.
If necessary, you may store Abilify at temperatures between 59 and 86 degrees F for limited periods.
Abilify injection is given by a healthcare provider.
It will likely be stored at the hospital or other healthcare facility where you receive your dose.
Like all medications, Abilify should be kept out of the sight and reach of children and pets.
Yes, with some preparation, you’re free to take Abilify with you whiletraveling abroad.
It’s a good idea to keep your prescription medications in their original containers while you travel.
In some cases, you may need to also have a copy of your prescription on hand.
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