RLS and Abilify
RLS and Abilify
I was diagnosed with RLS about 3 months ago. At that time I was having very few episodes. About 2 months ago I began having episodes everyday, during the day. The only difference being I was put on Abilify for bipolar, and Wellbutrin. About 6 weeks ago I was put on Mirapex and the episodes stopped for about 3 weeks. They are back now. Could the Abilify be causing this?
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ViewsAskew
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Yes, Abilify could be. I am not a pharmacist and can't remember the exact formulation, but I seem to remember that this increases both dopamine and serotonin. The problem is that anything that increases serotonin is also something the can increase RLS. For me, just taking 5HTP makes my RLS worse, for other people here, there are no affects from increasing serotonin.
Wellbutrin usually is neutral. Sometimes is also helps, mostly is does nothing, and there have been a few reported cases here of people saying it made it worse. Because Wellbutrin increases dopamine, it's logical that it would at least not harm it and at best would help.
This site says that it may work by adjusting the dopamine in certain parts of the brain...that would be bad if it were decreasing it in parts that needed it to resolve the RLS. http://www.abilify.com/abilify/channels ... 6fr%3dmoz2
Of course, like many drugs in this class, the exact mechanism by which the work isn't known, so this is a lot of conjecture....
Wellbutrin usually is neutral. Sometimes is also helps, mostly is does nothing, and there have been a few reported cases here of people saying it made it worse. Because Wellbutrin increases dopamine, it's logical that it would at least not harm it and at best would help.
This site says that it may work by adjusting the dopamine in certain parts of the brain...that would be bad if it were decreasing it in parts that needed it to resolve the RLS. http://www.abilify.com/abilify/channels ... 6fr%3dmoz2
Of course, like many drugs in this class, the exact mechanism by which the work isn't known, so this is a lot of conjecture....
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Ann, you should take 6 years of college and become a pharmacist 
yes, the MOA (mechanism of action) is unknown, but thought to involve dopamine and serotonin.
this is from www.abilify.com side effects:
Other common side effects are headache, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, upset stomach, and an inner sense of restlessness or need to move (akathisia).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Most common side effects (≥10%) from all clinical trials involving adults or pediatric patients include:
ADULTS: Nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, dizziness, an inner sense of restlessness or need to move (akathisia), anxiety, insomnia, and restlessness
not sure of the pharmacology of the last statement, and PLEASE dont stop taking abilify without consulting your physician.
hope that helps
Ed
yes, the MOA (mechanism of action) is unknown, but thought to involve dopamine and serotonin.
this is from www.abilify.com side effects:
Other common side effects are headache, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, upset stomach, and an inner sense of restlessness or need to move (akathisia).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Most common side effects (≥10%) from all clinical trials involving adults or pediatric patients include:
ADULTS: Nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, dizziness, an inner sense of restlessness or need to move (akathisia), anxiety, insomnia, and restlessness
not sure of the pharmacology of the last statement, and PLEASE dont stop taking abilify without consulting your physician.
hope that helps
Ed
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SquirmingSusan
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SquirmingSusan
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I went off to look that up, but I think it's in the book... OK, here it is on P58:
And here's a quote from his website about Abilify:
He goes on to explain that the drug has dopamine agonist properties and can actually be helpful for people with RLS.At the time of this writing, there is only one neuroleptic medication that is RLS friendly: Aripiprazole (Abilify)
And here's a quote from his website about Abilify:
Subject: Abilify for RLS
I have been taking Abilify, a schizophrenia drug, for my RLS and it works fabulously. It has some side effects like mild nausea and sleeplessness, but these go away within 24 hours. The best part is only one 5mg tablet works for 2-3 WEEKS! I can't tell you how fantastic this drug is.
Please post this on your site; a lot of doctors don't seem to know about its effectiveness for RLS, and it could help a lot of people.
Thanks,
Medical Reply
We have gotten a few reports (see our RLS Treatment Page 54) that Abilify helps RLS. This drug acts on the dopamine receptors similar to Mirapex and Requip which are very helpful drugs for RLS. It is very unusual for a single tablet to help RLS for more than several hours and certainly not for more than a day.
Susan
Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the feedback. I do not know what has caused the RLS to worsen to the point it has. It seems as though it is all day now and not much eases it. I am trying to get an appointment with one of the doctors listed on the referral part of this board, so hopefully I will have some help in the near future.
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ViewsAskew
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And, even though DR B said in the book it hasn't been known to, that doesn't mean it didn't. Susan and I both have something that they say can't happen: permanent augmentation. So, it's a good idea to take everything that any of us, including the doctors, write with a good dose of personal experience.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Abilify withdrawls
Recently took our nine year old autistic son off abilify and are experiencing severe RLS whereas before he had it only once every 4-6 months and it would never last more then one night. Now we are on night 4 of RLS and haven't had more than 1.5 hours of sleep in two days. He was on abilify for about six months.