# Abilify! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 24, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089 "2013-08-24T21:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/1 "2013-08-24T21:19:21Z")
It’s a magic spell from the Harry Potter universe that vaporizes all the gold in your bank vault. Jesus–$100 for 30 pills AFTER insurance? What the pharmacological fuck do they put in that stuff? > [@](#): > > Like other anti-psychotic drugs, the mechanism of action of aripiprazole is unknown And they don’t even know how it works? Clearly this product is an exclusive recipe of Snape-labs, Ltd. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/2 "2013-08-24T21:22:45Z")
How is it working for you? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/3 "2013-08-24T22:29:40Z")
Have medical samples? Send me some and I can answer with something somewhat coherent – hopefuly ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/4 "2013-08-24T22:36:04Z")
I had to take an EXTREMELY expensive antibiotic when I had MRSA. The doctor had to get the insurance to approve it. However, at least I didn’t need to take the stuff for more than a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/5 "2013-08-24T23:13:05Z")
I took Abilify once and it vaporized the memory that I was supposed to be taking Abilify. My doctor called to ask why I was trying to refill my previous prescription. I’m still not sure if that was a feature or a bug. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/6 "2013-08-24T23:19:19Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I had to take an EXTREMELY expensive antibiotic when I had MRSA. The doctor had to get the insurance to approve it. However, at least I didn’t need to take the stuff for more than a few weeks. That sounds like Zyvox. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/7 "2013-08-25T00:55:11Z")
Well, if it works, would you rather be sane or solvent? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/8 "2013-08-25T01:13:42Z")
For those for whom it works, it’s a miracle drug. Miracle drugs cost. And I think before insurance it’s something like $900 for those 30 pills. So be happy that for you it’s $100. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/9 "2013-08-25T01:37:04Z")
On [pharmacychecker.com](http://pharmacychecker.com) abilify goes for about $4-6 a pill in Canada for 10-30mg. Just buy a larger tablet from Canada and break it into halves or quarters. Generic abilify should be available in 2015. Until then buy Canadian. Viva civilized health care systems. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/10 "2013-08-25T02:13:11Z")
Madame Pepperwinkle takes it. She was told it helps her other medication keep her “happy to be here”. We can all tell when she hasn’t had it for a few days. Fortunately, her insurance keeps our cost down to $3 a refill. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/11 "2013-08-25T02:20:10Z")
Can somebody explain what the heck it is supposed to do? As I understand it, the TV commercials say that if you are taking an anti-depressant and it isn’t anti-depressing you, take Abilify so you’ll be less depressed, but by the way it isn’t an anti-depressant and you’ll still have to keep taking your anti-depressant. That always leaves me scratching my head. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/12 "2013-08-25T02:45:03Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/13 "2013-08-25T02:46:54Z")
It’s an antipsychotic. My son has the bipolar disorder pretty bad, and the mood swings are controlled with lithium. BP can carry with it some comorbidities that you can call psychotic: grandiosity, paranoia, hallucinations, etc. Those don’t respond well to lithium (although it really helps when you don’t have persistent mania and soul crushing depression warping reality for you as well), so sometimes an antipsychotic accompanies the mood stabilizer. My crazy is repressed–I am able to recognize it for what it is and generally muscle through it. I do get to take a valium every now and then to hamstring a manic episode, but recognition and will are enough for me. My kid is just 15–he gets drugs for now for a multitude of reasons. Its usefulness as an augmentor for antidepressants suggests (to me) three are different sources for depression. Some might be hormonal, others might be more closely related to psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. Both make you unhappy, but there’s a difference between “just can’t be happy today” and misperceiving the world in a way that makes happiness impossible. Canadian pharmacy sounds like the trick. $30/pill retail is just mean, mean, mean. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/14 "2013-08-25T02:48:05Z")
> [@Billdo](#): > > Can somebody explain what the heck it is supposed to do? > > As I understand it, the TV commercials say that if you are taking an anti-depressant and it isn’t anti-depressing you, take Abilify so you’ll be less depressed, but by the way it isn’t an anti-depressant and you’ll still have to keep taking your anti-depressant. > > That always leaves me scratching my head. It is an antipsychotic. But adding it to an anti-depressant medication works better than the anti-depressant alone. > **[Aripiprazole augmentation in major depressive disorder: a double-blind,...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19407731/)** > > For some patients with MDD who do not obtain adequate symptom relief with antidepressant monotherapy, adjunctive therapies can significantly improve depressive symptoms. As reported, adjunctive aripiprazole was associated with a two-fold higher... > [@](#): > > Clinically significant improvements in depressive symptoms as assessed by decreases in the MADRS Total score were greater with adjunctive aripiprazole (-10.1) than placebo (-6.4; P\<.001). Remission rates were greater for adjunctive aripiprazole than for adjunctive placebo (week 14, 36.8% vs 18.9%; Since more people have depression than have psychosis, it is being marketed as an anti-depressant. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/15 "2013-08-25T02:52:10Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > Well, if it works, would you rather be sane or solvent? I love the idea of being able to make rational decisions, but I really love the idea of being able to dissolve other substances. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/16 "2013-08-25T02:52:30Z")
I used to take abilify. It didn’t cost me anything like $100 a bottle, though. I want to say under $20, but I can’t remember exactly now. My problem with it was that it made me so very, very sleepy. I would be fighting not to nod off while driving. So my doctor took me off it - I didn’t really notice much of an effect (other than sleepiness) while I was on it. ---
**Author:** ![Zago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zago)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/17 "2013-08-25T02:53:39Z")
I took it for a few months but it didn’t help me, drugs generally don’t. _ **If** _ I found a drug that did help with my depression I would grudgingly accept paying a higher than normal co-pay. I can’t remember exactly but I think it cost me around $50. for a month’s supply. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/18 "2013-08-25T02:55:42Z")
It DOES sounds like a Harry Potter spell. We know a bit about how it works. It’s a partial dopamine agonist. ETA: I should say also, part of that statement in the OP is because we don’t know everything about schizophrenia, but one of those things is that it often involves dopamine. > [@Billdo](#): > > Can somebody explain what the heck it is supposed to do? > > As I understand it, the TV commercials say that if you are taking an anti-depressant and it isn’t anti-depressing you, take Abilify so you’ll be less depressed, but by the way it isn’t an anti-depressant and you’ll still have to keep taking your anti-depressant. > > That always leaves me scratching my head. It’s main uses are: 1. Antipsychotic 2. To treat bipolar disorder 3. Treat irritability in autism 4. As an adjunct to other medications for unipolar depression, much like how [Buspar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buspirone) is used. I love how the commercials highlight the 4th use, because most people would want it less due to association with being a person taking an antipsychotic. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/19 "2013-08-25T04:49:40Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I had to take an EXTREMELY expensive antibiotic when I had MRSA. The doctor had to get the insurance to approve it. However, at least I didn’t need to take the stuff for more than a few weeks. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > That sounds like Zyvox. I think that was the name of the medicine. It was an unpleasant experience all around, and I’ve tried to block most of my memories about it. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089/20 "2013-08-26T13:41:52Z")
In his book Tabloid Medicine: How the Internet is Being Used to Hijack Medical Science for Fear and Profit Hardcover, Robert Goldberg tells the story of his anorexic daughter, who could only stand to have any food in her stomach while taking Abilify. This led him to believe that any pill taken for any reason is perfectly acceptable, and people who don’t think so should be taking something. ETA: Yeah, and selling another drug to do what the first drug should do and doesn’t, and saying you need both drugs, is one way the drug companies make money. Another is to sell drugs that conteract the side effects of the first drug, than more drugs to counteract the side effects of the second drug, etc. etc. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abilify/667089.md?page=2)