Abilify

This leaflet answers some common questions about ABILIFY. It does not contain all the available information. Some of the information contained in this leaflet may not apply to you.

It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking ABILIFY against the benefits it is expected to have for you.

You may need to read it again.

ABILIFY is a trade name (manufacturer's name) for the medicine aripiprazole (Ari-pip-rah-zol).

ABILIFY belongs to a group of medicines called antipsychotic agents which improve the symptoms of certain types of mental illness.

ABILIFY is used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia.

ABILIFY may be given to treat acute episodes of sustained upward mood swings (mania) in adult patients with Bipolar 1 Disorder. During mania, patients experience episodes of overactivity, elation or irritability.

Schizophrenia is a mental illness with disturbances in thinking, feelings and behaviour.

Bipolar disorder is a condition with symptoms such as feeling "high", having excessive amounts of energy, needing much less sleep than usual, talking very quickly with racing ideas and sometimes severe irritability.

Your doctor may have prescribed ABILIFY for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why ABILIFY has been prescribed for you.

There is no evidence that ABILIFY is addictive.

This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.

ABILIFY is not recommended for use in children under the age of 18, as safety and efficacy have not been established in this age group.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction include:

If you take this medicine after this date has passed, it may not work as well.

If this is the case, return it to your pharmacist.

ABILIFY is not recommended for use during pregnancy. If you need to take ABILIFY during your pregnancy, your doctor will discuss with you the benefits and risks of taking it. Babies exposed to antipsychotics (including ABILIFY) during the third trimester of pregnancy are at risk of experiencing shaking, muscle stiffness, difficulty in feeding and/or withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms may resolve spontaneously or require additional medical treatment.

It is recommended that you do not breast-feed while taking ABILIFY, as it may pass into breast milk and therefore there is a possibility that the breast-fed baby may be affected.

Your doctor may advise you to avoid alcohol as it can magnify the side-effects of this medicine.

Some medicines and ABILIFY may interfere with each other. These include:

These medicines may be affected by ABILIFY, or may affect how well it works. Your doctor may need to adjust your dose of Abilify or of the other medicine.

Eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice may affect how ABILIFY works.

Your doctor or pharmacist may have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking ABILIFY.

They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how much you will need to take each day. This will depend on your condition and whether you are taking any other medicines.

The label put on the carton by the pharmacist will tell you how much you should take.

ABILIFY tablets should be swallowed whole and washed down with a glass of water.

Unless your doctor gives you other directions, you should take ABILIFY only once a day.

Taking the medicine at the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take it.

It does not matter whether you take ABILIFY with or without food.

This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.

ABILIFY helps to control your condition but does not cure it. Therefore you must take ABILIFY every day. Improvement in symptoms may take several days to some weeks to occur. Even if you feel better do not stop taking ABILIFY unless your doctor tells you to.

You may need urgent medical attention.

If you stop taking ABILIFY suddenly your condition may worsen.

ABILIFY may cause some people to become drowsy or less alert than they are normally or cause light-headedness, dizziness or tiredness. If this occurs do not undertake the activity.

Getting up slowly may help.

Your doctor may suggest you avoid alcohol while you are being treated with ABILIFY.

ABILIFY may affect the way your body reacts to temperature changes. It may prevent sweating, even during heatwaves. You may feel dizzy or faint if you are too hot. To stay cool in hot weather, try to do the following:

Like other medicines ABILIFY may cause some unwanted side effects. These are likely to vary from patient to patient. ABILIFY is generally well-tolerated and the side effects are often hard to distinguish from disease symptoms. It is important that you tell your doctor as soon as possible about any unwanted effects.

These are the more common side effects of ABILIFY

These side effects are uncommon.

This side effect is rare.

These side effects are very rare.

Obsessive compulsive behaviours (feeling the need to check things repeatedly or having certain thoughts repeatedly), gambling urges, sexual urges, compulsive spending, binge or compulsive eating and other urges have occurred in some patients.

You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.

All of these side effects are very rare.

Also, while taking ABILIFY, some elderly patients with dementia have suffered serious side effects such as a "mini" stroke, stroke, pneumonia or heart problems. These serious side effects can be life threatening.

You may not experience any or only some of them.

Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.

A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines. Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

5mg ABILIFY tablets are blue, rectangular with a bevel edge and are marked on one side with "A-007" and "5" 

10mg ABILIFY tablets are pink, rectangular with a bevel edge and are marked on one side with "A-008" and "10".

15mg ABILIFY tablets are yellow, round with a bevel edge and are marked on one side with "A-009" and "15".

20mg ABILIFY tablets are white to pale yellowish white, round with a bevel edge and are marked on one side with "A-010" and "20".

30mg ABILIFY tablets are pink, round with a bevel edge and are marked on one side with "A-011" and "30".

ABILIFY tablets are packed in aluminium blisters in a carton. Each carton contains 30 tablets.

aripiprazole

lactose, starch - maize, cellulose - microcrystalline, hydroxypropylcellulose and magnesium stearate. The following colorants are also present in the tablets:

ABILIFY does not contain sucrose, gluten, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.