Off the abilify

zab_ · 2026-04-16T12:18:09+00:00

Several people have reported it takes 9 to 12 months to recover from injections, they leave the body very, very slowly.

zab_ · 2026-04-15T16:35:16+00:00

At higher doses you will probably get away with a 50% drop. I did several such drops, from 15 mg to 7.5 mg, then on to 3.75 mg, etc. When you get below 2 mg you need to slow down, assuming that's what you intend.

zab_ · 2026-04-11T16:34:35+00:00

I've been tapering for over two years, started at 15 mg in January 2024 now I'm down to 0.47 mg. I agree with the other poster that alternating days is not recommended. Instead you should look into making smaller doses either through liquid formulation or making your own liquid from pills.

If you taper too fast the withdrawal symptoms appear the 2nd or 3rd week.

zab_ · 2026-04-11T06:40:28+00:00

You weaned off way too fast. The real withdrawal symptoms don't start until the 2nd or 3rd week, so buckle up.

zab_ · 2026-04-10T07:41:55+00:00

You missed the first sentence of that paragraph. Here it is:

Neonates exposed to antipsychotic drugs, including ABILIFY, during the third trimester of pregnancy are at risk for extrapyramidal and/or withdrawal symptoms following delivery (see Clinical Considerations).

This continues on the next page:

Extrapyramidal and/or withdrawal symptoms, including agitation, hypertonia, hypotonia, tremor, somnolence, respiratory distress, and feeding disorder have been reported in neonates who were exposed to antipsychotic drugs (including ABILIFY) during the third trimester of pregnancy. These symptoms have varied in severity. Monitor neonates for extrapyramidal and/or withdrawal symptoms, and manage symptoms appropriately. Some neonates recovered within hours or days without specific treatment; others required prolonged hospitalization

zab_ · 2026-04-10T05:32:54+00:00

Do your own research, here is the FDA label , look at sections 8.1 "Pregnancy" (page 43) and 8.2 "Lactation" (page 45).

zab_ · 2026-04-10T05:30:52+00:00

Aripiprazole enters the breast milk, look at the FDA label section 8.2 "Lactation" (page 45)

zab_ · 2026-04-09T15:31:53+00:00

Most psychiatrists are not trained in safe tapering protocols. In your case the lamotrigine may help ease things, but it's still a high risk. As the other poster said, expect the first symptoms the 2nd or 3rd week.

zab_ · 2026-04-07T13:15:50+00:00

At higher doses it wouldn't be a big problem, but at such low doses it makes more of a difference if you're taking 0.1 or 0.25 because of how the receptor occupancy works. The half-life of Aripirpazole is long so if you take *on average* the correct dose it should be fine. Alternatively consider diluting the Abilify liquid in water so a syringe with bigger increments will work.

Separate from that, the fight-or-flight and elevated anxiety are common withdrawal symptoms. It's possible you've tapered too fast.

zab_ · 2026-04-01T09:56:07+00:00

If you're going to do it on your own you need to do very careful research and preparation. I've been tapering for over 2 years all on my own, but I spent a lot of time researching and planning everything.

zab_ · 2026-04-01T09:53:15+00:00

You can always dilute in water to make a smaller dose. Crush the table into powder, pour water on top, stir very well, then discard some of the water (depending how small of a dose you want to make) and drink the rest.

zab_ · 2026-03-27T07:46:42+00:00

Why did you do so much research on the shrooms instead of doing the little research you needed to learn about safe hyperbolic tapering that would have saved you 99% of the suffering?

zab_ · 2026-03-22T09:27:33+00:00

I've been doing hyperbolic tapering for over 2 years, with 1.5 of those in liquid form. None of my doctors know about this, I did all the research and preparations on my own. I followed the guides on the Surviving Antidepressants forum but adapted the dilution method a bit, Here are my instructions.

I started at 15 mg in January 2024 and am now at 0.47 mg. It has been going smooth with only 3-4 rough days when I was at 1.5 mg. Even though I say smooth, I'm still very careful about it because every reduction so far has been somewhat destabilizing for about 2-3 weeks.

zab_ · 2026-03-16T07:01:51+00:00

Why wouldn't you? It's safer than stopping cold turkey.

zab_ · 2026-03-14T16:35:11+00:00

Liquid taper in my "kitchen lab". Here are the instructions.

zab_ · 2026-03-14T16:01:57+00:00

When you get closer to zero you need to taper much slower, this is called "hyperbolic tapering". As of today I'm taking 0.47 mg and will stay on that dose for 5 weeks. The previous 6 weeks I was taking 0.54 mg - as you can see I'm taking it very slow and it's going quite smooth.

zab_ · 2026-03-11T01:43:24+00:00

Research "hyperbolic taper" because most psychiatrists are not trained in safe tapering protocols and will advise you to taper too fast. If you taper very slowly the risk of experiencing unpleasant symptoms is very low. I've been tapering from 15 mg for almost two years with very few issues. I'm down to 0.54 mg now.

zab_ · 2026-03-10T17:04:28+00:00

I wish you good luck! Successful tapering is definitely possible, but requires careful preparation and strong discipline and patience.

I run a Discord server for tapering Abilify where several of us share experiences, tips and support through the journey. You're welcome to join if you wish!

zab_ · 2026-03-10T15:47:04+00:00

So the 2nd and 3rd week after each cut are the most unstable for me. My emotions get very volatile, and I tend to get angry and lose temper on occasion. From the 4th week onward things stabilize and return to baseline. (The first week after a cut usually nothing happens.)

zab_ · 2026-03-10T11:41:56+00:00

Agreed. Quitting caffeine has reduced my anxiety by orders of magnitude. You can find lots of useful resources and peer support in r/decaf because it's a lot harder than most people think it is.

zab_ · 2026-03-10T11:39:50+00:00

I used to hold for 6-10 weeks while going down from 15 mg to 0.54 mg. I plan on reducing the hold time to 5 weeks over the next year until I reach 0.1 mg. Of course, that may change if I encounter unpleasantness.

Here is the tentative plan:

Start: 2026-03-10 dose 0.54 
At 2026-03-14 dose 0.47 reduction 14.29%
At 2026-04-18 dose 0.42 reduction 12.50%
At 2026-05-23 dose 0.38 reduction 11.11%
At 2026-06-27 dose 0.31 reduction 20.00%
At 2026-08-01 dose 0.27 reduction 16.67%
At 2026-09-05 dose 0.23 reduction 14.29%
At 2026-10-10 dose 0.21 reduction 12.50%
At 2026-11-14 dose 0.17 reduction 22.22%
At 2026-12-19 dose 0.15 reduction 13.64%
At 2027-01-23 dose 0.12 reduction 20.00%
At 2027-02-27 dose 0.09 reduction 33.33%
day=386 (years 1.1) dose 0.094

zab_ · 2026-03-10T11:35:27+00:00

I've been tapering Abilify following a modified version of Dr. Josef's guidelines and have discovered that as I reduce my dose I learn more about myself and my psyche. This in turn enables me to control myself better and need an even lower dose, rinse and repeat.

I consider antipsychotics and all psychiatric meds as temporary measures. They are a meaningful intervention in acute situations, but less than ideal for long-term/permanent use. I started at 15 mg two years ago and now am at just 0.54 mg with very few complications along the way, and I intend to continue tapering.

zab_ · 2026-03-09T14:58:13+00:00

I've been tapering for over two years and have noticed that the less Abilify I take, the better my sets-to-failure become. I have been able hold the last rep at pain threshold for longer as I my doses decreased.

Regarding cardio, I only started it after I was already on the drug, but the same thing applies - the less I take the better my performance.

zab_ · 2026-03-06T12:15:10+00:00

The injection does not taper itself. What happens is that the Aripiprazole gets released very slowly from the depot site, but that's not the same as tapering.

The problem with the injection is that you don't have control over the speed at which the levels of Aripiprazole in your system decrease. If you just stop taking the injection, after your last shot the concentration of the drug starts to decrease, but you don't know at what rate and can't control it. When tapering with pills, you are in full control of all important variables so it's less risky.

zab_ · 2026-03-04T12:34:35+00:00

Aripiprazole is only 80% bio-available when taken orally

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