Asad K asked:
can zoloft and abilify be used for treating depression at the same time?
two antidepressents cant be used at the same time, just clear me up?
can zoloft and abilify be used for treating depression at the same time?
two antidepressents cant be used at the same time, just clear me up?
i am kind of confused because should i consider abilify as a mood stabilizer as it is used for treating mania or as am ajunct for treating depression?
i want to arrive at a lebel of my illness, my doctor has a hard time telling any particular label, he tells me that my symptoms are mixed.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Two different meds probably have different affects on your brain’s chemistry. If the same doctor prescribed them both, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. How long have you been in counseling? It’s hard to pinpoint some disorders unless it’s been a significant length of time.
I would say that your Dr. might not know the exact cause for your illness. It sounds like that you may have the symptoms of both depression and a mania. He might be trying to find something that works in a beneficial way with your brain chemistry.
It is not unusual to prescribe more then on antidepressant because some antidepressants work on different pars of the brain better then others.
However be wary, because prescribing to many things can do more harm then good.
Make sure you talk with your Dr about anything that you are feeling, side effects, unusual thoughts, and whatever you feel when you are taking these medicines.
Abilify is mainly used for people who are suffering from schizophrenia or other manias like bipolar disorder. Its used to stabilize your moods. Whereas Zoloft is uses to mainly treat depression, usually seasonal depression if I’m not mistaken .
Don’t worry about not being able to have a label, not having a label is sometimes very good. You wont be defined by that one label. Everyone is unique in not just their symptoms but also in their treatments. If your symptoms are mixed it doesn’t do any good to have you labeled with to many things if you don’t fit into every one of them.
I hope that helps.
I’d recommend you to watch following document about side effects of antidepressants like Zoloft.
Psychiatrists don’t always say all side effects and what they actually know.
It’s not an overstatement to say that it can save your life.
Well, Abilify is a dopamine “regulator” in certain neural pathways. Some folks report getting a bit too frenzied by the dopamine rush, and don’t feel it regulated dopamine levels at all. Others swear by it. Seroquel is antimanic because it gently antagonizes dopamine receptors and tunes them down a bit. Seroquel doesn’t “regulate” any dopamine signaling. Other than that the two are about the same in pharmacology.
Yes, Abilify, if it works the way it is supposed to, can “prop up” dopamine levels and stabilize/lift mood. Since Zoloft is only a mild dopamine up-regulator at high doses (HIGH!), it may not do much in the dopamine area.
As far as diagnosis goes–unfortunately serotonin meds like Zoloft can deplete dopamine and “flatten” moods (and sex drive) over time. Hence the intro of Abilify. Whether you are Bipolar or not cannot be determined even if your meds work perfectly for you. There are non-bipolars who do well on bipolar meds used off-label.