what is the difference between Seroquel and Abilify?
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I work with folks who are on both. When this one chick came off the Seroquel, she lost some considerable weight.
However, now we need to increase the dose of her Abilify. It is less sedating & doesn’t cause weight gain.
They are both atypical antipychotics, and Abilify is less sedating. Possibly less risk of metabolic syndrome also.
Abilify, for my body, works better with no side effects, addressing ALL my symptoms. None of the other meds did that………BUT it is expensive ($400+ each month if not covered by your insurance)
Your Body, is unique in how the meds work for you, and which med is best suited for your symptoms.
Both are antipsychotic medications used to treat bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Seroquel is considered a second generation antipsychotic, while Abilify is considered a third generation antipsychotic. Abilify has a lot less side-effects and does not effect one’s metabolites like Seroquel, therefore, it is unlikely to cause weight gain.
From being on both medications, I can say that Abilify is a lot more effective on stabilizing my mood than Seroquel was.
Seroquel is sedating to begin with, reducing to almost nothing with 2 or so weeks, and hits a lot of histamine receptors making you sleepy and responsible for increased appetite.
Abilify on the other hand is in the same class of drugs but because it is a different chemical, it hits different receptors and therefore you will get different results. Some say Abilify isnt the most effective anti-psychotic around, but Seroquel is quite mild also. Personally for me taking the both simultaneosly does the job quite well.
When I tried to switch from Seroquel (because of weight gain) to Abilify, I felt like I wanted to punch the wall. I was so anxious. It was horrible.
I have been on Seroquel for 8 years and really wanted to lose the weight (also on Lithium and some other drugs) but Abilify was horrible.
I hope it works for you. But I have known several people who had the same problem when switching.
Good luck.