Abilify for stage fright?

[Prakas]

I'm currently on Xanax 4/mg a day and my dosage of celexa went up to 60/mg a day. I asked my physch. if there was anything I could take for stage fright thinking he'd get me a prescription for a beta blocker. However, he said abilify should calm me down if taken the night before. He gave me samples and wants me to test it (1/mg) on a day off and let him know the results.

Anyone else take Abilify for stage fright?

[martyboi]

I've never heard of this. i'm very interested now....

[Prakas]

Thats what I thought...I was expecting a beta blocker, but I don't think Abilify fits into that category, correct me if I'm wrong.

[UltraShy]

Originally Posted by Prakas

Thats what I thought...I was expecting a beta blocker, but I don't think Abilify fits into that category, correct me if I'm wrong.

Abilify is an anti-psychotic. It's claim to fame seems to be that it's not suppose to make patients fat as a pig the way Zyprexa infamously does. (Zyprex made me gain a stunning 25# in 6 weeks, which sounded huge till a girl who started at a far lower weight than me managed 42# in 6 weeks.)

Despite the claims this drug doesn't cause weight gain, I don't buy it. I tried Abilify several years ago. Before taking it I was losing weight. During the 3 months I took Abilify I gained 30#. My weight plateaued immediately upon stopping Abilify. While I can't prove the drug caused the weight gain, I must either assume it did or believe it's just a stunning coincidence that significant weight gain started upon starting the drug and then magically stopped upon stopping the drug without the drug having anything to do with it. Possible, but hard to believe.

I've never heard of Abilify being used to treat stage fright, the way a beta blocker would typically be used.

1 mg is also a very low dose. As I recall, I used 15 mg daily for two months and then went to 30 mg for the final month of trying it. Other than the weight gain I believe it cause, it was otherwise a sugar pill (an $8 sugar pill -- though I got it free).

Many of you have likely seen Abilify ads on TV where they say "2 out of 3 patients being treated for depression still suffer depression symptoms" (nice admission by the drug industry that SSRIs fall far short of magical happy pills). And the folks who make Abilify suggest that you should talk to your doctor if you still have depressive symptoms so s/he can put you on a pill that costs $10 a day and then we can all wonder why health care costs so darn much in America.

[arth98]

its an atypical antipsychotic which sometimes helps for anxiety but I dont know whether it works if taken only as needed

a beta blocker would be more reliable so see another doc

BTW stage fright is similar to what lots of us SA sufferers experience during social situations, your xanax could be upped for it

[Prakas]

Here is what I've noticed. Xanax helps take the edge off, but it doesn't take away the hand tremors and shaky voice that I get during presentations. The hand tremors I have all the time, but they are much worse during a presentation.

I didn't ask for a beta blocker, but asked for something to help with stage fright specifically. I always thought Abilify was just an aid for depression. But it will be only taken the night before a presentation, etc.

I always see people here on SAS talking about beta blockers working for presentations, but can't find anything on Abilify. I guess I'm the guinea pig for this one.

[slw2]

my son always had hand tremors before he started medication.

after quite a few months on zyprexa they went away.

one abilify before you have to perform is probably not going to take either the hand tremors or the voice tremors away.

unlike the benzo's or the beta blockers, they have to build up in your system -- much like the AD's.

but -- it wouldn't hurt to give one a try, would it? maybe it will work for you

most anti-psychotics work like major brain tranquilizers -- they calm down your thought patterns so that they can either stop or calm psychotic symptoms -- paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, voices -- but they are giving them at low dosages off label for all kinds of things

[meyaj]

Abilify for stage fright is like amputating your foot because of a stubbed toe. An anti-psychotic is not just overkill, in my opinion, it's worse than the problem!

Otherwise, pretty much what everyone else here has said is accurate, except that anti-psychotics do, in fact, start working immediately.

[Vini Vidi Vici]

all the antipsychotics ive tried do reduce anxiety...but they cause more problems than what they help....id think, if abilify did help, it wouldnt be just a simple reduction in anxiety, it would be accompanied by other side effects, some of which wouldnt be desirable, and besides, ...it has a super long half life, effects of one dose could last 3 days.....for once in a while/occasional stage fright, wouldnt just a beta blocker be more effective/tolerable? stage fright/performance anxiety is largely caused by excess adrenergic activity, even normally extroverted people get stage fright. so why take something like abilify (which has multiple mechanisms of action) , when you could take something that just blocks adrenergic activity? (beta blocker lol) .....the only reason to take abilify, is if it helps you with day to day depression and anxiety, because it will be in your system anyway, for a couple days after taking it.

[UltraShy]

Originally Posted by Prakas

Here is what I've noticed. Xanax helps take the edge off, but it doesn't take away the hand tremors and shaky voice that I get during presentations. The hand tremors I have all the time, but they are much worse during a presentation.

The symptoms you just described are exactly what would to any (sane & competent) doctor indicate that a beta blocker should be tried.

[homer]

Originally Posted by UltraShy

The symptoms you just described are exactly what would to any (sane & competent) doctor indicate that a beta blocker should be tried.

I agree with UltraShy. Not only is a beta blocker more likely to help you, it is less likely to cause unpleasant side effects and it is cheaper too.

[MavenMI6Agent009]

Ive used abilify for hallucinations but didnt do nothing. Risperdal worked a lot better for me in reducing the voices.