Good morning. My daughter has been on Abilify for almost 8 weeks. She started at 2 mg, about 2-3 weeks later went to 4 mg, and then 2-3 weeks later went to 5 mg. Initial dose we had to give with Pepto (for 2 days, I think) because of tummy upset. She is more tired since being on it, but not in a bad way. She actually has fallen into a nice sleep pattern for the most part (about the same wake/sleep times) by now. The first few days she napped and slept a lot, but then went to where she would fall asleep in the car, or nap in the afternoon. Now she will only nap once in a while in the afternoon if we have been very busy.
We notice she is more sensitive to heat and sun exposure. Interestingly, now when we are in a crowded place or if we are outside where it is hot, she will kind of get blank, you can tell something is not right. I will ask her how she is feeling, if she needs a break or a change of environment. She will tell me yes. I think this is a fabulous change (the communication). Where the not so perfect environment would used to make her get way out of control, now by working together and communicating, we can simply change pace...outside in the heat we can just step in an air conditioned building. We were with friends somewhere the other day, she got hot and we went into a building. Inside there after a few minutes it was way too loud. So we sat in the car with the a/c on high for about 45 minutes. It worked well, she felt better. So, definitely since on Abilify she is more heat/sun sensitive, but we are able to work with it. Just a change of expectations in planning what we are doing...but hey, we were always having to change gears before Abilify - at least now it is for a workable reason! LOL
We did notice some constipation but have taken care of that with diet.
She has weighed about once a week and so far, no weight gain. She is also very athletic and participates in a sport about 8 hours a week, so we are hoping this will help offset weight gain somewhat. Now when the dosage is higher, I don't know what will happen.
I'm not saying it has been perfect, but Abilify, at this point (and we understand it can change), has made a big difference for her life and ours. As for the future when her dosage increases, we'll see what happens.
Good luck!