Side effects
Aripiprazole side effects (more information) If you have: For medical guidance on side effects, contact your doctor. Aripiprazole's typical side effects include: Get immediate medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms of an allergic reaction to aripiprazole: hives, breathing difficulties, face, lip, tongue, or throat swelling. Talk with your doctor if this occurs. Inform your doctor right away if you experience any sudden or new changes in mood or behavior, including new or worsening depression or anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, more active or talkative, or if you have thoughts of harming yourself or committing suicide. There may be additional side effects; this is not a comprehensive list. While using this medication, you might experience increased urges for sexual activity, odd urges to gamble, or other strong urges. Call 1-800-FDA-1088 to contact FDA and report side effects. blurred vision, increased drooling or salivation, muscle stiffness, uncontrollable trembling, anxiety, restlessness, weight gain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, increased or decreased appetite, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, feeling exhausted, sleep issues (insomnia), or cold symptoms like a stuffy nose, sneezing, or sore throat; severe agitation, distress, or restless feeling; twitching or uncontrollable movements of your eyes, lips, tongue, face, arms, or legs; mask-like appearance of the face, trouble swallowing, problems with speech; seizure (convulsions); severe nervous system reaction - very stiff (rigid) muscles, high fever, sweating, confusion, fast or uneven heartbeats, tremors, feeling like you might pass out; low blood cell counts - fever, chills, sore throat, weakness, easy bruising, unusual bleeding, purple or red spots under your skin; or high blood sugar - increased thirst, increased urination, dry mouth, fruity breath odor.
Interactions
Aripiprazole drug interactions (more detail) Aripiprazole and many other drugs may interact. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Some medications have the potential to change the levels of other medications in your blood, which could increase side effects or reduce medication effectiveness. It is occasionally dangerous to take certain medications at the same time. Aripiprazole can have deadly side effects or even result in death when taken with other medications that slow breathing or make you sleepy. Inform your doctor of all additional medications you take. This includes vitamins, herbal products, prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Contraindications
Patients with dementia-related psychosis are not eligible to receive aripiprazole as treatment. Orthostatic hypotension, or orthostatic lightheadedness, may be brought on by aripiprazole. Patients with known cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, or conduction abnormalities), cerebrovascular disease, or conditions that could put them at risk for hypotension (dehydration, hypovolemia, and use of antihypertensive medications) should use aripiprazole cautiously. Aripiprazole should be used cautiously in patients with Alzheimer's dementia, just like other antipsychotic medications. Seizures occurred in aripiprazole-treated patients.
When concomitant administration of strong CYP3A4 inducers with aripiprazole occurs, the aripiprazole dose should be increased. When the CYP3A4 inducer is withdrawn from the combination therapy, the aripiprazole dose should then be reduced to the recommended dose (see section 4.5). The maximum daily dose should not exceed 30 mg.
However, the maximum daily dose of 30 mg should be used with caution in patients with severe hepatic impairment (see section 5.2). According to the metabolic pathway of aripiprazole no dosage adjustment is required for smokers (see section 4.5). Schizophrenia in adolescents aged 15 years and older: the recommended dose for Aripiprazole Accord is 10 mg/day administered on a once-a-day schedule without regard to meals.
The maximum daily dose should not exceed 30 mg. Manic episodes in Bipolar I Disorder: the recommended starting dose for Aripiprazole is 15 mg administered on a once-a-day schedule without regard to meals as monotherapy or combination therapy (see section 5.1). Aripiprazole is not recommended for use in patients with schizophrenia below 15 years of age due to insufficient data on safety and efficacy (see sections 4.8 and 5.1). No dosage adjustment is required for female patients as compared to male patients (see section 5.2). Treatment should be initiated at 2 mg (using aripiprazole oral solution 1 mg/mL) for 2 days, titrated to 5 mg for 2 additional days to reach the recommended daily dose of 10 mg.
Currently available data are described in section 5.1 but no recommendation on a posology can be made. However, the maximum daily dose of 30 mg should be used with caution in patients with severe hepatic impairment (see section 5.2). Treatment should be initiated at 2 mg (using aripiprazole oral solution 1 mg/mL) for 2 days, titrated to 5 mg for 2 additional days to reach the recommended daily dose of 10 mg.
We recommend consideration with increased attention for the appearance of pathological gambling symptoms among patients on Aripiprazole. All three patients had no history of pathological gambling, and they started gambling after initiation of treatment with Aripiprazole. The fact that pathological behavior disappeared quickly as medication ends suggests that an elaborate behavioral manifestation could be related to dopaminergic tone in patients with schizophrenia.