If you are considering taking Abilify (aripiprazole), there are some important facts that you need to know before you start taking this potentially harmful medication. For example, this is the 8th most profitable drug of all time, and yet it was originally created to help people who suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder - just 3% of the population. How did this obscure pill become a billion dollar money maker and is it really safe to use?

Here’s what you should know before taking Abilify:

1. It’s Expensive - A prescription of Abilify is about $800 per month for those who don’t have insurance and that’s one reason why it was the second top selling drug in 2014. In fact, from October 2013 through September 2014, this drug reached sales of $7.5 billion!
2. False Advertising - Abilify has promoted in its advertising that their drug balances serotonin levels and that chemical imbalances in the brain are the reason for mental disorders. However, the FDA cites that,“The mechanism of action of aripiprazole, as with other drugs having efficacy in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, is unknown.”
3. Off-Label Use - Abilify was originally put on the market in 2002 to treat patients who have schizophrenia and was later approved to treat those who have bipolar disorders in 2006 and for autism spectrum disorders in 2007. However, Abilify is also being commonly prescribed for off-label use for the following conditions: anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dementia, depression, insomnia, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and Tourette’s syndrome. The problem with off-label use is that Abilify was only tested by the pharmaceutical company - Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. - for use in patients who had schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorders and the FDA only approved this drug for these three specific conditions. The results of long term use and the potential risks and side effects for these other disorders is unknown. This means that these patients are being used as guinea pigs!
4. Uncontrollable Behaviors - Abilify is linked to destructive behaviors and the FDA published this Safety Warning on May 3, 2016: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that compulsive or uncontrollable urges to gamble, binge eat, shop, and have sex have been reported with the use of the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada, and generics). These uncontrollable urges were reported to have stopped when the medicine was discontinued or the dose was reduced.”
5. Other Drug Options - There are many other antipsychotic medications available that have a lower price, that have been approved by the FDA for specific use, and that don’t have the potential adverse effect pertaining to compulsive behaviors. Make an appointment with your doctor to discuss which alternative medications may be right for you.

##Sources

“How this antipsychotic became America’s best-selling drug”. Quartz. Accessed June 6, 2018. https://qz.com/293932/how-this-antipsychotic-became-americas-best-selling-drug/

“Aripiprazole Indications: FDA-Approved and Off-Label Uses”. Psychopharmacology Institute. Accessed June 6, 2018. https://psychopharmacologyinstitute.com/antipsychotics/aripiprazole/aripiprazole-indications-fda-approved-off-label-uses/

‍