Effects of Abilify+Levetiracetam

[jbalsa2]

Hey guys, 

Just wanted to report on what my experience with dosing with both Abilify and Levetiracetam (Keppra) has been like for me. I know most people have had bad experiences with Abilify.

 

What I began noticing back when I was in the hospital, was that after they started me on keppra, the antipsychotics I would take (primarily Seroquel or Olanzapine at the time) would no longer cause adverse reactions to my hppd. They began having what I felt like was their intended effect - sedation. This was strange to me because for example, every time I took Seroquel prior to being on keppra, it would cause an exacerbation in my visual symptoms.

 

With all of that being said; im one of the unlucky ones with HPPD, who upon getting HPPD developed a psychotic concurrent disorder somewhat on par with schizzoaffective disorder. Because I had HPPD I wasnt able to effectively use any antipsychotics to quell these symptoms.

 

So then I remembered that after being on keppra, I was able to dabble with antipsychotics. So I figured I'd talk to my doctor about trying out Abilify. (Aripiprazole) The first 3 days, it made me feel really good and calm, then for the next two weeks it kind of made my HPPD a little but worse. I figured I'd try it out for at least a month before making a final decision. 

Anyways, that whole hypothesis about keppra enabling the use of antipsychotics proved true for me with Abilify as well. It's been about a month, and basically what happened was that the visual symptoms of HPPD basically got worse for a little while, but then returned to baseline after about two weeks.

 

This is great for me, because IMO Abilify is one of the best antipsychotics out there. What's great is after my hppd returned to baseline, I've been able to keep the antipsychotic properties that Abilify has to offer - which so far is working really well for my psychotic/schizzoaffective symptoms.

 

Just thought I'd post this little blurb, as maybe this could prove useful to those out there who suffer from *just a little bit more than hppd*

 

TL;DR - keppra has allowed me to use Abilify effectively without causing my hppd to become worse, and has been helping my schizzoaffective symptoms while the keppra helps my hppd along side it.