Anxiety and Depression Medications: Combining Prozac and Abilify

by Vicki
(Palmyra, VA)

I suffer from major depressive disorder. I have just added 2 mg of abilify, which doesn't seem to be doing anything yet, its been a week now. Can I up the dosage to 4 mg. per day and not have an interaction between the two drugs?

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Vicki,

I assume that Abilify was added to your treatment plan by the same doctor that prescribed the Prozac?

Actually, the initial starting dose when being taken with other SSRI antidepressants is 2 mg/day. This can be increased slowly over time however it should be done with a doctors supervision. Since it's only been a week, I'd give it at least another week before doing anything differently. It does take a while for it to get into your system fully to experience any benefit from it.

On another note, you should also know that Prozac (aka Fluoxetine) can cause an increase in the aripiprazole plasma levels and can cause severe reactions. In such a case, the Abilify dosages are usually decreased.

You might want to read some of my pages on Abilify medication and Abilify drug interactions to learn more.

Finally, if you have not been formally diagnosed then I recommend you go to a mental health professional to do so. I just read in a journal that over 60% of anti-depressants prescribed today are done so without a proper diagnosis. Hopefully you're not one of them but thought I'd throw it out there just in case!

Thanks for reaching out!

Dana