Abilify Patient Counseling Information

Discuss the following issues with patients prescribed ABILIFY: Clinical Worsening of Depression and Suicide Risk: Patients, their families, and their caregivers should be encouraged to be alert to the emergence of anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, mania, other unusual changes in behaviour, worsening of depression, and suicidal ideation, especially early during antidepressant treatment and when the dose is adjusted up or down. Families and caregivers of patients should be advised to look for the emergence of such symptoms on a day-to-day basis, since changes may be abrupt. Such symptoms should be reported to the patient's prescriber or health professional, especially if they are severe, abrupt in onset, or were not part of the patient's presenting symptoms. Symptoms such as these may be associated with an increased risk for suicidal thinking and behaviour and indicate a need for very close monitoring and possibly changes in the medication [see Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults under PRECAUTIONS].
Prescribers or other health professionals should inform patients, their families, and their caregivers about the benefits and risks associated with treatment with ABILIFY and should counsel them in its appropriate use.
Interference with Cognitive and Motor Performance: Because ABILIFY may have the potential to impair judgment, thinking, or motor skills, patients should be cautioned about operating hazardous machinery, including automobiles, until they are reasonably certain that ABILIFY therapy does not affect them adversely [see Potential for Cognitive and Motor Impairment under PRECAUTIONS].
Nursing: Advise patients that breastfeeding is not recommended with ABILIFY treatment because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in a nursing infant [see Nursing Mothers under USE IN PREGNANCY & LACTATION].
Concomitant Medication: Patients should be advised to inform their physicians if they are taking, or plan to take, any prescription or over-the-counter drugs, since there is a potential for interactions [see INTERACTIONS].
Alcohol: Patients should be advised to avoid alcohol while taking ABILIFY.
Heat Exposure and Dehydration: Patients should be advised regarding appropriate care in avoiding overheating and dehydration [see Body Temperature Regulation under PRECAUTIONS].