Below are the general guidelines for dosing Abilify (aripiprazole). Note that these dosages may be adjusted on a case-by-case basis for individual patients. Always follow your prescribing physician’s instructions for taking Abilify.
The following information comes from DailyMed, an FDA lavel information provider.
What if I miss a dose of Abilify?
According to Mayo Clinic, if you miss a dose of Abilify, take it immediately, unless you are closer to the time of your next dose. If that is the case, skip the missed dose and wait until the next dose. Never double dose.
What if I overdose on Abilify?
MedDRA terminology has been used to classify the adverse reactions.
10.1 Human Experience
A total of 76 cases of deliberate or accidental overdosage with oral aripiprazole have been reported worldwide. These include overdoses with oral aripiprazole alone and in combination with other substances. No fatality was reported from these cases. Of the 44 cases with known outcome, 33 cases recovered without sequelae and one case recovered with sequelae (mydriasis and feeling abnormal). The largest known case of acute ingestion with a known outcome involved 1080 mg of oral aripiprazole (36 times the maximum recommended daily dose) in a patient who fully recovered. Included in the 76 cases are 10 cases of deliberate or accidental overdosage in children (age 12 and younger) involving oral aripiprazole ingestions up to 195 mg with no fatalities.
Common adverse reactions (reported in at least 5% of all overdose cases) reported with oral aripiprazole overdosage (alone or in combination with other substances) include vomiting, somnolence, and tremor. Other clinically important signs and symptoms observed in one or more patients with aripiprazole overdoses (alone or with other substances) include acidosis, aggression, aspartate aminotransferase increased, atrial fibrillation, bradycardia, coma, confusional state, convulsion, blood creatine phosphokinase increased, depressed level of consciousness, hypertension, hypokalemia, hypotension, lethargy, loss of consciousness, QRS complex prolonged, QT prolonged, pneumonia aspiration, respiratory arrest, status epilepticus, and tachycardia.
10.2 Management of Overdosage
No specific information is available on the treatment of overdose with aripiprazole. An electrocardiogram should be obtained in case of overdosage and if QT interval prolongation is present, cardiac monitoring should be instituted. Otherwise, management of overdose should concentrate on supportive therapy, maintaining an adequate airway, oxygenation and ventilation, and management of symptoms. Close medical supervision and monitoring should continue until the patient recovers.
Charcoal: In the event of an overdose of ABILIFY, an early charcoal administration may be useful in partially preventing the absorption of aripiprazole. Administration of 50 g of activated charcoal, one hour after a single 15 mg oral dose of aripiprazole, decreased the mean AUC and Cmax of aripiprazole by 50%.
Hemodialysis: Although there is no information on the effect of hemodialysis in treating an overdose with aripiprazole, hemodialysis is unlikely to be useful in overdose management since aripiprazole is highly bound to plasma proteins.
Dosage and Administration
NOTE: There is also long acting formulations of aripiprazole that are different doses and in an injection.
Schizophrenia
Adults
Dose Selection: The recommended starting and target dose for ABILIFY is 10 mg/day or 15 mg/day administered on a once-a-day schedule without regard to meals. ABILIFY has been systematically evaluated and shown to be effective in a dose range of 10 mg/day to 30 mg/day, when administered as the tablet formulation; however, doses higher than 10 mg/day or 15 mg/day were not more effective than 10 mg/day or 15 mg/day. Dosage increases should generally not be made before 2 weeks, the time needed to achieve steady-state [see CLINICAL STUDIES (14.1)].
Maintenance Treatment: Maintenance of efficacy in schizophrenia was demonstrated in a trial involving patients with schizophrenia who had been symptomatically stable on other antipsychotic medications for periods of 3 months or longer. These patients were discontinued from those medications and randomized to either ABILIFY 15 mg/day or placebo, and observed for relapse [see CLINICAL STUDIES (14.1)]. Patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the continued need for maintenance treatment.
Adolescents
Dose Selection: The recommended target dose of ABILIFY is 10 mg/day. Aripiprazole was studied in adolescent patients 13 to 17 years of age with schizophrenia at daily doses of 10 mg and 30 mg. The starting daily dose of the tablet formulation in these patients was 2 mg, which was titrated to 5 mg after 2 days and to the target dose of 10 mg after 2 additional days. Subsequent dose increases should be administered in 5 mg increments. The 30 mg/day dose was not shown to be more efficacious than the 10 mg/day dose. ABILIFY can be administered without regard to meals [see CLINICAL STUDIES (14.1)].
Maintenance Treatment: The efficacy of ABILIFY for the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in the adolescent population has not been evaluated. While there is no body of evidence available to answer the question of how long the adolescent patient treated with ABILIFY should be maintained on the drug, maintenance efficacy can be extrapolated from adult data along with comparisons of aripiprazole pharmacokinetic parameters in adult and pediatric patients. Thus, it is generally recommended that responding patients be continued beyond the acute response, but at the lowest dose needed to maintain remission. Patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the need for maintenance treatment.
Switching from Other Antipsychotics
There are no systematically collected data to specifically address switching patients with schizophrenia from other antipsychotics to ABILIFY or concerning concomitant administration with other antipsychotics. While immediate discontinuation of the previous antipsychotic treatment may be acceptable for some patients with schizophrenia, more gradual discontinuation may be most appropriate for others. In all cases, the period of overlapping antipsychotic administration should be minimized.
2.2 Bipolar I Disorder
Adults
Dose Selection: The recommended starting and target dose is 15 mg given once daily as monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy with lithium or valproate. ABILIFY may be given without regard to meals. The dose may be increased to 30 mg/day based on clinical response. The safety of doses above 30 mg/day has not been evaluated in clinical trials [see CLINICAL STUDIES (14.2)].
Maintenance Treatment: Maintenance of efficacy in bipolar I disorder was demonstrated in a trial involving patients who had been symptomatically stable on ABILIFY Tablets (15 mg/day or 30 mg/day, as monotherapy) for at least 6 consecutive weeks. These patients were discontinued from those medications and randomized to either ABILIFY, at the same dose they were stabilized on, or placebo, and observed for relapse [see CLINICAL STUDIES (14.2)]. Patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the continued need for maintenance treatment.
Pediatric Patients
Dose Selection: The efficacy of ABILIFY has been established in the treatment of pediatric patients 10 to 17 years of age with bipolar I disorder at doses of 10 mg/day or 30 mg/day. The recommended target dose of ABILIFY is 10 mg/day, as monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy with lithium or valproate. The starting daily dose of the tablet formulation in these patients was 2 mg/day, which was titrated to 5 mg/day after 2 days and to the target dose of 10 mg/day after 2 additional days. Subsequent dose increases should be administered in 5 mg/day increments. ABILIFY can be administered without regard to meals. [See CLINICAL STUDIES (14.2).]
Maintenance Treatment: The efficacy of ABILIFY for the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder in the pediatric population has not been evaluated. While there is no body of evidence available to answer the question of how long the pediatric patient treated with ABILIFY should be maintained, maintenance efficacy can be extrapolated from adult data along with comparisons of aripiprazole pharmacokinetic parameters in adult and pediatric patients. Thus, responding patients may be considered for continued treatment beyond the acute response at the lowest dose required to maintain remission. Patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the continued need for maintenance treatment.
2.3 Adjunctive Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder
Adults
Dose Selection: The recommended starting dose for ABILIFY as adjunctive treatment for patients already taking an antidepressant is 2 mg/day to 5 mg/day. The efficacy of ABILIFY as an adjunctive therapy for major depressive disorder was established within a dose range of 2 mg/day to 15 mg/day. Dose adjustments of up to 5 mg/day should occur gradually, at intervals of no less than 1 week [see CLINICAL STUDIES (14.3)].
Maintenance Treatment: The efficacy of ABILIFY for the adjunctive maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder has not been evaluated. While there is no body of evidence available to answer the question of how long the patient treated with ABILIFY should be maintained, patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the continued need for maintenance treatment.
2.4 Irritability Associated with Autistic Disorder
Pediatric Patients
Dose Selection: The efficacy of aripiprazole has been established in the treatment of pediatric patients 6 to 17 years of age with irritability associated with autistic disorder at doses of 5 mg/day to 15 mg/day. The dosage of ABILIFY should be individualized according to tolerability and response.
Dosing should be initiated at 2 mg/day. The dose should be increased to 5 mg/day, with subsequent increases to 10 mg/day or 15 mg/day if needed. Dose adjustments of up to 5 mg/day should occur gradually, at intervals of no less than 1 week [see CLINICAL STUDIES (14.4)].
Maintenance Treatment: The efficacy of ABILIFY for the maintenance treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder has not been evaluated. While there is no body of evidence available to answer the question of how long the patient treated with ABILIFY should be maintained, patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the continued need for maintenance treatment.
2.5 For Use With Schizophrenia or Bipolar Mania (Intramuscular Injection)
Adults
Long acting injection or intramuscular I.M. E.R. formulation called Aripiprazole Maintena recommended dosage is 300 or 400 mg once a month based upon providers input.
ABILIFY Injection is intended for intramuscular use only. Do not administer intravenously or subcutaneously. Inject slowly, deep into the muscle mass.
NOTE: Please consult prescribing physician for dose adjustment.
2.6 Dosage Adjustment
Dosage adjustments in adults are not routinely indicated on the basis of age, gender, race, or renal or hepatic impairment status [see USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS (8.4–8.10)].
- Dosage adjustment for patients taking aripiprazole concomitantly with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors: When concomitant administration of aripiprazole with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors such as ketoconazole or clarithromycin is indicated, the aripiprazole dose should be reduced to one-half the usual dose. When the CYP3A4 inhibitor is withdrawn from the combination therapy, the aripiprazole dose should then be increased [see DRUG INTERACTIONS (7.1)].
- Dosage adjustment for patients taking aripiprazole concomitantly with potential CYP2D6 inhibitors: When concomitant administration of potential CYP2D6 inhibitors such as quinidine, fluoxetine, or paroxetine with aripiprazole occurs, aripiprazole dose should be reduced at least to one-half of its normal dose. When the CYP2D6 inhibitor is withdrawn from the combination therapy, the aripiprazole dose should then be increased [see DRUG INTERACTIONS (7.1)]. When adjunctive ABILIFY is administered to patients with major depressive disorder, ABILIFY should be administered without dosage adjustment as specified in DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION (2.3).
- Dosage adjustment for patients taking potential CYP3A4 inducers: When a potential CYP3A4 inducer such as carbamazepine is added to aripiprazole therapy, the aripiprazole dose should be doubled. Additional dose increases should be based on clinical evaluation. When the CYP3A4 inducer is withdrawn from the combination therapy, the aripiprazole dose should be reduced to 10 mg to 15 mg [see DRUG INTERACTIONS (7.1)].
2.7 Dosing of Oral Solution
The oral solution can be substituted for tablets on a mg-per-mg basis up to the 25 mg dose level. Patients receiving 30 mg tablets should receive 25 mg of the solution [see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY (12.3)].
2.8 Dosing of Orally Disintegrating Tablets
The dosing for ABILIFY Orally Disintegrating Tablets is the same as for the oral tablets [see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION (2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and 2.4)].
How is Abilify supplied?
ABILIFY® (aripiprazole) Tablets have markings on one side and are available in the strengths and packages listed in Table 15.
| Tablet Strength | Tablet Color/Shape | Tablet Markings | Pack Size | NDC Code |
| 5 mg | blue modified rectangle | “A-007” and “5” | Bottle of 15 Bottle of 30 | 21695-002-15 21695-002-30 |
| 10 mg | pink modified rectangle | “A-008” and “10” | Bottle of 15 Bottle of 30Bottle of 45 | 21695-003-15 21695-003-3021695-003-45 |
| 15 mg | yellow round | “A-009” and “15” | Bottle of 15 | 21695-004-15 |
| 20 mg | white round | “A-010” and “20” | Bottle of 30 | 21695-005-30 |
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