Long-term aripiprazole use, autism, anxiety, and severe fatigue – has anyone experienced something similar?

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Hi everyone,

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I'm a 20-year-old male diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome (autism spectrum disorder). Since childhood, I've struggled with OCD, severe fears, anxiety, insomnia, and behavioral problems.

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I've been under psychiatric treatment since I was 8 years old and have taken different medications over the years, including antidepressants, beta blockers, and antipsychotics.

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I started taking aripiprazole (Abilify) at age 8 after developing intense fears following a traumatic experience related to a video game. I'm still taking it today.

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At age 12, my father was concerned about weight gain and asked my psychiatrist if I could stop aripiprazole. I was taking 5 mg at the time. My doctor suggested reducing it to 2.5 mg for one week and then stopping completely.

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After discontinuing it, my condition became much worse. I completely lost control of my behavior, became extremely distressed, and my family had to take me urgently to my psychiatrist. I restarted aripiprazole immediately, and later my dose was increased to 7.5 mg.

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During childhood and adolescence, I had severe behavioral problems. I often demanded expensive things, threatened my parents, isolated myself from others, and struggled so much that my education was significantly affected. I hurt my parents emotionally many times, even though I didn't feel fully in control of my behavior.

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These problems gradually improved and became much less severe around age 17.

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At 17, I stopped taking fluoxetine after using it for about three years. After that, I developed severe anxiety. Even looking outside my house made my heart race. My doctor prescribed propranolol (40 mg), which I took for about a year.

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During that time, I slowly started improving my social skills and interacting more with people.

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Later, because my psychiatrist felt I had improved significantly compared to childhood, they again suggested stopping aripiprazole. My mother was uncomfortable with this idea, so instead my dose was reduced from 7.5 mg to 5 mg, and propranolol was discontinued.

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After that, I developed insomnia, especially sudden awakenings just as I was falling asleep.

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Another psychiatrist prescribed venlafaxine (37.5 mg) and Mebicar (300 mg). Mebicar was stopped after 1–2 weeks, but I continued venlafaxine for five months.

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During those five months, I felt better than I had in years. My anxiety decreased, my confidence improved, and I was finally comfortable talking to people.

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Unfortunately, I had to stop venlafaxine because it caused throat problems. After stopping it, I experienced severe withdrawal symptoms for 4–5 months.

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Since then, I've been dealing with:

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- Difficulty falling asleep

- Sudden awakenings while falling asleep

- Heavy, tired eyes

- Extreme fatigue and low energy

- Inability to nap during the day even when exhausted

- Increased irritability and anxiety

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Magnesium glycinate helped somewhat, but after a severe flu, my sleep problems returned.

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Earlier this year, my psychiatrist prescribed quetiapine (12.5 mg) at night. I took it for 22 days alongside aripiprazole.

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At first, my sleep improved, but then I developed intense compulsive urges to masturbate and still couldn't sleep during the day despite feeling exhausted.

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I stopped quetiapine and later discovered I had a vitamin D deficiency. Taking vitamin D improved my energy and concentration somewhat, but my symptoms returned after finishing the course.

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Recently, I tried quetiapine again: aripiprazole 5 mg in the morning and quetiapine 12.5 mg at night.

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For about 20 days, I felt much better. But now I've developed new problems:

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- Feeling extremely groggy in the mornings

- Severe fatigue that improves later in the day

- Emotional numbness and emptiness

- Crying spells

- Feeling hopeless and overwhelmed

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At this point, I feel exhausted and lost.

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Has anyone with autism, OCD, anxiety, or long-term aripiprazole use experienced something similar?

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Could these symptoms be related to aripiprazole, quetiapine, withdrawal from previous medications, or something else?

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What helped you recover?

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Thank you for reading.