For me, it’s like an electric shock in the middle of the night. Hello, world! I’m awake! It’s 4 a.m. and it’s time to get something started. On nights when I’m extremely tired I just sit on the side of the bed, swaying slightly until I fall back onto my pillow. Nights when I’ve gotten enough sleep I’m out of bed and into my office and onto the computer to shop. Not to buy, because right now I don’t have the discretionary money, but to shop. Often for electronics, gadgets, sometimes for music. I need something when the Abilify is kicking in hard, but I don’t know what I need, so the feeling turns into a wanting kind of experience. May be mini-mania. May be a side effect of the drug.

I’ve been on it nearly a year now, and it still does this to me.