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Abilify Maintena is an extended-release injectable form of aripiprazole, an atypical antipsychotic. It is approved for adults with schizophrenia and as maintenance monotherapy for bipolar I disorder. A healthcare professional gives the medicine by intramuscular injection in the deltoid or gluteal muscle. The standard maintenance schedule is one injection each month after the required initiation process.
read more about abilify maintena ...The exact mechanism of aripiprazole in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder is unknown. Its effects are thought to involve partial agonist activity at dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors and antagonist activity at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. Abilify Maintena releases aripiprazole gradually after injection, maintaining drug exposure over a monthly interval rather than relying on a daily oral dose.
Abilify Maintena is approved to treat schizophrenia in adults and for maintenance monotherapy of bipolar I disorder in adults. It is not approved for pediatric patients or for dementia-related psychosis. People who have never taken aripiprazole first need to establish tolerability with oral aripiprazole before receiving the long-acting injection.
Abilify Maintena is administered by a healthcare professional, with 400 mg once monthly as the recommended dose. Current labeling includes two initiation approaches. The one-day option uses two separate Abilify Maintena injections plus one oral aripiprazole dose. The 14-day option uses one injection plus 14 days of oral aripiprazole or the patient's current oral antipsychotic. Selected patients require lower doses or other adjustments.
Abilify Maintena carries a boxed warning about increased mortality in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis. Other serious risks include neuroleptic malignant syndrome, tardive dyskinesia, metabolic changes, compulsive behaviors, low blood pressure, seizures, low white blood cell counts, and cognitive or motor impairment. Common reactions reported in schizophrenia trials include weight gain, akathisia, injection-site pain, and sedation.
Abilify Maintena is normally administered once monthly. The recommended dose is 400 mg, although selected patients receive an adjusted dose.
They contain the same active drug, aripiprazole, but the formulations differ. Abilify Maintena releases medicine over a month, while Abilify tablets are taken daily.
No. Abilify Maintena must be administered by a healthcare professional into the deltoid or gluteal muscle.
Not always. Current labeling includes both one-day and 14-day initiation options. Oral aripiprazole tolerability must first be established in patients who have never taken aripiprazole.
ABILIFY MAINTENA (aripiprazole) Extended-Release Injectable Suspension Prescribing Information. https://www.otsuka-us.com/media/static/Abilify-M-PI.pdf. Date Accessed September 11, 2026.
ABILIFY MAINTENA Medication Guide. https://www.otsuka-us.com/media/static/Abilify-M-Medguide.pdf. Date Accessed September 11, 2026.
Aripiprazole Injection. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a615048.html. Date Accessed September 11, 2026.
DailyMed - ABILIFY MAINTENA - aripiprazole kit. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ee49f3b1-1650-47ff-9fb1-ea53fe0b92b6. Date Accessed September 11, 2026.
FDA Label - ABILIFY MAINTENA (aripiprazole) Extended-Release Injectable Suspension. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2025/202971s018,217006s001lbl.pdf. Date Accessed September 11, 2026.