Abilify is a brand-name oral tablet that doctors prescribe for certain mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia. There may be other conditions, such as anxiety, where doctors may use Abilify off-label.

Abilify is a prescription drug that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat certain mental health conditions.

Your doctor may also prescribe Abilify for conditions the FDA does not approve. These would be considered off-label uses of the drug. Off-label prescription drug use is legal and widely accepted in the United States. Off-label use is more common than we think.

Read on to learn more about what off-label use means and examples of conditions Abilify is used both for approved and off-label use.

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The FDA regulates drugs sold in the United States. When FDA approves a drug, it works with the manufacturer to create a label that includes key information, such as the condition the drug is approved to treat, dosage, and side effects.

Off-label drug use means a drug is given for a condition it hasn’t been approved to treat. The lack of approval is not because the FDA refuses it but because the FDA was not asked to evaluate the drug for that particular condition.

Your doctor can still choose to prescribe a drug off-label. The FDA does not provide any guidance, such as dosage or effectiveness, for the off-label use of the drug.

Off-label drug use is legal and common in the United States. Many drugs are studied for purposes other than their original FDA-approved use and can be included in accepted treatment guidelines. Your doctor may use those studies or guidelines to support the off-label drug use in your condition.

If you have questions about off-label drug use, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

The following table indicates the conditions that doctors use Abilify to treat. These may be FDA-approved for the drug or an off-label use. The age range for these uses depends on the condition being treated. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist for details about Abilify’s uses.

Abilify is a prescription drug approved by the FDA to treat certain mental health conditions. Your doctor may choose to use Abilify for other conditions, such as anxiety. These would be considered off-label uses of the drug.

Off-label drug use is legal and common in the United States. With off-label use, a drug is used for a purpose outside of what it was approved for.

If you have questions about Abilify and its uses, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.