Abilify and weight gain/uncontrollable hunger?

I took Abilify for 9 months and I gained 20 pounds in the first 6 months. I told my dr. about it and she confirmed that the trials on abilify did not report such weight gain, but that she has read and experienced through patients that the initial weight gain is very strong.

Good luck. I hope you can find the right balance for you!

Really?? Your doctor told you that?? Nice job on that one doc. Shmuck-tastic. I am an RN, and the commercials on national TV for this drug even state that one of the most common side effects is "weight gain" alongside fatigue and nausea...Yay! Just what a depressed person with body weight issues needs, right?

The bummer is: most mental meds have the SE of weight gain, increase in appetite and or/fatigue. All of these things can lead to problems with the scale. However, if your depression and anxiety (or whatever is going on) is not under control, and the med is really effective- STAY ON IT!!! THIS PART IS IMPORTANT: THE SIDE EFFECTS WILL LEVEL OFF AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS. You just have to (SORRY) stay the course. In the meantime, make smart snacking choices, eat whole, natural foods, drink that water, and try (even when you are feeling crappy) to get that cardio in! It really will make a difference- not only in the weight, but multitudes of studies show that exercise improves mood.

Good luck to you, and please stay away from advice that has to do with stopping your meds (irresponsible).

I am on seroquel which is similar to abilify. It also has caused me significant weight gain, but I also gained weight due to eating when depressed. I found that I really need my meds to be healthy, so I am now working on losing weight while on meds. I find the nighttime carb cravings the hardest to deal with. What I do is leave some calories for the inevitable late evening snack. It is common for my to have a bowl of cereal or half a peanut butter sandwich. I have also been increasing my activity and have found that the exercise has helped to stabilize my moods. If you need any support feel free to send me a message or add me as a friend. We might have an uphill battle but we don't have to accept the increased odds of diabetes and other health affects of obesity just because we need meds to keep us going.

And Thank You, Alexis, for mentioning that you are continuing to take your meds while trying to continue your weight loss program because it is important to do so. Controlling depression & other issues (not to mention the most important, suicidality, which Abilify is scripted for) is WAY more important. Not to mention that just quitting an anti-depressant without tapering or consulting a physician is VERY dangerous to one's physical and mental health. I CANNOT STRESS that enough. Posters: PLEASE do not advise people to quit their meds!!!! IRRESPONSIBLE.

I have been on abilify for 3 years and lost weight (I lost 20 kg put back on 18 with pregnancy and now I'm 4 off my pre pregnancy weight!) Guess its different for different people. I put on stacks of weight with lithium. Try saphris. It's weight neutral in 90% of people. Otherwise you can also add topamax to kill the hunger but its does make you a bit dopey! Good luck. Remember exercise is an awesome antidepressant. You only need to go for a half hour walk to get the effect. (your heart rate needs to be elevated so a fast walk) but you need to do it every day to get the best effect. I use an exercise bike for 1/2 an hour a day.

Excellent! You are doing the right thing to manage the side effects, and moreover- your depression. Awesome news.

I take abilify only . I have taken it for a long time.I like it because it does not have a lot of side effects.I try not to eat too late because it goes into fat storing instead of fat burning.

It is expensive medicine. aren't you worth it?

I wasn't able to sit still while on Abilify.

Good luck.

So, I hope that everything went well w/ your visit. Do continue w/ the therapy, as it is really important to go w/ the pharmaceuticals. Mental meds all kind of suck, in that they all have side effects one way or another- this is why it is so hard to get people to stay on them, and then people who don't suffer with psychiatric distress wonder what is wrong w/ people who do. Well- those people haven't had the joy of taking any of the meds that cause weight gain, nausea, vomiting, hallucinations (yep, hallucinations), dizziness, dry mouth, diarrhea, constipation, RLS...ugh, the list goes on...And then as a health professional you have to try to encourage patients to stay the course because life on the drugs will be better (and it IS, because at least you aren't choosing to commit suicide, or cut, or be anorexic or bulemic, etc...) You get the pic. Anyhow, best of luck and care.