Anyone been on Abilify?

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dark_sparkles37019
dark_sparkles37019 Posts: 114 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm currently on nexplanon bc, Lexapro, and Abilify. Anyone lose while on abilify?

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  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,999 Member
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    Me personally no.

    But working in medical centre, i know a few people well who are on Abilify - they come in for their regular injections.

    You do have to be careful as these can have weight gain as a side effect
  • WillingtoLose1001984
    WillingtoLose1001984 Posts: 240 Member
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    dark_sparkles37019 wrote: »
    I'm currently on nexplanon bc, Lexapro, and Abilify. Anyone lose while on abilify?

    I have a very hard time losing and tend to gain while on antipsychotics.
  • jmc930
    jmc930 Posts: 11 Member
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    Abilify gave me ridiculous akathesia. I couldn't sit still, woke up every day at 6 a.m., and did wall pushups for half an hour to try to get rid of the weird sensations. I also had no appetite on it, and lost 13 pounds in a couple weeks. That being said, I know other people who don't have that side effect! Everyone's body is different.
  • RespectTheKitty
    RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
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    I am on Abilify presently. It made me gain about 30 pounds in the first few months. It just makes me want to eat everything in sight. Unfortunately, though, it is the only antipsychotic that actually works for me, so I have to deal with it. In order to try to keep me from gaining any more weight, my psychiatrist reduced my dosage of Abilify to the smallest possible dose (2mg), and also added on Topamax to help reduce my appetite. This only happened this past weekend so I can't tell you if it worked or not yet. :smile:
  • RealWorldStrengthLLC
    RealWorldStrengthLLC Posts: 552 Member
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    sarahbums wrote: »
    I've been on 15mg Abilify and 20mg Lexapro, plus .5mg Klonopin since 2015. Personally I haven't had any appetite related side effects- but everyone's different.

    As long as you stay in a caloric deficit, you'll continue to lose weight.

    This ^

    I'm inclined to believe that the majority of weight gain on psych meds is due to what they do to appetite, not a metabolic side effect. While certain meds may have some water retention or a small metabolic slow-down, they did not cause the weight gain - the person did, by eating in a caloric surplus. At least that is MY personal opinion based on MY experience. Source, I was put on Bipolar meds and gained 90+lbs over 2 years. I also quit lifting weights and running and ate a truckload of garbage food daily for those 2 years. If I'm being honest, what caused the weight gain?
  • jmc930
    jmc930 Posts: 11 Member
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    youcantflexcardio wrote: »
    sarahbums wrote: »
    I've been on 15mg Abilify and 20mg Lexapro, plus .5mg Klonopin since 2015. Personally I haven't had any appetite related side effects- but everyone's different.

    As long as you stay in a caloric deficit, you'll continue to lose weight.

    This ^

    I'm inclined to believe that the majority of weight gain on psych meds is due to what they do to appetite, not a metabolic side effect. While certain meds may have some water retention or a small metabolic slow-down, they did not cause the weight gain - the person did, by eating in a caloric surplus. At least that is MY personal opinion based on MY experience. Source, I was put on Bipolar meds and gained 90+lbs over 2 years. I also quit lifting weights and running and ate a truckload of garbage food daily for those 2 years. If I'm being honest, what caused the weight gain?

    Oh, yes! If I'm on meds that I know increase my appetite for whatever reason, I remind myself, "I just ate a 350-calorie meal. I am drinking water. My body doesn't need food this moment. This isn't actual hunger." If I'm still hungry in a couple hours, I'll have a small snack.
  • WillingtoLose1001984
    WillingtoLose1001984 Posts: 240 Member
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    jmc930 wrote: »
    youcantflexcardio wrote: »
    sarahbums wrote: »
    I've been on 15mg Abilify and 20mg Lexapro, plus .5mg Klonopin since 2015. Personally I haven't had any appetite related side effects- but everyone's different.

    As long as you stay in a caloric deficit, you'll continue to lose weight.

    This ^

    I'm inclined to believe that the majority of weight gain on psych meds is due to what they do to appetite, not a metabolic side effect. While certain meds may have some water retention or a small metabolic slow-down, they did not cause the weight gain - the person did, by eating in a caloric surplus. At least that is MY personal opinion based on MY experience. Source, I was put on Bipolar meds and gained 90+lbs over 2 years. I also quit lifting weights and running and ate a truckload of garbage food daily for those 2 years. If I'm being honest, what caused the weight gain?

    Oh, yes! If I'm on meds that I know increase my appetite for whatever reason, I remind myself, "I just ate a 350-calorie meal. I am drinking water. My body doesn't need food this moment. This isn't actual hunger." If I'm still hungry in a couple hours, I'll have a small snack.

    I refuse to take meds that make it so easy for me to gain 10-20 lbs in a month! The benefits do not outweigh the negative side effects. I can do fine for a while but then the appetite increase caused by the meds just takes over. I get so hungry and eat at odd times.
  • RealWorldStrengthLLC
    RealWorldStrengthLLC Posts: 552 Member
    edited October 2018
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    In my experience, its all about timing. About an hour after meds, I get a RAVENOUS hunger that will not quit - so I budget for that. My before bed snack is beef jerky, a protien shake, and 4 tablespoons of peanut butter - I save a lot of fat in my budget for that peanut butter because it seems like a good serving of fats is the only thing that really satiates it.
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
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    I used to be on abilify and it made me so tired and hungry all the time. I also gained weight on it because it caused me to eat way more than I should have. I switched to Latuda and I still have the appetite issue but I'm no longer a zombie.

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