does abilify cause weight gain

Bullcrap. I can't believe how many doctors still say that Abilify does not cause weight gain. In all practical senses, it does in quite a few people.
There are studies clearly demonstrating this. Bristol Myers states this unequivocally on the Abilify website. Two doctors who I've spoken with have confirmed that weight gain has been common among those patients taking this class of drugs. I personally gained over 30 pounds over the three years I took Abilify because I wasn't paying attention. Now I've stopped taking it (I didn't need it in the first place), began a diet and workout regularly. The effects have been slow to reverse. This isn't intended to scare people from taking it. It's not a big deal, just stay aware. Keep a "journal" everyday (which you should be doing to keep track of your mood already), record your weight, a total inches measurement and write the foods you eat and their quantities down as well. You may notice an increase in the quantities of food you eat. If this becomes a problem, counter this by eating more vegetables, legumes (beans) and meats instead of the foods more likely to cause weight gain. Staying aware of your weight and what types of food you're eating will make a big difference; do not defer responsibility until it becomes a problem. Exercise everyday; just ride a bike or something fun (exercise and fresh air will markedly improve mood). If you need to, do a workout every other day to further counter weight gain. If you choose not to do these things, you have no one to blame but yourself for gaining weight.

There are a lot of doctors starting to prescribe Abilify as a "booster" in addition to Zoloft or similar drugs for depression. I've also noticed Bristol Myers began pushing it more in their marketing to doctors and patients. Abilify is an impressive technology that was expensive to develop, and Otsuka has the patent on it until 2014. This naturally makes me suspicious that there may be people being prescribed Abilify who do not really need it. Listen to your doctor, but if you believe you are not suffering from serious or complex depression, don't be afraid to get a second opinion on whether this class of drug is appropriate for you.

I am depressed and underweight, and have had eating disorders in the past (these patterns recur, of course). My doctor is all about Abilify but I don't want to gain weight without control; I want to eat the foods I love and gain weight with a positive relationship to food, on my own terms, as I am totally willing to gain weight if my doctor says I need to. Control is the focus of many eating disorders, as well as their treatment. I am dubious about Abilify as a treatment for me, considering that depression can not be separated from anorexic behaviors and treated independently.  

Everybody needs different treatment and some people need medicine while others don't, but I would SERIOUSLY consider THERAPY for the treatment before I would suggest pills. Therapy requires you to work for it, acknowledge the problems and really want to get better, but unless you have an actual disorder (like bi-polar or schizophrenia or something), you shouldn't need pills for depression. Chemicals make us feel depressed, but if you do not have a disorder, chemicals aren't causing the depression - attitudes towards environment, etc. are and those things can be fixed 100% with therapy. Natural/cognitive therapy based things can elevate your mood, change the chemicals and make you a generally more adjusted adult without the dependency of medication. The drug companies and doctors make a lot of money off of depression pills; keep that in mind. I am bi-polar and have actually had more success without pills than with them (I'm not saying that works for everyone), legitimate success through therapy & such, not just me being manic and liking it or something. I also haven't taken my anxiety medication in years and I am 80% anxiety free. I haven't had a panic attack in years. I was a MESS before (cognitive) therapy, which does take effort and time (it's really a life-long thing, but you can do it yourself after a while). I think pills should be your very last option. Doctors will tell you that Abilify has very little to no weight gaining properties, but I've yet to meet anyone who hasn't gained at least 25 lbs. on it (if you do online research, you'll see that teenagers actually AVERAGED 1.5 lbs. A WEEK when they were prescribed it). It can also cause tardive dyskenisia (where your face twitches uncontrollably - it is permanent, btw), it also causes stokes, diabetes, etc. While on it, you have to get a blood test every 3 months or so to watch for diabetes. To me, it's not worth it. Plus, if you have eating disorders (they are about control; I have similar issues), it seems like you might also be more likely to have a dependent personality? That's just my educated GUESS, though. Abilify doesn't necessarily cause dependency, but still. I would exercise much caution and get a lot of opinions. Find a psychologist (NOT PSYCHIATRIST) if you can and discuss it.

I have been on Abilify for 2 years and have gained 50 pds I have been reading through the post and now know im stopping abilify

I've been on Abilify for 2.5 years, and have gained 50 lbs.  It's been horrible.  I went from 147lbs. to 197lbs. in 2 years, I'm at a loss as to what to do.  I had severe postpartum depression and I am now feeling well again.  My doc might put me on Glucophage to curb my appetite.  Anyone else take Glucophage?  How is it working?

 

I have lost 70 lbs., going from 310 to 235. I obviously need to continue losing weight. I started Abilify a week ago. It does seem to have helped my mood, but I will no longer take medicines which make me gain weight. So far, I have not seen an increase of hunger or snacking behavior. I hope for the best!

When I started taking Abilify 10mg/day (along with several other meds started long before it) about three months ago I weighed 160 lbs.  It caused an increase in appetite, especially a craving for sweets and junk food -- while I still did my normal exercising.

After having gained 25 lbs and becoming quite alarmed at weighing 185 lbs, I simply ceased taking it one week ago (haven't met with my Doctor yet to tell him).  I've already lost 7 lbs (about 1 lb/day) and am relieved that the source of the weight gain was so readily identifiable.

Obviously, everybody's body is unique and reacts differently, but this thread has been confirmation that Abilify causes weight gain, often significant, in many.

Hello, pomplun,

I am also a consumer of mental health services. It's a heck of a struggle, but it's not too bad. I have been taking antipsychotic medication since 1979. My symptoms have diminished.

Most of these medications cause weight gain or increased appetite and can lead to diabetes. I have been overweight since 1979. Now I'm 5'8" and 190 lbs. Specifically, I have never tried Abilify so I haven't read the reports for this drug.

I asked my doctor to put me on Geodon. It is an anti-psychotic that does not have as much weight gain as a side effect, my doctor says.

Don't go off the meds without the doctor's supervision. Sometimes they can reduce it and give people a trial without it, but often the delusions return. It can be awful again.

I'm happy now writing a blog on the ethics of behavior modification from the perspective of the consumer of mental health services. It is called ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed***

Good luck,

Dave in New Jersey

Well, after being on this drug for 4 years, and 35 horrible extra pounds later, I'm convinced it's the Abilify! Thanks for all the posts. I have decided to wean myself off after talking to my doc to find out the right way to do it. I, too, eat extremely healthy and exercise daily with no results. I bet I don't put 1200 calories in my body a day and still can't lose weight. I went from a size 4 to a size 10 in 6 months. I look like I'm pregnant. Add feeling ugly to an already diminished self esteem. It's been awlful. Doc said to only take one tomorrow and for the next week. Then one every other day for 4 days, then one every 3 days for awhile and so on and so on. I hope I can start to loose the weight when I'm off the stuff. Don't mind coming off because the euphoric feeling I got from it when I first started it is long gone. Don't know why I stayed on it so long. Again, thanks for waking me up and getting me to see the light. I appreciate it.

for me i lost weight 

since 11 years i am taking zyprexa and cymbalta. i gained weight, i was 50 kilos now i am 67 kilos. i want to change to abilify but i don't know if will cause weight gain. pls. let me know.thanks

Abilify will make you gain weight. I've had a terrible prob with anorexia so this is not a bearable side effect. However, I have felt so wonderful on abilify otherwise. Never in last 30 years so content and up and energy...I know topomax and concerta are both drugs that have made me lose weight in past. Maybe you could take one of those with abilify to counteract. That's what I'm going to try. Actually, concerta makes me feel nauseous and I did think topomax gave me eye pain, so we'll see. Worth a second try if I could keep abilify. Good luck!

Yeah, I was on seroquel and gaining weight fast, and topomax stopped that. However, I got persistent pressure behind my eyes for weeks, looked it up, found relationship to topomax so had to cease both drugs. Try concerta or adderall with abilify. Abilify is making me balloon now, and I plan to ask for one of those to counteract. Also, feeling so good might make it possible for me to just starve to avoid gain! Abilify is so great.

hi i gained 20 lbs in three months i am not taking pill any longer,hopefully my weight gain will get back to normal

Cymbalta doesn't cause weight gain if anything it makes people lose weight. That's what my psychiatrist told me.