Abilify Maintena and Weight Gain: What Users Say

• Edd...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 13, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I’ve been given this drug, 300 mg by depot every month, and am on a community treatment order, which means if I refuse, I get taken straight into the hospital. It stops psychosis in bipolar, but comes at a price: no emotions, extreme tiredness, sleeping 12-14 hours a night, so it's hard to work. I’ve lost my creative side, my sex drive, even my ability to cook. I just sit in a chair most of the time, gaining weight. I feel so sorry for my family, I’ve completely lost myself, and the psychiatrist doesn’t seem to care."

• Ove...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 5, 2018

For Schizophrenia "This medication's side effects are far worse than any good it does. If you don't mind sleeping all day, gaining weight, breaking out with zits, becoming a total zombie, and doing nothing productive with your life at all, this is the drug for you. Hearing voices is not so bad in comparison to how bad this drug makes you feel and the want to gamble your life savings away. The second the injection enters your blood, you instantly feel greasy. This stuff is a total joke and has the power to turn a smart and clever individual into a total brainless slug."

• Pho...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 13, 2020

For Schizophrenia "Went on an episode and relapse and took them away. BUT BE WARNED: it is like working out (as in going to the gym). You take the injection and then you work out your mentality because depression side effects start to kick in. Took away my passion for pretty much anything, and I gained 15 pounds. Been on it for 5 months. But also remember that it is different for everybody. My sleep has been horrible, but I still sleep for 10-14 hours a day. It makes you careless about your decisions, so you won't care about what you eat, and you will eat a lot since you won't care."

• Clo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 13, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Abilify 400 mg injection at first made me so anxious and felt suicidal. My doctors said it wasn't the drug, it was my depression and anxiety. They persisted with it, as I'm not compliant with tablets. I have bipolar 1 with psychosis. It has helped with psychosis, but the side effects are destroying me. Extreme lethargy and total numbness, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It has made me gain weight also, despite daily exercise. I have no libido whatsoever anymore. When I complain to the psychiatrist, they just say it's not supposed to do that, there must be another reason for these things. I also feel like I have no memory but have impulses to gamble and spend money. I have no energy to fight anymore, it's so sad and disgusting that my quality of life is not a factor to these people, doctors, etc. As long as I'm not in the ward, it's all that matters to them."

• SAL...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "TOTAL MISERY FROM ABILIFY INJECTION 400 DOSE! I had to find somewhere to sleep all day and then slept all night too! I immediately gained in 30 days, 30 lbs - they have gone straight to my waistline! Abilify is the worst ever medication! My diagnosis - bipolar disorder & schizoaffective disorder. I was forced into a mental hospital, told that if I refused the meds, I wouldn't be released for 30 days, and I could be released in 14 days if I consented. I didn't know there was an injection too! I would have just waited it out had I known the ill effect that the Abilify injection 400 time release would have on my endocrine system! Totally ruined my lipids."

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 10, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "This stuff is ugly, it numbs all feelings and desires. I sleep for about 12 to 14 hours. The weight gain is crazy, sexual side effects too. I took this stuff for a year and a half, then stopped cold turkey with no problem. I wouldn't recommend this Abilify Maintena or ever take it again."

• A G...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 11, 2019

For Schizophrenia "So I've been on this Abilify injection (against my will) for a couple of years because my family just wants me to be normal again. And man, do I feel normal! It's so great! (I was being sarcastic... really, really sarcastic.) I can't sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time, I suffer from persistent psychological pain due to anxiety/restless leg, and I have gained 70 lbs! And there's more! If I keep taking it, I'll probably wind up with diabetes! What a great drug to give a permanently disabled veteran to ensure that they live a long, peaceful life! Seriously though... it's terrible. Low quality of life in exchange for little to no psychotic symptoms... bad trade. Find something else that works for your condition!!"

• Lou...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 13, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Starting in 2003, I have had problems. By 2009, it increased, and my family finally took it seriously when I tried to jump out of my mother's vehicle. In 2012, I saw a new psychiatrist who finally got me stable on Abilify Maintena 400 mg dose. It has been a miracle drug for me. Side effects suck, but I can deal with the weight gain, I guess. To counteract the fatigue, I also take Nuvigil and Vyvanse, which I can sleep through, these drugs, that is how strong the fatigue is. But I am functional, happy, and have no crazy wild thoughts. If I do have them, they are not as strong, and I tend to just shrug them off. I can tell the shot is working because at the end of the month, I start getting irritable and sad, and immediately when I take it, I feel better. Oddly enough, I cannot take Abilify in pill form because it causes akathisia. I have tried every psychiatric drug there is, and nothing has gotten me to where I am today except Abilify Maintena."

• Mai...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 15, 2023

For Schizophrenia "My son has been on Maintena 400 mgs since 2019. First of all, all the negative and positive symptoms disappeared, his constant nightmares became less and less frequent. He only keeps a minor tic in his right hand. Apart from this and some weight gain (14 pounds), Maintena has been a miracle. He managed to finish his degree in Law and is currently studying a Master's. Recently, his psychiatrist decided to reduce the dose to 300 mgs, and he’s doing very well."

• ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 2, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "So where to begin. I love how this drug completely turned my life around in a really positive way. Used to have multiple manic episodes a year. I haven't had one in over a year after being on this drug. The reason I'm giving this an 8 is it's incredibly effective as a mood stabilizer, but it makes you too stable to the point of feeling numb at a high dose. Some minor weight gain that's slowly going away, and akathisia, which is also slowly going away. I hope that the anhedonia will also slowly back off over time. Let's see. If I had to take this or be unstable, I would take this. Also, starting this was a nightmare as it made me incredibly agitated before it eventually stabilized my mood."

• Fri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 13, 2019

"Since starting this medication on May 23, 2019, I have gained 14 lbs. That's approximately 1 lb. per day. Aside from the weight gain, this medication manages my mania and keeps it at bay. It also has helped make me more myself, getting out and active like I always used to be."

• FMa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 1, 2024

"Continual weight gain (from 47 >> 75 kg) (I am 5'0') - lack of energy to do normal tasks or healthy meal prep. Tight tendons and walking difficulty. Difficulty with memory and concentration. On higher doses, could hardly get out of bed. Too fatigued to do many normal tasks, even at the lowest doses. Tendency to shuffle feet and prone to falls."

• FMa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 1, 2024

"Continual weight gain (from 47 to 75 kg) (I am 5'0") - lack of energy to do normal tasks or healthy meal prep. Tight tendons and walking difficulty. Difficulty with memory and concentration. Urinary difficulties (frequency, urgency). On higher doses, could hardly get out of bed. Too fatigued to do many normal tasks, even at the lowest doses. Tendency to shuffle feet and prone to falls. Suicidal due to no energy to do anything useful. No sex drive, emotionally flat. I hate taking this medication, and I don't get a choice. Every time I started to come off it, my husband would begin domestic violence and drive me back onto it."

• FMa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 1, 2024

"Continual weight gain (from 47 >> 75 kg) (I am 5'0') - lack of energy to do normal tasks or healthy meal prep - tight tendons and walking difficulty - difficulty with memory and concentration - on higher doses, could hardly get out of bed. Too fatigued to do many normal tasks, even at the lowest doses."

• FMa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 1, 2024

"Continual weight gain (from 47 to 75 kg) (I am 5'0') - lack of energy to do normal tasks or healthy meal prep. Tight tendons and walking difficulty. Difficulty with memory and concentration. Urinary difficulties (frequency, urgency). On higher doses, could hardly get out of bed. Too fatigued to do many normal tasks, even at the lowest doses. Tendency to shuffle feet and prone to falls. Suicidal due to no energy to do anything useful. I hate taking this medication, and I don't get a choice. Every time I started to come off it, my husband would begin domestic violence and drive me back onto it."

• lad...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 1, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "I gain 20 pounds every injection. I was 120 pounds. Now I am 220 lb. No matter what I do, I can't stop this weight gain on Abilify. I have nothing positive to say about this medication. Thank you."

• Sta...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 9, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Major weight gain. I feel tired all the time, but on the other hand, my moods have been completely stable. Except for focus, which I was prescribed Concerta for. It seems to be working :)"