Aripiprazole and Weight Gain: What Users Say (Page 4)

• lak...
• March 23, 2019

For Depression "I was on Abilify for 4 months. I was on only 2 mg. Gained 17 lbs after 2 months. Had an enormous appetite, always hungry even an hour after eating. Really did nothing for me. And I am still trying to get this weight off."

• Kay...
• January 8, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "I am 31, female with bipolar 1 along with depression (obviously lol), extreme social anxiety, and PTSD. I was on Abilify, all the way up to 20 mg for the last year or so. I truly thought it wasn't working or doing ANYTHING for me anymore, so I switched to Latuda. Well, the pharmacy was out of stock of Latuda, and I had just finished my taper off of Abilify, so I was about 4-5 days off of any mood stabilizer. And now I can say that although it may not have been as effective as when I first went on it, it definitely made a difference! Since the second week of my taper (down to 5 mg, then 2), I applied for some more credit cards and thought nothing of it. In the past 2 days, I have maxed out all those credit cards. It wasn't until last night that I put the connection to me not being on anything. I gained a little weight on it, but at the same time, I allowed myself to eat what I wanted and didn't exercise. During the taper, I tried Seroquel, and Abilify is nothing as bad as that weight-wise."

• mot...
• April 14, 2012

For Depression "Abilify at 2 mg has felt like my depression is finally under control. However, the weight gain has been a difficult one to accept, and I am going to try to go down to 1 mg to see if that makes a difference. I started out at about 124 and am now 131, with watching everything I eat and exercising hard 3-4 times a week. Doesn't seem to matter if I eat very little. Still can't lose the weight. I don't like this side effect, but it far outweighs the depression I have felt for years, so I may have to put up with it. I am very hungry in between meals and crave sweets. Willpower has been tested, and so far I am passing because I have never had a weight problem in my life and don't want to start now."

• Fer...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 17, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "Abilify helped with my manic episodes, but gained 15 pounds after a month and spiraled into a horrible depression that saw me in bed for weeks after I tried to come off the drug. Felt near completely disabled. Not for me."

• Mic...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 16, 2022

For Agitated State "I went to the psych ward when I was 18 after going through a rough stretch of suicidal thoughts and depression. I voluntarily went and checked myself in. All I wanted was someone to talk to about what was going on in my life because I was bottling everything up for a few years. I went into the psych ward, and I didn't want to take the medication. So they shot me up with the max dosage of Abilify, 6 months extended release of this, and it messed me up. Some of the side effects were restlessness, I could not sit down for 2 minutes without having to get up and move around. It's been 4 years, and I still deal with this today, although it has gotten better. Extreme weight gain, I gained 80 pounds in 8 months. Impulse control problems, I found myself doing weird stuff I never did before, and I had abnormal thinking. My mind would blank out when I was thinking of something, and this happened all the time. My limbs would move without me trying to move them. I do not advise taking this, but everyone is different."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 16, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "This medication, Abilify, almost killed me. I started it in January for bipolar and felt flat and slightly suicidal (as I had before starting it) for about two months on it. Experienced some weight gain. After the two months, I began to have obsessive suicidal thoughts to the point I couldn't concentrate. Oddly enough, I didn't feel depressed, just non-stop suicidal thoughts. I got off of it and switched to lithium, haven't had a suicidal thought in months!"

• Mam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 30, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "For fibromyalgia and MDD. The pain from fibromyalgia kept me in bed or on the couch, out of work and had no interest in socializing. After taking 5 mg of Abilify daily, within 2 weeks, I was so much happier. I am loving life again. It is a true miracle for me, the downside, I gained 15 pounds in 6 months. I’m starving myself to not gain any more and cannot lose 1 pound, therefore, I rated the drug accordingly."

• Diz...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 30, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I’ve tried every mood stabilizer, typical psychotic and atypical antipsychotic for my Asperger's and bipolar depression, and Abilify always helps the most. I feel happy on it, and it helps me with dysphoric mania consistently. It does cause weight gain, but I have been able to lose weight on it by cutting calories to 1500 a day and walking regularly. Plus, it has a generic version now, so it’s cheap!"

• She...
• January 11, 2018

For Depression "After 3 years, I'm miserable taking this drug. Worked great at first. Felt clear and awake. Now I have to stop this med. Gained a lot of weight. My breathing is difficult, and I find it hard to swallow food. I have stopped breathing 3 times now. I have reflux problems and worsening anxiety. Sad because it worked so well at first."

• Aun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 30, 2019

For Schizophrenia "I have taken 15 mg of Abilify for 5 months, no side effects or weight gain yet, so that's good. I don't crave food and gain weight like I did on Risperdal and had bad side effects on Zoloft. I feel tired for 2 hours after I take Abilify. It's hard to stay asleep. I wake up and do the same thing over and over all night long."

• Red...
• December 6, 2015

For Autism "My 8-year-old has been on Abilify for almost a year now. She has gained about 30 lbs, but she is very active and still fit. She is autistic and has severe aggression tendencies toward herself and others. She had been on Risperidol before, and it did nothing for her. Now, she takes 11 ml, and we increase it 1 ml every four weeks until she is more stable. She has greatly improved on this medication but still has a long way to go."

• Mac...
• November 22, 2017

For Depression "So I went on Abilify about a year to two years ago, and it made me gain 50 lbs in less than 6 months. A lot of my depression ties into my self-worth and body image issues, so gaining so much weight (along with hundreds of stretch marks) definitely damaged my self-worth and thus made my depression worse. Plus, I didn't feel like it made any difference in my life whether I took it or not. Worked for 2-4 weeks then quit working."

• bpp...
• June 11, 2015

For Depression "Abilify worked wonders for my chronic depression, but I was sleeping heaps and gained 35 kilos in two years. No, I wasn't eating much! Started only eating one meal a day when the weight started. It was not about food. Prior to Abilify, I went to the gym four times a week. Gained weight despite what I ate and how much I exercised. I ended up quitting the gym and now my head's straight, but I am obese and suffer from poor self-esteem. Eh, big price for my sanity since I detest being fat. The pill itself does work though and treats it."

• Emm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 14, 2021

For Depression "I was on Cipralex, and it did virtually nothing. Before I went on pills, I told my doctor I was hesitant on starting any sort of pill because I had worked really hard for 1.5 years to get in shape and was worried about weight gain. My doctor put me on Cipralex, it did nothing, so she added Abilify. Within 3 months, I had gained over 28 pounds. Zero diet change, no lifestyle changes, I was just packing on the pounds week by week. After looking in the mirror and seeing what I have physically become, I have never felt more disgusted by my appearance. I immediately stopped taking the Abilify, and the weight gain pretty much stopped in its tracks. Taking Abilify has been the biggest regret of my life, all of the work I did on myself was down the drain within 3 months. I went off them, and I have not been able to lose the weight since. It has been 4 months of extreme dieting, but nothing helps. I'm overweight again. This has started a bunch of new mental and body issues, I wish I could give it a 0."

• Coc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 18, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on Abilify 5 mg for 3 weeks now (taking for bipolar). I'm naturally a restless person, so I like the feeling of having to do something all the time. It makes me feel like I'm contributing. Sleeping about 5-6 hours a night. Weight gain of about 2 lbs. I feel better and a little more connected to my husband and kids as compared to when I was on Quetiapine."

• Gol...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 23, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "Started on Abilify in addition to Effexor and Lamictal. Immediately had tremors in hands, lips, and speech. Gained weight and was anxious. Stopped taking when I ran out; tremors stopped, lost weight, and no noticeable negative consequences. Don't know why it was prescribed, but it caused more problems than it helped. Side effects were terrible."

• Anonymous
• July 18, 2012

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I have been on Abilify for about 5 months now. It works wonders for my OCD, but it makes me restless and non-emotional. It might sound good to not be emotional, but when I say that, I mean happiness too. It numbs me. I have also gained 15 pounds, and so I am coming off the medicine slowly."

• Dav...
• August 14, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking Abilify for eight months now. Although it made me gain 15-20 kg (something like 33-40 lbs, I believe?), my experience is quite positive. The sadness from my major depressive episode, as well as my suicidal thoughts, have been almost annihilated. The reason why I rated it as a six is that it didn't help ease the great fatigue I have. But it helped a lot, that is for sure."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 3, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have major depression and was prescribed Abilify. The pros: It lifted me out of an incredibly deep depression and allowed me to feel better in a relatively quick amount of time. I was able to go back to work and started to socialize within a week of taking the medication after months of having difficulties getting out of bed. It stopped my compulsive thoughts and thinking patterns. The cons: Feeling of restlessness on the drug, unable to enjoy downtime and relax. I always felt like I had to be doing something constantly and keep busy. Weight gain: I was one of the 7% of people affected by this, where the drug slowed down my metabolism, and I gained 15 lbs in six months. Even with regular exercise (three times per week) and eating healthy, I still gained weight."

• kit...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 27, 2022

For Major Depressive Disorder "After the loss of my emotional support animal and 5 months of being completely shut off from the world and my husband. My psychiatrist started me on Abilify 5 mg at first (already on Paxil, Lamictal, Adderall, and clonazepam). The first 2 days were amazing, my head was quiet, but the headaches were horrible, along with increased anxiety and nausea that was decreased with constant eating. So I discontinued it. We tried again at 2 mg a month later since I started to self-harm and was overwhelmed with life altogether without the support of my best friend. 2 mg was great, I was even studying for 30 minutes every other day. But I was so jumpy. Startled easily and constantly, and uncontrollable movements at times. But no headaches, so I was all for it. Then after 2 weeks, BOOM, stopped cleaning and stopped walking. Complete apathy, loss of sex drive, and dry mouth, dry stools (never a problem, I actually love using the restroom minimum 2 times a day) went down to 1 time forcefully and quickly gained weight. Discontinued back to normal."

• IKa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 15, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "After trying a bunch of different avenues to help my depression, I was put on Abilify. I got up to an 8 mg dose before I couldn’t handle the weight gain anymore. I gained 8 lbs in over a month and a half. It really did improve my mood, but once the weight gain starts, it doesn’t stop. I’ve stopped taking it. If you’re okay with packing on the lbs, do try this medication. It is effective."

• 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!!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 23, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "I've never been diagnosed as schizophrenic, but this made me paranoid and delusional. Strong twitching and noticeable jerking movements, intense anger, frustration, anxiety, unwanted intrusive thoughts, weight gain, and various other symptoms. In response, my psychiatrist increased the dose of aripiprazole and added additional meds to combat the symptoms. I stopped seeing friends, stopped attending events I had been going to on a weekly basis for years. Eventually, I couldn't even go into a grocery store. Two days after discontinuing aripiprazole (with new doc's blessing), I landed in a psychiatric ward. It never occurred to me that it was the medication's side effects and not me, my mind, my inability to just put on my 'big girl pants' and deal with life. Approximately six years since then, and my mind is not the same, I'm not the same. The fallout is real. Then, I was working full-time, just promoted, and in school. Now, I'm on disability. It works for some, but please proceed with caution."

• mys...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 5, 2013

For Bipolar Disorder "I would hide at home for months, shaking when a telephone rang. I couldn't let people go and had obsessive thoughts. Abilify gave me calm, confidence, and hope. It made me less sensitive to light and time, I was no longer at the mercy of each passing moment. I woke up relaxed, went to bed without a noise in my head, inner voices stopped criticizing me, thoughts didn't race. I was creative but focused and began wonderful new projects. Had NO side effects-NO weight gain. 'Worked magic that first day. But after a month, it seemed to do nothing but make me sad. Evidently, that was a manic phase. It blocks my mania, but not my depressive switch. Feels like I've traded manic depression for unipolar depression. I am being switched to lithium."

• SCA...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 2, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "To anyone just starting Abilify, please reconsider. I started it as an add-on to Lexapro. Initially, it helped me feel like getting out of bed in the morning with slightly more energy or a better outlook, or I just wasn't as groggy when I woke up. Initially, that was helpful, and I got the Rx free or cheap, so I took it for over 2 years. When I finally realized all these new problems were connected to Abilify, it was too late... 50 lb weight gain, constant involuntary movements of fingers, toes, and tongue, mouth sores, wild, harmful actions with no conscience or regret, many more. Then the worst withdrawal symptoms... I wished for death for months, it was so awful. A year after stopping, I'm still not the same and probably never will be."