Aripiprazole and Weight Gain: What Users Say (Page 5)

• mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 27, 2017

Aripiprazole for Depression "I have been taking 450 mg of bupropion and 20 mg escitalopram for about 3 years, and the combination has been working pretty well to control my depression and anxiety. I had breakthrough depression a couple of times a week, when I would feel guilty about random things, worry about things I couldn't control, and get pretty 'weepy.' My doctor prescribed Abilify, starting at 2.5 mg and increased it to 5 mg. This helped a lot! However, I gained 25 pounds in 3 months. I am tapering off Abilify and will start 25 mg of Lamictal tomorrow."

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

Aripiprazole 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."

• Ran...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 16, 2020

Aripiprazole for Major Depressive Disorder "Abilify was great for depression, but the side effects were unreal. I was on Abilify for 2 months and had gained 30 pounds. That was about 3 months ago. I'm still trying to lose the weight and find a good med for my depression and anxiety. I wouldn't suggest Abilify, just because it makes you crave like crazy, and there are other meds out there that won't give you crazy cravings!"

• Lou...
• April 2, 2020

Aripiprazole for Schizophrenia "I'm on Abilify and no longer hearing voices, but I still see people who aren't there. Even while on the highest dose of this medication, 400 mg injection. I also feel like a zombie most of the time. I'm too tired even to go grocery shopping at times. I'm myself again, but I'm not quite the same. I've gained weight, 30 plus pounds, and I've been on the drug for 3 years. I tried going off of it to 300, and the side effects were my moodiness returned. Sometimes I question if my diagnosis was correct or if they are just pushing this drug out to anyone who claims they are depressed."

• Anonymous
• December 26, 2011

Aripiprazole for Depression "After a couple of days on 2 mg Abilify added to my Zoloft and Lamictal, the fog began to clear up a bit. (It reminds me of that Claritin commercial when everything all of a sudden on the TV screen becomes more clear and less fuzzy). That was a warm welcome after 25 years of, on and off 'anti-depressant poop-out'! However, I am most certain that it has caused weight gain! I do not EVER weigh myself (past eating disorder issue), but my clothes are tighter around the waist. BUT I AM NOT EATING ANY DIFFERENTLY! In fact, I have made a concerted effort to eat less but nothing seems to give! Is it fluid? I'm baffled! Yes, I'm 43 now, but my metabolism wouldn't come to a screeching halt so quickly, would it?"

• Aus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2021

Aripiprazole for Depression "Was on Abilify for 3 weeks, and I noticed almost right away I became very moody, impulsive, and angry. It did nothing to help the depression, the anhedonia is still there, which is what it was supposed to help with. I also gained 10 pounds in 3 weeks and felt a constant appetite, which is typical of antipsychotics. My advice to anyone with depression is to use medication only as a last resort. After diet, exercise, and therapy, and all other things you can try, and that's where I'm at now: what will I do to battle my anhedonia and feel normal again. Well, after years of trying med after med, I'm done with medicine."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 12, 2018

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I was put on aripiprazole after my impulsivity and mood swings got out of control. Been taking 2.5 mg for almost 2 years, and I feel much more in control of my emotions. As for the side effects, I had trouble sleeping the first week I took it, but that went away. I also rapidly gained weight, I'm about 40 lbs. heavier than when I started. Losing the weight is slow, but possible."

• Anonymous
• August 28, 2008

Aripiprazole for Bipolar Disorder "Abilify has been useful to me in terms of sleep and improving my insomnia, but I still have to be treated with a mood stabilizer, like Lithium, in order to keep my bipolar episodes under control. The good news is that it did not cause (I was at 10 mg daily) weight gain like Zyprexa. Good luck to all of you!"

• xfr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 18, 2022

Aripiprazole for Depression "I will not have enough space to share all of the horrifying side effects. My resting heart rate went from 64 to 100 on day one. Stomach pain was intolerable. Constipation. Agitation. Brain fog. Hallucinations, constantly seeing bugs that weren't there. Exhaustion. 20 lb weight gain in 3 weeks. Intense food and cigarette cravings. Terrifying and vivid nightmares. Wanting to attempt suicide after 3 weeks on a very low dose, and the doctor told me to stop the meds. The most horrifying side effects I've ever had on a pill. Coming off the med after 3 weeks was a nightmare too."

• NoA...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 10, 2016

Aripiprazole for Major Depressive Disorder "I have been taking Abilify for 10 years. I started when I was 16 years old after a mental breakdown and going to be 26 years old on October. I never went over 15 mg. I'm currently taking 2.5 mg, and I find it quite effective. I did gain some weight, 15 lb at the beginning, but your mental health is very important. If you want to keep healthy and not gain weight while taking Abilify, just eat healthy and hit the gym. I'm 5'6, have a curvy/slim toned body, and I take Abilify, and I feel great with my body. I'm 145 lbs with muscle weight, and I'm quite happy, I'm planning on some abs, thus Abilify hasn't stopped me. It's all in your head. Honestly, this medication works well for me, and I don't think it's the major reason for weight gain. Always consult with your psychiatrist."

• Liz...
• April 30, 2021

Aripiprazole for Schizophrenia "I was coerced into taking an injection of Aristada at a psych ward. They don't tend to tell you it takes around nine months to get this drug out of your system after one single injection. The half-life (the amount of time it takes for half of the original dose of the drug to decrease by half) is around 57 days for Aristada. For Abilify Maintena, which is a different injectable of aripiprazole, the half-lives for the 300 mg and 400 mg dosages are about 30 and 46 days, respectively. So, if you happen to experience terrible side effects on the injection, such as extreme akathisia, muscle damage indicators on a blood test, extreme hunger 24/7, rapid weight gain, and depression, don't expect the effects of this injection to just magically disappear after a no-show to a scheduled injection. They will continue to drag out and be overwhelming, only decreasing in intensity slowly, slowly. Nightmare."

• Anonymous
• January 20, 2012

Aripiprazole for Depression "Both my daughter and I gained an excessive amount of weight on Abilify. At 16 years of age, she went from 100 lbs to 140 lbs. I went from 120 to 175 lbs. After discontinuing Abilify, it took a year to finally lose the weight."

• Ama...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 11, 2022

Aripiprazole for Autism "My 12-year-old daughter has severe ADHD, PTSD, and we are still looking into Autism. She started taking Abilify when she was 5 years old due to massive tantrums. It was a miracle when she started taking it. When she was 8 years old, I asked the doctor to change her medication because she seemed to have developed a tolerance and it no longer was working as well. At first, I didn’t see how downhill it sent her. She wasn’t throwing the tantrums anymore. But for the first time, she started having major problems at school. Not with her behavior so much as her lack of self-control. She was singing or humming and completely unable to focus. It took going to a new doctor to get her back on after 4 years off of it. The difference is again life-changing. She has not had any weight gain or side effects."

• Abi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 17, 2019

Aripiprazole for Major Depressive Disorder "I had severe PTSD due to childhood abuse and sexual assault, had resulting severe depression/severe anxiety/severe suicidality because of the PTSD. Never been medically psychotic in my life, however. Anyways, I went from a 5'4" woman at 100 lbs to 170 lbs in a year thanks to Abilify. The weight gain was absolutely crushing and completely demoralizing. Abilify did very little to improve or stabilize my mood. When I went on it, I was suicidal. When I finally went off of it, I was obese and more suicidal, and to this day deal with disordered eating because of how horrific such rapid weight gain was. One year off of it, I'm back down to 128 lbs, but holy moly did Abilify ruin my life for a good period of time. My body is still recovering. As for the PTSD? I had to deal with the root grief about the untold pain I lived through. An intense medication meant for psychotic patients didn't help me mourn in the slightest."

• Noc...
• November 12, 2014

Aripiprazole for Bipolar Disorder "I'm a 21-year-old female and just diagnosed with Bipolar I. It's been a roller coaster ride, especially after gaining 10 pounds in the hospital while taking risperidone and Depakote. I'm still on the Depakote, though I hope to discontinue it as soon as my psychiatrist allows, but I just switched to Abilify. I've got to say, so far I have no complaints. With risperidone, I had no 'lid' to my hunger. It was endless, and that was quite disappointing. There were many other side effects, but the weight gain has added to my self-loathing. Though the painful heart dysrhythmias are a close second. I'm hoping that Abilify makes it possible for me to curb my appetite back to what it used to be as I exercise the 30 pounds I don't need away."

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 18, 2015

Aripiprazole for Major Depressive Disorder "I am on 5 mg of Abilify and 100 mg of Pristiq. I have been on this combination for about a year. As a result, I've been the happiest I have been in many years of struggling with severe depression. HOWEVER, I'm torn. I recently recovered from a very severe eating disorder after 30 years! My weight in a lifetime has been as low as 70 lbs and as high as 120 lbs. I am 5' 3'. NOW, after a year of recovery from the eating disorder AND taking the Abilify and Pristiq, I have gained over 50 lbs!!!! As you can imagine, I am totally freaked out. I suffer from arthritis, and it is very difficult to exercise, although I try. At any rate, I don't know what to do. I feel great, but the weight gain is overwhelming, and I'm still gaining! HELP!!!"

• abc...
• July 4, 2012

Aripiprazole for Schizophrenia "My treatment for first episode psychosis started with olanzapine (Zyprexa). It was working really well but was leading to side effects, amongst which weight gain was the most significant. So, eventually, aripiprazole was started, and I am on it for a while. It seems to be a good medicine with very few side effects, and it has worked really well."

• ndr...
• November 3, 2020

For Borderline Personality Disorder "Aripiprazole dosage: 10 mg for 9 months, 15 mg since August. Pro: I have to say it works very well on anger outbursts and irritability (better than quetiapine XR 300 mg). I don't have had more self-harm and pseudo-epileptic episodes. I can better manage frustrations and dissatisfactions, without more explosions of hopelessness and despair. Overall, my mood is stable and my social functioning has had a drastic improvement. Cons: I'm a bit restless, but it's manageable. In my case, the side effects are primarily aesthetic. I gained 7 kg from January, and I have lost a good part of my dense crown. No EPS. Conclusion: Overall, I stay better than before. I shaved myself, and I'm starting to do some physical activities to balance out the weight gain side effects. I continue to have social anxiety disorder (I feel a prey of others' eyes) that doesn't respond to SSRI. So my quality of life is still low. But I advise Abilify for BPD: if you don't have my comorbidities, it could work for you."

• Mad...
• October 3, 2015

Aripiprazole for Major Depressive Disorder "So this was honestly the best medicine I ever went on for my depression, BUT it made me gain 60 lbs in a matter of 2 or 3 months. And I have always been small my entire life. Didn't change any habits either when I was on this. I've been off this medication for about a year now and haven't lost a pound of the weight I gained because of it, despite working extremely hard. It really sucks because this medicine made me feel great, until I became really overweight. Now I'm too self-conscious and depressed about myself that I don't even go in public unless I absolutely have to."

• que...
• October 24, 2013

Aripiprazole for Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed as bipolar type II, and my nurse practitioner in WA prescribed me Abilify, and I gained 30 lbs within a month of taking it. I blew up like a balloon, and he said he doesn't have that side effect. I looked online, and it says that it clearly does. He said to take it a few more weeks and see how I did. I gained ten more pounds, and my mother insisted I stop taking it. I went from 148 to 188 lbs. It may have started helping with my symptoms, but I was too concerned about my weight gain, so he finally put me on Topamax."

• Anonymous
• January 18, 2012

Aripiprazole for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "My daughter was taking 10 mg for OCD hair pulling. While it did help with the pulling, she gained 20 kg and could not stay awake, which is not a good thing in school. She had no motivation for anything but to eat and sleep. I have taken her off the medication."

• Kel...
• August 24, 2011

Aripiprazole for Depression "I was put on Abilify 4 years ago for depression along with Prozac. At first, it really helped my mood. That only lasted several months, so the doctor raised my dose to 10 mg a day. I gained 30 lbs in 6 months. I am still on the medicine but decided last night to take it down to 5 mg a day and eventually to discontinue it altogether. No matter what I do, eat healthy, exercise, etc., I cannot lose weight. It has to be the Abilify, I can't think of any other reason. I probably only put 1200 calories a day into my body, if that. I should be losing."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 28, 2018

Aripiprazole for Autism "This was for my son. The side effects are worse than the original problems: extreme weight gain, immediate food cravings, excessive thirst, high triglycerides made worse, vision changes immediately. Trying to get my son off the medication is making the symptoms worse with behavior and insomnia. He is no longer needing to eat non-stop, and he doesn’t use his glasses all day anymore, if at all, which is how it was before. He has had many almost psychotic episodes, screaming that he doesn’t know what he wants to do and completely unable to go to sleep. He has separation anxiety, cannot be alone, increased aggression, and work refusal at school. It’s been a month of trying to wean him off. Gradually, every step down causes more problems like this. I highly recommend not trying this drug. I was pressured into it by the hospital and my ex-husband against my wishes."

• Vir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2018

Aripiprazole for Depression "Was good for like a month. I had energy and was waking up early. After that, I started gaining weight (25 lbs) and got so depressed that I didn't want to go out and was even suicidal. I'm off now, and in less than a month, lost 15 lbs. I'm starting to feel better and back to taking only Celexa 20 mg since six years ago."

• Mom...
• July 17, 2011

Aripiprazole for Agitated State "I take this for borderline personality disorder. This medication helped a lot with my mood swings, anger, purging (but not binging), as well as keeping my somewhat delusional 'thoughts' in check (such as thinking that I am morbidly obese, an evil person, that people are following me, etc.). It did make me very tired at first (and still does a little). It is somewhat related to weight gain as well, though less than most other antipsychotics, and I have gained 10-15 lbs so far (in 2 months). Overall, I think this medication is pretty good, despite the weight gain and fatigue."