Abilify

I've been on Abilify since it first came on the market for my MDD it has really helped but I packed on 40 pounds! I quit it May 1st cold turkey, the withdrawal was horrible......migranes, agitation, dizziness, nausea.....I'm off it now for 11 days, I hope to loose those forty pounds. I already am not eating as much. Has anyone else gain lots of weight on Abilify(my doc said I wouldn't gain weight on it!) Other question...has anyone had a severe withdrawal from it?

I took it for a short stint but it made me seriously shakey so I stopped it. I really was not on it long enough to notice anything else other then the shakes.
Welcome too PC BTW!!!!
Cher

I gained 15 pounds within 3 weeks on abilify. i wasnt on enough to cause withdrawls

I put on 50 lbs. with Abilify. It is the only med that works for me (in combination with several others) so I don't want to go off it. I don't ever want to go back to those depressions (miss the mania a bit--felt really good!). I just started on a commercial diet program & hope to lose the weight.

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sunnyday said:
I've been on Abilify since it first came on the market for my MDD it has really helped but I packed on 40 pounds! I quit it May 1st cold turkey, the withdrawal was horrible......migranes, agitation, dizziness, nausea.....I'm off it now for 11 days, I hope to loose those forty pounds. I already am not eating as much. Has anyone else gain lots of weight on Abilify(my doc said I wouldn't gain weight on it!) Other question...has anyone had a severe withdrawal from it?

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Hello Sunny!

Abilify and other anti-psychotic meds like Seroquel and Zyprexa are infamous for causing weight gain. I believe they've determined that the weight gain is caused by changes to your metabolism - or "metabolic syndrome" as it's now called. Some people will gain weight - reach a plateau and stay there, some will gain then lose and some don't gain at all. But the weight gain is reversible by stopping the medication. However, it's not the best to stop a med "cold turkey" - you'll end up with a lot of withdrawal symptoms (which you've already had). It's best to taper off the med slowly - after discussing it with your doctor first.

Interesting that you gained so much weight - because I'd read that Abilify is one of the more stimulating anti-psychotics along with Geodon. However, we all react differently to these meds.

I was on Seroquel for sleep for about 3 years and gained about 100lbs. I've since tapered off of it and am beginning to lose the weight.

Hope this helps!

Jerry

Tough one. Many people struggle with this, but is is important to do so because weight gain is associated with all kinds of unpleasant things, like diabetes, heart disease, certain kinds of cancer.

I gained 70 lb on risperidol in about 7 months, and came down some when I came off it (gradually).

After a year away from atypical antipsychotics (tried Zyprexa very briefly, bad experience there) I recently started Seroquel and have noticed enhanced appetite and craving for sweets and cold stuff.

I drink a lot of water, stay away from the cookie aisle, ice cream section and snacks aisle. I try to eat low calorie, low fat food with a low glycemic index. If you google "glycemic index" you will find scads of info. Eating fiber also helps to keep the appetite under control. Google "high fiber foods" and you will come up with a list of those.

Above all, try to exercise daily. 30 minutes of some kind of aerobic thing, even brisk walking, will enhance your basal metabolism so that you burn more calories and turn fewer into fat. This can be hard to do when you are depressed, unfortunately