lysergia Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 if my WB doesn't start doing a better job than it is right now, my pdoc wants me to start abilify next week. i've gained thirty pounds this year from seroquel. i have ED issues and can barely sustain behaving myself at this weight. i am really, really apprehensive about adding another gainer drug on top of the quel. like, maybe irrationally afraid enough to say no i won't take it. i really, really need the stability. but i'm really, really scared i'm trading in one problem for another. i wish it were the case that if abilify made me feel great mentally, i wouldn't be eating disordered. it doesn't happen that way. so please, i need some truth here. if anybody wants to share, can you tell me if you gained or lost weight on abilify? did your appetite change? i know it's different for everyone. all i can picture in my head is me plus another thirty pounds - i can't figure in the possibility that something different might happen. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duelist Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 It's been weight neutral for me lysergia, I don't know if that's typical or not, but I haven't gained on abilify and I've been on it for years. My son took it for about a year and a half and he didn't gain on it either. I am weaning down on it though, I used to take 30 mgs, but because I got a little paranoid over a higher blood sugar result and diabetes runs so heavily on my mother's side of the family I dropped my dose down with pdoc's approval to 10 mgs over the past year. It's still helping my BP II symptoms and I feel good, so I am keeping it in my cocktail. I really hope it helps you too. Wellbutrin was a little activating for me and triggered mania for me so we got me off that. Now we've done some dietary changes since June and I've managed to lose 25 pounds, I haven't been trying as hard as I could have though, since I do snack a bit more then I probably should, but it's on things like brocolli or cheese or almonds. Anyway, it is possible to lose weight on abilify as I have done so. Hope things get better for you soon lysergia! Keep us posted on how it works out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Hi Lysergia, I was put on Abilify after I refused to take Zyprexa any longer after gaining a lot of weight on it. As soon as I started the Abilify I started to lose the weight I had gained on Zyprexa. So it is possible to lose weight on Abilify I gained weight on Risperdal, Zyprexa and Seroquel but NOT on Abilify!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 thanks BD and sylvan. i'm going to ask about metformin before i agree to take it, maybe. like a caveat that if i do gain weight, pdoc will let me have it. or something. it just occurred to me, why seroquel AND abilify? is that normal, to take two AAPs and lamotrigine and benzos? it's ok, i'll find out tomorrow what that means when i see her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix_Rising Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I started abilify over the summer and it really helped me mentally. My appetite increased big time and so did my weight. However, my pdoc says weight gain can be dose dependent and isn't as much of a problem at lower doses. Its a balancing act (no pun intended). I really enjoy the feeling of stability I get from it and wouldn't trade that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 hi rowentree, we posted at the same time! thanks for letting me know you lost weight on abilify even though you gained on all three of those other drugs, just like i did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 omg i did it again... i posted while you were posting, PR thanks for letting me know how it was for you. i'm really glad you feel stable on it. you're right that it's so much more important to be stable. i just know i'm going to come up against a huge wall of issues very quickly if i gain again (haven't gained since the last seroquel increase, it's like 5 pounds for every 25mg argh). i have no idea what kind of dose i'd need either, so thanks for reminding me that's a consideration too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Emperor Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I started gaining weight relatively slowly on Abilify when I was first put on 5mg. I gained about 5lbs in a few months. Now I'm on 15mg and have gained almost twenty pounds in the past year. So I don't know, it could be my eating habits, it could be the Abilify. I have been able to lose ten pounds on Abilify, but I gained it back Haven't been able to lose since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inmyhead Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 gained 12 lbs in what seemed like one day. i was eating healthy but no exercise. i tried everything (not rx) but nothing helped. i started to freak and my pdoc picked up on that fast. he switched me to a weight neutral AAP, latuda. pdoc,"Latuda is weight neutral..........for the weight you are at now." me, "Will i lose the weight from Abilify?" pdoc,"Not nearly as fast as you put it on." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveyoursanity Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 I never gained weight from abilify, as far as I could tell. It seemed to make it harder to lose weight, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 thank you everyone for your honest replies. unfortunately it will be another two weeks before trying it out. some stupid pharm tech lost my lamotrigine rx, and since i was off the drug more than 48 hours, i have to restart and titrate again grrrrrr. so pdoc wisely isn't going to throw a new med in during a lamotrigine titration. in about ten days i'll be in the clear to start messing around with new meds again. i would so soooo like to strangle said pharm tech, as i now have to spend another few weeks sitting in depressed/dysphoric-land. and another few weeks to scare myself about taking another AAP. (okay i can and should turn that around, it's another few weeks to teach myself to be reasonable in my expectations) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crab76 Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 I've gained weight on Abilify. 10lbs in 3 months. It makes it really hard to diet because it makes me super hungry and crave carbs & sweets really bad. BUT if I can find the strength to do a no carb diet then I have lost weight. Definitely harder than it is for me to lose weight without the abilify. It's impossible to stay on a diet though. I normally only last a week if that. I recently started taking less (1.5mg) to see if this will help. but it's only been a few days doing that. I notice no change. Still super hungry. I love abilify because it quiets my mind and terrible thoughts. I don't want to go back to that terrible place so I guess I'm sticking it out for that. But I also have a ED and major self image issues so 10 lbs is TERRIBLE to me. the abilify doesn't take my body issues away. This is my thrid time on abilify this year. The other two times I stopped due to weight gain. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 I gained 30# in the past year, mostly it fluctuates up and down in a 25# range. I've been on Abilify for seven years and last year, I was losing weight fairly rapidly. But still, I've put on 90# in the past three years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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