Low dose abilify weight gain

Common Questions and Answers about Low dose abilify weight gain

abilify

Weight gain on Abilify is weird - it normally supresses appetite, Ive lost weight with Abilify as an adjunct but i guess it might work differently for other people. I like it, im only taking a smallish dose but it has smoothed out the depression and I feel more capable now.

It doesn't cause as much weight loss as Geodon... it is pretty close to weight neutral... although some people tend to gain weight on it slowly (say 2 to 5 pounds a year), but this is very different from Zyprexa or Seroquel that can cause dramatic increases in weight...Generally this can be managed with small changes in exercise and diet.

5mg, tapered it to 2mg, the withdrawel is horrible, i feel like i have the flu, my head hurts, im shaky, anxious, it is horrible..after this should i just tsop the abilify or continue to tper till i get low, i am very sensitive to meds , but dont want to feel like this all the time...im too exhausted to do anything....or if anybody has some solutions for the withdrawel symptoms that would be great..

i understand you have two problems, one is weight gain and the other is to get out of bed. i take seroquel too 50mg small dose compared to others, still i have a little of weight gain but mainly from my 1mg risperisone. now for the 1st, Alex described a super regime to follow. as for anxiety and getting out of bed i.e.

He said that it does not lead to weight gain, but when I checked online, some sites say it leads to weight gain and others to weight loss. Could you tell me what it is actually? Is it weight loss or weight gain?

My dr is talking about trying Abilify as an adjunct to the low dose Wellbutrin I'm currently taking. I am not bi-polar. I've suffered from recurring major(?) depression off and on for a few years. And seemingly a low grade depression for much longer. I'm not that keen on taking a medicine which is primarly an anti--psychotic. Not sure how this drug found its way to treating depression. The possible side effects are a concern. Anyone prescribed Abilify for depression?

I did not gain weight on lithium but I sure have on Mirtazapine (Remeron). Weight gain is not a certainty on lithium nor on any drug but the majority of AD, AP, MS and a pile of other drugs used in mental illness treatment have Weight Gain as a possible side effect.

loss of sleep and I certainly don't feel as well as I did on Lexapro, but just like you, I was on Lexapro for eight months and I gained over 25 lbs, if it wasn't for the weight gain itself...I would go back on Lexapro. I go back to the doctor next month (October), I'll see what she suggests. I haven't had any seizures but I do experience headaches every day and this stupid "blushing" that comes with the headaches.

I am on 5 mgs now, so a pretty low dose. I am on Lithium as well, but have previously tried Risperidone and Seroquel. Abilify was thought to be a better option, as I passed out after one dose of Seroquel and on 1/2 mg a day of Resperidone I had severe side effects. I will call my specialist on Monday and see what he has to say, but I think this is not the medication for me.

My grandson takes 1/2 abilify,plus lexapro,he has gained weight,but he was doing that before his meds.(he is 18).His depression is better!! I have been on almost all the meds used for bi-polar....I cannot take any anti-depressant,I dont do well on them..I hardly get depressed anymore,and it is fleeting..It is a Hell that you walk,but can overcome.With the right doctor,that is the key.

People who get anxiety from it are often on lower doses. I was on a low dose. It made me shake and my eye twitch, so I dropped it and went back to the Wellbutrin/Prozac combo. Eventually that combination caused anxiety, so now I'm down to just the Wellbutrin.

Lithium is rather unique, and other antiepileptic mood stabilizers (same class as divalproex) don't cause weight gain. A larger dose of an atypical antipsychotic might work for you, although most of them have a weight gain risk. CrazyMeds has extensive information on most drugs used in bipolar disorder, including the full prescribing information for doctors.

I've taken Abilify for yrs. with no weight gain. I've taken Lamital for the last 2 yrs. with no weight gain for the 1st yrs & a 1/2. BUT, have had significant weight gain for the last 6 mths. I've had water weight for the last 6 mth's, but NO one holds that much water *L*. I am seriously in weight/water/gain for the last yr. I'd previously stayed at thhe same weight for 8 yrs with no problem. When I took Zyprexa I had gained 80 lbs though. But once off it I lost it with work...

Seroquel can cause weight gain. It's one of the potential side effects. I would ask your psychiatrist about it. The question is: is your Seroquel helping balance your moods? It doesn't sound like it with how you describe your attitude toward life and even your own children. I would suggest telling your psychiatrist all this and, "It's not working and it's causing weight gain. Could we please switch to one that might help me and has less likelihood of causing weight gain?

I am taking Webutrin XL and noticed a gain weight. I am not eating much and wonder why !!! I thought i was suppose to loss weight ??? I feel bloated and have stomach pain?

Geodon I gained no weight from but Abilify I did but I think it's because it made me start eating more.

I posted last week about diuretics and i took the advise, but when i went to the doctor on thursday, i had gained the weight. I am still full of fluid and the darn stuff wont go away. I have to see the cardiologist on this thursday regarding CHF, low potassium and when I can go back on the diuretics. I don't want to have to deal with another diagnosis.

All antipsychotics can cause weight gain. Abilify is the least likely. You could ask your psychiatrist to change you to another anti-anxiety medication if they believe you don't need an antipsychotic. Wellbutrin is a well tolerated anti-depressent. For more information on anti-depressents google "Depression Central".

I also have gained weight since I starting taking Effexor about 1 year ago. I would say about 20 pounds. I asked my pharmacist if Effexor would cause weight gain and he said no, so I was not attributing it to the drug, but I have read postings from a number of people claiming to have gained weight on it, so now I'm wondering..... Since you are coming off the drug, can you tell me how you're doing it, and what kind of side effects you have experienced?

5 mg it has a pretty strong effect on me. Because of the weight gain I want to know if anyone has found an alternative that works as well as zyprexa?

It's a juggling act though - it doesn't work well on low doses, but higher doses make me sleepy! It will all work out in the end, I'm sure :) Hope this helps.

I had some problem with weight gain from Seroquel and especially Risperdal. Abilify is less likely to do that but from what you say the Seroquel is tolerable except for the weight gain. Complex. It is important to keep the weight gain in check so I'd suggest having your psychiatrist refer you to a nutrionist and definitely get a test (at least once a year) for blood sugar levels and the like (on any antipsychotic).

also on klonopin.................went off abilify due toproblems after 3 months low dose of 2 mg,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,pshy dr also added seroquel as needed for sleep i dont like it makes me to drugged.....so looking for others with imput on lamictal..........im so scared been on about 4 days ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,if i was gonna be allergic would i know already.......does it cause lots of side effects or weight gain...........

i hate to go on meds because they seem to always make me manic and gain weight. but i'm at end of rope. I believe JimGreg here suggested lamictal to me. i'll raise it with my doctor. i won't say suicidal thoughts to my doc because i have a disabled daughter and if something was to happen to me i'm so afraid my insurance might be denied. so that's what i live for - to stay alive to pay bills so my daughter won't be out on the street.

I was on Risperdal for 3 months and the only reason that I went off of it was becuase of massive and very quick weight gain. If it was not for the weight gain, I would still be on it. I loved the way it made me feel. So calm and confident (once again, minus the weight).

Every currently available atypical antipsychotic has the potential to cause weight gain. Abilify has the least of that potential. Zyprexa the most. The future generation of antipsychotics, the glutamate antagonists one of which I am in official study for (read my journal entries) will not do this (or google "Dr. Javitt, glycine" for the official Phase II FDA controlled study).

Of course prozac at high doses (60-80mg) has proven to be effective for bulimia and binge eating. However, in 1/3 of the cases it causes weight gain. Using a low dose of abilify (2-5mg) to augment your antidepressant could support decreasing obsessive thoughts and suicidal ideation. You could consider this first before changing your anti-depressant. You also might want to research topomax as a medication to help curb the desire to binge. I hope your find this input helpful.

Yes and it worked well as a mood stabilizer/anti-psychotic but I had a severe problem with weight gain as did other people I know who have taken it and that's relatively common. However, it is an effective mood stabilizer though I know the most likely out of the anti-psychotics to cause this problem. It is definitely worth going back on medication though I might ask about something else.

Lamictal has less of a chance of weight gain and sedation than Depakoate. Abilify is less likely to cause weight gain and sedation than Zyprexa. Speak to your psychiatrist about this. And there are some good websites listed on the links page with info. such as "Depression Central". Its generally not a good to try to stop weight gain and sedation from medication with a diet pill long term.

I was diagnosed at 17, I tried seroquel (NOT good) i would sleep for days and feel drowsy, i could not function. Then I tried Abilify, low doses were ok, but once I got to 150mg I was tired all the time. My sister took Depakote, which worked for her, but it requires blood testing, and she was on Welbutrin, but it made her tired all the time and she gained a decent amount of weight.

Recommended

MedHelp Health Answers

Submit