Abilify is a prescription drug for treatment of several mental health disorders in adults, adolescents and children. Taking the medication can cause changes in your weight and other more severe adverse reactions. Consult your doctor about your mental and physical health conditions, your diet and the benefits and risks from taking the medication.
Indication
The FDA approved Abilify in tablets in multiple dosages in 2002, the oral solution in 2004, disintegrating tablets in multiple strengths in 2006 and injection in multiple dosages in 2006. Aripiprazole is the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Abilify. According to the product label, Abilify is an atypical antipsychotic drug indicated for treatment of schizophrenia in adults and adolescents, acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes of bipolar disorder as monotherapy or as an adjunct with lithium or valproate in adults and pediatric patients, adjunctive therapy for major depressive disorder, treatment of irritability associated with autism in pediatric patients and acute treatment of agitation associated with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Weight Changes
Increased weight occurs in more than 10 percent of pediatric patients and 2 percent of adult patients who take Abilify. Abilify also causes weight loss in more than 1 percent of patients who use the drug. Abilify may also reduce the weight of fetuses based on studies in rats. Weight gain is a major drawback associated with treating schizophrenia with most types of medication, but less so with Abilify. Schizophrenic patients who take Abilify lose an average of 1.7 percent of weight compared to patients who gain an average of 2.1 percent weight on standard-of-care antipsychotic medication, according to research by scientists at Duke University Medical Center and published in "European Psychiatry" in 2008. Research by scientists at the Abarbanel Mental Health Center and Geha Mental Health Center Affiliated with the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University in Israel and published in the "Journal of Obesity" in 2001 evaluated nine clinical studies on the effects of weight when switching drugs used to treat schizophrenia and discovered that switching to aripiprazole has an average weight loss of 2.55 kg. The research found that aripiprazole has a lower propensity to induce weight gain than other antipsychotic medications.
Warning
The product label of Abilify has several warnings for patients. Abilify may cause stroke and fatalities in elderly patients, increased risk of suicide in children, adolescents and young adults being treated for depression and schizophrenia and tardive dyskinesia, an involuntary movement disorder. Consult your doctor and pharmacist about the health risks from taking Abilify.
Considerations
Understand the potential to gain or lose weight when you take Abilify for schizophrenia, bipolar or depressive disorders. Abilify can also cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and increased or decreased appetite, side effects that can induce weight loss. Antipsychotics can cause unpleasant or dangerous side effects when taken with alcohol or other medications. Consult your doctor or pharmacist about the potential for side effects, including weight changes, when taking Abilify.
References
- Bristol-Myers Squibb: Abilify Prescribing Information
- FDA: FDA-Approved Drug Products
- PubMed.gov: Changes in Weight and Weight-Related Quality of Life in a Multicentre, Randomized Trial of Aripiprazole Versus Standard of Care
- PubMed.gov: Switching to Aripiprazole as a Strategy for Weight Reduction: A Meta-Analysis in Patients Suffering from Schizophrenia
- National Institute of Mental Health: How Is Schizophrenia Treated?
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