I was just diagnosed and put on Abilify. I love it! It makes me feel awesome, better than I've felt in years. The only problem? It makes me so super, super hungry!! I've lost so much weight so this hunger is really bothering me. I'm watching everything I eat and so far I'm doing fine but I'm scared I will start slipping and gain some of my weight back:(

Any tips on coping with this?

I take wellbutrin, it's one of the only that actually helps lose weight not gain it. I wouldn't take ability, my son does and it is a weight gaining drug and it increases blood sugar.

I am not, but my SO is. He was always really skinny when we were younger, but after diagnosis he was placed on lithium and invega. He had about 30lb weight gain and has slowly been losing. He is about 150 now, but does not have the physique he once did.

is what you're feeling head or real hunger? Unfortunately weight gain is a common problem with these types of meds.

This is true stomach growling, churning hunger.

I take Wellbutrin also but it's not enough to keep me stable.

I have Bipolar 11, and take Riperidone which when i first started made me gain 20 lbs in 3 weeks!!! I kid you not! I had had my gastric bypass July 2009 and had lost 60 lbs by Nobember then i had to be put on Risperidone and it basically reversed the whole surgery. So i go in for lapband surgery next Friday now that i am almost weened from it. Abilify is a weight gainer but not as bad a risperidone.

Here is a link to a study about Abilify and other of the same kind of bipolar meds.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/business/28psych.html?_r=1&