Frankly speaking, let’s be honest here, all medications have side effects and no exceptions to Abilify either, although I hate to say that.
There are several side effects that might come while on Abilify, and weight gain seems to be one of them, unfortunately. According to empirical studies, up to 6.8 percent of people on abilify may experience some sort of weight gain.
A little weight gain is normal and may not be a big deal or concern at the first thought during treatment when taking Abilify. However, if you are gaining too much weight after using of Abilify, you may increase your risk of developing diabetes, among other health problems that comes with obesity. If you are taking Abilify and weight gain occurs pretty quickly or suddenly, let your doctor know immediately. He or she may adjust your dosage or recommend another medication if this is really a concern. Anyways, you need to weigh on the side effects like weight loss and the effectiveness of the medications like Abilify to justify if you choose to change Abilify to something else.
So the cheapest way is to talk to your doctor and discuss the issue as soon as possible before you are gainning too much weight. You’ll stop this weight gain from the very beginning instead of dealing with this later, which could be too costly to lose weight when you are too far into this problem.
Appendix: Some background information about Abilify:
Abilify and weight gain
Abilify® (aripiprazole) is a prescription medication to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It is also approved to be used along with antidepressants for the treatment of major depression (“augmentation”) with psychotic features.
Abilify is manufactured by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
Abilify belongs to a group of medications called atypical (i.e. second-generation) antipsychotic medications. It is not completely clear how this medication exactly works for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. However, it is found that Abilify can block or lessen the effects of several chemicals in the brain. These chemicals like dopamine and serotonin may be elevated in people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (a. k. a. manic depression).
Keep in mind that this medication is not a cure for these conditions — it only helps to control symptoms (see an introduction of DSM IV Depression for Symptoms of Depression, Symptoms of Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder Symptoms).