I was diagnosed with ADHD back in November and today I received the official word that I have Bipolar II.

Current medications: Adderall XR 20mg BID
Abilify 5mg QD for 7 days, then 10mg QD (started today)

What I am worried about: Weight gain! With the Adderall alone, I have lost about 15lbs. I am not huge, but can stand to lose a few. I CANNOT gain anymore weight or I would be obese. I know that most meds used to treat bipolar can (but not always) cause weight gain.

Question: Is weight gain a concern with Abilify? Tried to research it but most of the information I come up with says "weight changes" but doesn't specify as to which ones. Psychiatrist said that there generally are two that are ok (Abilify and Geodon). I don't want to go the Geodon route because I work in Mental Health and know of A LOT of bad things due to Geodon.
A coworker has lost a huge amount of weight since she started taking Abilify and Lamictial and that is a good sign. What can I expect? I know that everyones reaction to medication is different, but what is the general outlook on Abilify and weight gain?

I dont' think Wight Gain is as problimatic as with other atypical antipsychotics. However there is some risk as with any medication. Just make sure to monitor and if there is some significant weight gain speak to the doctor. Best of luck.

Andy...