5 Reasons You May Struggle to Lose Weight After Stopping Psychiatric Medication
It’s a common and frustrating experience: you’ve stopped your psychiatric medication—often after battling side effects like weight gain—yet the extra kilograms refuse to budge. You expected the scale to start shifting in your favour, but it doesn’t. Why? Unfortunately, psychiatric medications can have long-term effects on the body, and weight regulation is far more complex than simply removing the drug. Here are five key reasons why weight loss might remain elusive even after discontinuing psychiatric medication.
1. Persistent Metabolic Changes
Many psychiatric medications—especially antipsychotics and some antidepressants—can cause long-lasting changes in how your body processes energy. They may lower your basal metabolic rate (BMR), increase insulin resistance, and promote fat storage. Even after stopping the drug, these metabolic adaptations can linger for months, or even years, making it harder to burn calories efficiently or regulate blood sugar. Your body may continue operating as if the medication is still present.
2. Altered Appetite Regulation
Psychiatric medications often affect appetite hormones like leptin and ghrelin, leading to increased hunger and reduced satiety. After stopping the drug, these hormonal imbalances may persist. This can result in ongoing cravings and a dysregulated relationship with food, even if you’re eating mindfully. Without restoring natural hunger signals, efforts to lose weight may feel like an uphill battle.
3. Chronic Inflammation and Hormonal Imbalances
Long-term mental illness—and the medications used to treat it—can contribute to chronic inflammation and disrupt hormones involved in weight management, such as cortisol (the stress hormone), thyroid hormones, and sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone. These imbalances can drive fat storage, particularly around the midsection, and make the body resistant to weight loss even in a calorie deficit.
4. Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Low Energy
Many psychiatric medications affect mitochondrial function, the energy-producing engines within our cells. When your mitochondria aren't working well, your body burns less fat and energy, and you may feel tired or sluggish. Low physical activity due to fatigue or mood symptoms compounds the problem, making it harder to create the energy deficit needed for weight loss.
5. Psychological and Emotional Factors
Even after discontinuing medication, the emotional and psychological patterns associated with depression, anxiety, or psychosis may linger. Comfort eating, low motivation, poor sleep, or lack of routine can all play a role in weight retention. Healing the mind and reestablishing healthy habits can take time—and these deeper layers of recovery often need to be addressed before meaningful weight loss occurs.
What Can Help?
Weight loss after psychiatric medication is possible—but it may require a deeper, more holistic approach. Supporting metabolic healing through strategies like a ketogenic or anti-inflammatory diet, improving sleep and stress resilience, regulating hormones, and working with a knowledgeable practitioner can make a significant difference.
Remember: your body is not broken—it may just need more time, care, and the right support to return to balance.
