How to Manage Weight on Antipsychotic Medication

Antipsychotic medications have helped many people live happy and well-functioning lives. The drawback to this treatment, however, is that a majority of the medication causes weight gain. Not only does gaining weight negatively affect a person’s feelings of self-worth, but can also cause severe health issues. You can manage your weight when you talk to your doctor about the risks for obesity, develop a weight-loss plan with your doctor, and ask for support from your friends and family.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Talking to Your Doctor About the Risks of Obesity

Antipsychotic medications can cause a significant amount of weight gain. Researchers believe this is due to the medications triggering natural brain chemicals that stimulate the appetite. As a result, the patient is prone to eating more, and experiencing dangerous weight gain. ^{[1]XResearch source}
Gaining weight not only can affect a person’s self-esteem, but can put them at risk for experiencing serious health effects. Among these dangers include diabetes and heart disease. Be sure to discuss your risk factors with your doctor and find out how you can improve your health.
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Watch for unhealthy lifestyle choices with schizophrenia. Research has shown that people with schizophrenia are more prone to making unhealthy lifestyle choices that can lead to additional health problems, such as high cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart disease. This is in part due to behavioral and genetic factors. These health issues can lead to increased mortality.^{[2]XResearch source}
- If you have schizophrenia, talk to your doctor about what you can do to improve your lifestyle and your health.
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Ask your doctor about the link between schizophrenia and diabetes. Almost anyone who is overweight is at risk for developing diabetes. However, people with schizophrenia are even more so. Becoming overweight while having schizophrenia significantly increases that risk.
- People with schizophrenia experience slower increases and declines in serum glucose levels, and usually have higher-than-normal reference values, which makes them more prone to having diabetes. Add the increased risk of gaining weight because of their medication, and their potential to experience health problems is significant.^{[3]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source}
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Developing a Weight-Loss Plan With Your Doctor

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Create a workout program. Talk to your doctor about exercises that are safe for you to engage in. Selecting the appropriate exercises is particularly important if you have diabetes, heart conditions, or high blood pressure. Not all are safe for people with these conditions and consulting with your doctor before attempting any exercise is extremely important.
- In addition to making your body physically healthy, exercise can also help your mind. People who experience psychiatric episodes may experience a better quality of life from getting regular exercise because staying active may help to improve brain function.^{[4]XResearch source}
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Change your diet. If you are taking antipsychotic medications and struggling to manage your weight, changing your diet may help. You will likely find that you can start to maintain your weight or that you’ll drop the extra pounds.
- Research also shows that lifestyle changes such as keeping a food diary can have a positive impact on weight, too. Writing down everything you eat everyday can prompt you to start making healthier decisions.
- Following a specific diet, such as the Atkins, Ketogenic, or Mediterranean diet may be an effective way to control your weight.^{[5]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source} Try out different options to see what works best for you.
3
Stop bad habits like smoking, using drugs, and drinking. There’s more to losing and maintaining weight than just diet and exercise. To become healthy, you’ll need to alter your lifestyle. Stopping bad habits and creating healthy new ones is key to feeling and looking good.
- Alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes can all affect the way that antipsychotic medications work. Alcohol may also intensify the effects of antipsychotic medication.^{[6]XResearch source} Therefore, it is best to abstain from these substances to ensure that your medication is working properly and to keep yourself healthy.
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Get plenty of rest and relaxation. Getting enough sleep can help to promote good mental health.^{[7]XTrustworthy SourceHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School's Educational Site for the PublicGo to source} Therefore, you should try your best to meet your sleep requirements every night. Aim for between 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.
- Stress can interfere with sleep and lead to weight gain by increasing the hormone cortisol in your system. Therefore, it is important to manage your stress. Make sure to include some relaxation techniques in your daily routine to help you sleep and relax. You can try things like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation.
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Speak with your doctor about switching medications. Some medications make patients more prone to gaining weight than others. Your doctor may be able to place you on a different treatment that either doesn’t cause weight gain, or doesn’t cause you to gain as much.
- However, you’ll need to weigh the risks and benefits of changing before you do. For example, switching medications may cause you to lose weight, but may not manage your symptoms as well.
- Antipsychotic medications that will likely cause weight gain include Seroquel, Clozaril, and Zyprexa. Additionally, drugs like Depakote, Paxil, Pamelor, Sinequan, and Tofranil also tend to make patients pack on the pounds.^{[8]XResearch source}
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Seeking Help and Support

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Enlist a workout buddy. Research has shown that having social support for healthy eating while taking antipsychotic medication, such as from family or friends, can help to promote weight loss. People are more likely to exercise when they have a friend to do it with. Enlisting a workout buddy will help you to stay on track and keep your commitment to exercising. They can also offer encouragement when you don’t feel like exercising or aren’t satisfied with your progress.
- Ask your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family to walk, run, or go to the gym with you. If you aren’t able to find anyone to help, go online and look for a virtual friend you can check in with to help you stay accountable.
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Ask your loved ones to eat healthy in front of you. Having your family join in on your weight loss efforts when you are trying to lose weight on an antipsychotic medication can be very helpful.^{[9]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source} Talk to your friends and family about your healthy lifestyle goals. Ask them if they’d be willing to put away the junk food when they are around you and eat healthier foods, instead.
- One of the best ways to eat healthy in your home is to only buy healthy food for both you and your family. Avoid eating sweets and snacks like chips and candy.
- When you are in control of the grocery shopping, you can choose not to pick up the unhealthy go-tos and only keep healthy choices in your pantry. If the junk food is not around, you won’t be tempted to eat it.
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Talk to your doctor. If you are struggling to maintain a healthy weight on antipsychotic medication, then talk to your psychiatrist for help. They might suggest trying a different medication or recommend other interventions, such as meeting with a nutritionist for help.^{[10]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source}
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