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Weight Loss Medications in Mental Health Care

Medications like GLP-1s and GLP-1/GIP combinations, often used for weight loss or diabetes, are becoming increasingly relevant in mental health care. They help counter weight gain and metabolic side effects from psychiatric medications, and researchers are also learning that they act on brain pathways involved in appetite, reward, and inflammation, indirectly influencing mood, cravings, and overall well-being.
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The problem of weight gain in mental health care.

Many psychiatric medications are life-changing and essential, but for some people they come with an unwanted side effect: weight gain. The impact to your mood when you’re doing everything “right” but the scale is telling a different story… well, it can feel defeating and frustrating, maybe to the point of giving up on treatment. It can also be scary, since weight gain increases risks of other conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

But now, with the development of GLP-1 and GIP medications, metabolic side effects that have plagued psychiatry are no longer the curse of care. While they’re not a treatment for depression, anxiety, or other psychiatric conditions on their own, they can be a helpful part of a whole-person approach that supports both mental and physical health.

GLP-1s and GIPs can help tip the scales in your favor.

Medications like GLP-1s and GLP-1/GIP combinations offer a new way to address the challenge of unwanted medication-induced weight gain. They work with the body’s natural hunger and fullness signals to reduce cravings, support healthier blood sugar regulation, and promote sustainable weight loss.

For many people, this can mean improved energy, mobility, confidence, and a greater sense of control over their health, without having to stop psychiatric medications that are helping their mental health. When used thoughtfully as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, these medications can help lower long-term health risks and support overall wellbeing.

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How weight loss medications
can support mental health

GLP-1–based medications are not antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications, but they may still support mental health in a few real-world ways:

  • Less “food noise,” fewer cravings, and less binge/urge eating

  • Better metabolic health can translate into better mood resilience and daytime functioning

  • Research is actively evaluating how GLP-1 therapies affect psychiatric symptoms, cognition, and quality of life overall

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Weight Management in Mental Health

Who can GLP-1s and GIPs help?

Deciding whether a weight-loss medication is right for you starts with understanding how your mental health, physical health, and daily experience intersect.

Weight changes aren’t just about the number on the scale. They affect energy, confidence, medical risk, and even the ability to stay on psychiatric medications that are otherwise helping.

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Medication-associated weight gain

Anti-depressants and antipsychotics are known to cause weight gain, sometimes affecting health, confidence, and adherence to treatment.
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Overweight with metabolic risks

Being overweight with prediabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, or fatty liver poses serious health risks.
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Serious
mental illness

Living with serious mental illness usually means long-term psychiatric medication use, but the risk of long-term cardiometabolic disorders can be reduced with weight loss medications.
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Struggles with
“food noise”

Food noise, cravings, or binge/urge eating, can make lifestyle changes hard to sustain. Weight loss medications may help.
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Psychiatric Medications and Weight Gain

Some antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and especially certain antipsychotics are known to increase appetite, disrupt satiety, and change metabolic pathways. Even modest weight gain can be distressing, affecting self-esteem, body image, and motivation, and it can make it harder to stick with a medication that’s otherwise improving symptoms.

The goal of antipsychotic weight gain treatment or depression weight management isn’t to take away a treatment that helps your mind; it’s to add tools that help your body keep up.

How do GLP-1 and GIP medications work for weight loss?

GLP-1 and GIP medications promote weight loss by working with the body’s natural appetite, metabolism, and brain signaling systems. They mimic hormones released after eating, helping you feel full sooner, reducing hunger, and calming food cravings by acting on appetite and reward centers in the brain.

These same brain pathways are also involved in mood, motivation, and impulse control, which may explain why some people notice improved mental clarity or reduced preoccupation with food.

By slowing digestion, stabilizing blood sugar, and reducing inflammation, GLP-1s and GIPs can support steadier energy and emotional balance, providing benefits that extend beyond weight loss to overall mental and physical well-being.

No shots necessary.
GLP-1s are now available in pill form.

Until early 2026, most weight loss medications were only available in injectable form. Taken weekly, these medications helped people lose 5% to 25% of their starting weight, but the thought of having to poke yourself made some people reluctant to get started. The drug also requires refrigeration that poses logistical constraints for travel and increases costs for shipping.

Now there is a daily GLP-1 in pill form available on the market and more are currently being tested. The pill option means no needles, easier travel, more routine dosing, more convenience, and a lower price point.

Whichever suits you, bonmente can help you navigate benefits and prior authorization requirements.

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Self-care is how you take your power back.
– Lalah Delia
FAQ About Weight Loss Medications

Got questions? Get answers.


Do GLP-1s or GLP-1/GIP meds treat depression or anxiety directly?

They aren’t approved as psychiatric treatments. Some patients report mental “lightening” (less preoccupation with food, steadier energy, improved confidence), but research is still evolving and mixed.


Will these meds help with antipsychotic-related weight gain?

They can be used to address weight and metabolic risk in people taking psychiatric medications, and many clinicians view them as a valuable tool to support adherence and long-term health.


Are there mental health side effects?

Most people do not experience new psychiatric symptoms, but monitoring is important, especially if you have a history of depression, suicidality, or an eating disorder. Regulatory agencies have evaluated post-marketing reports and labeling concerns over time.


What are the most common side effects?

GI symptoms (nausea, constipation/diarrhea, reflux) are most common, especially during dose increases. Your clinician can help with titration and symptom strategies.


What’s the difference between a GLP-1 and a GLP-1/GIP medication?

GLP-1/GIP meds activate two incretin pathways, and some studies suggest they may produce larger average weight loss than older GLP-1 options.


Is the pill as effective as the shot?

Effectiveness depends on the specific medication and study, but recent reporting on oral semaglutide for weight loss describes meaningful average weight loss in clinical trials and a major convenience advantage.

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Find out if weight loss meds can help you.

If unwanted weight gain is in the way of you feeling your best, talk to a provider today to see how GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP medications may help you achieve your mental health goals.
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