Psychiatric drugs, amongst other things, make you put on weight and feel lethargic. Effectively stealing your energy from you
Why is this?
Please don't just say, it's a side effect or ask your doctor
There must be a reason, no?
That's logical, yes?
They say many things, are cause and effect, if lethargy and weight gain are the effect, then what is the cause?
Seems to me, that there are some smart cookies here, so it seems rationale and reasonable, that 1 of those smart cookies would know the answer, no?
So...what's the answer

Go back to doctor and find the right fit in meds. By the way dad bods are hot.

I don't want a doctor or meds. I appreciate your response, but it's not a valid answer

Ok. So you are ok without meds? Me? Nope. I take lorazepam for the genetic anxiety my famdamily suffer and for PTSD. Also sleeping pills. Yes it adds weight, but it is better than being overwhelmed by crippling anxiety that makes me agrophobic and unable to talk to people.
I guess it is a choice.
I would rather take meds than top myself because I can not function normally.

Sorry. I should have asked what your experience had been. We are all different. Lorazepam makes me want to sleep after 4-6 hours. My last husband said it made him feel lonely???

My experience is not good

Its my experience that if a psych med is making you feel lethargic you are taking the wrong med for your specific problem.
Putting on weight could be a condition brought on by the wrong meds making you feel depressed because you no longer feel 'yourself'. The lethargy causes less exercise which causes weight gain and muscle fatigue which adds to the depression.

There are a few different factors at play...
Most commonly, some doctors diagnose you based on other patient findings and solutions. They push certain meds because they work for some patients. Sometimes, they push certain meds because they get benefits for prescribing them. Sometimes, they are not qualified to prescribe those meds.

Some doctors don't actually listen to you. They assume you have similar issues so they 'hear' only selective things you tell them. Some have you diagnosed before they even talk to you.

Sometimes, a patient does not effectively communicate with their doctor. They withhold information and the doctor prescribes meds which may work based on the info the patient gives them. When a med is prescribed there is little patient feedback or the feedback is distorted so the med which is too strong, is continued.

There are three distinct treatments for mental health. Two distinct types of professionals. Psychiatrist and psychologist. Luckily, I had two doctors helping me. The third treatment is you helping yourself. The three treatments work together to find the best treatment plan which works for you.

At the beginning of my treatment I spent some time doing tests, both mental and physical, before any meds were prescribed. When the meds started, I was prescribed the common mental health meds. My feedback plus ongoing physical and mental testing resulted in a series of different meds, each with differing side effects. Eventually we got to a med which worked.
I call that one the transparent med.

The transparent med allowed me to feel myself but more in control with no lethargic effects. On this med, over time, I started to get headaches. I told my doctors and they adjusted my dosage. Headaches went away. They returned again, told my doctors, dosage adjustment. Eventually I was weened off the meds entirely. I finished off my treatment plan without meds. After about a year and a half, I no longer needed counseling.

My counselor gave me stuff to read which helped me understand my PTSD and lifelong depression. I actually read the stuff she gave me. I read it till I understood it. I asked her questions about stuff I couldn't grasp.

I no longer need meds to help my chemical imbalance.
I no longer need counseling to help me cope.

I think I got lucky. I was fortunate enough to find two doctors who actually care about their patients, who listened and provided me with a treatment plan which worked.

If you need meds but don't take any you are hurting yourself. Its your job to give the doctor the feedback they need to put you on the right meds. Its your life. If the doctor will not work for you, find a doctor who will.
There are two sides to mental health, psychological and physical.
Its rare to find a single doctor who can effectively treat both.
Psychiatry and psychology often overlap and most doctors have a bit of both but specialize in one or the other. Most counselors are psychologists.

As a simple rule of thumb; Psychiatrists deal with the physical conditions of mental health and prescribe meds to rectify chemical imbalances based on physical test results. They also can provide counseling but their specialty is physical.
Psychologists deal with the mental conditions of mental health. Their specialty is counseling based on the answers you give on the tests they have you take. They can prescribe meds but it isn't their specialty.

You can't fake a physical test.

Psychologists need you to answer the tests they give you honestly.
When you sit down to a 400 or 800 question test, attitude in how you answer has a lot to do with the treatment you receive. If you see it as stupid or dumb and just answer willy-nilly you get willy-nilly treatment.
Its your own ability to be honest which determines how effectively a psychologist can provide your treatment. Plus, as treatment continues, the answers you give in the tests can change. The doctor uses these changing results to monitor the changes in you and how effective the treatment plan is for you.

Again, I appreciate the response, but again, I feel the answer is not valid
In my experience the weight gain comes before the lethargy. Thus I feel the lethargy is a consequence of the weight gain (or more accurately, why the weight is gained ), and not the other way around

The question is

Why do Psychiatric drugs make you put on weight ( please don't just say it's a side effect or ask your doctor )

In many cases, pain (mental and physical) numbs our natural desire of hunger. If you numb the pain receptors, your feeling of hunger will increase. Something like that maybe?

My GP put me on some anti depressant, the only thing that happened was me eating like a bleedin horse

When I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia my Dr. put me
on an anti-depressant, I asked whyever?

There had been a study done in a psychiatric hospital
in which they accidentally found that those on the
antidepressant had their blood sugar raised most
consistently so it was the rage at the time to put
low-blood sugar people on them.

Tired? Slept all day, all night for a week until
I dumped them. They did stabilize the blood sugar
but that was because one did absolutely nothing
and hardly moved.

I might suspect that the drugs to which you refer all
have properties that somehow 'calm' the system. Ergo,
make you tired.

The less you do, the more the calories build up.

Yep

Please allow me to give an example, I do weight in stones, I guess it's a british thing, so I'll try to convert it to kilos and pounds too

There is a saying, that is, he's a 10 stone weakling. For a long time, I weighed less than 10 stone, so thought, crumbs, I don't even weigh 10 stone. When I was first nutted off ( locked in a mental institution) I put on a considerable amount of weight, in a very short period of time. I don't remember the exact period I was there around 6 months, and the major weight gain happened in 2 or 3 of those months.

Starting weight, 9 or 9 and a half stones
That's around 57 to 60 kilograms
Or 126 to 133 pounds

Finishing weight 14 and a half stones
That's around 92 kilograms
Or 203 pounds

That is a significant weight gain, in a very short period of time.

Again, I appreciate people's input, and some does have validity.
But I feel that it ignores an underlying mechanism that would cause such a large weight gain.

After being put on different meds,
I went to 12.5 stone
That's around 79 kilos
Or 175 pounds

Apparently, the doctors were happy with this
I myself, was not

Found on the web:-

According to a 2014 review of eight studies, as many as 55 percent of patients who take modern antipsychotics experience weight gain—a side effect that appears to be caused by a disruption of the chemical signals controlling appetite. Olanzapine (Zyprexa) and clozapine (Clozaril) are the top two offenders; studies have shown that on average these drugs cause patients to gain more than eight pounds in just 10 weeks. These two drugs also bear the highest risk of metabolic syndrome, which encompasses weight gain and other related disorders, including type 2 diabetes, according to a 2011 study of 90 people with schizophrenia. Although most antipsychotics are associated with weight gain, aripiprazole (Abilify) and ziprasidone (Geodon) stand out for their lower risk.

Thanks delightful, I read that myself. In my experience it's more like 110% of people not 55%, and it doesn't really account for a huge weight gain. And the words 'a side effect that appears to be caused' , doesn't sound particularly convincing to me.
You would have thought these doctors would know why they caused weight gain, wouldn't you?
And if they didn't know, you'd think that they'd want to know, wouldn't you?
And is it just me, or is it a bit weird that they were pleased by this weight gain?
Sounds a bit occult don't it?

Scribble scribble, they go on their clipboards if I said that occult bit

guys. pills. so not the way. eat food, enough of it. some carbs. some protein. mostly plants.. oh, and the odd chocolate cake here and there...

Oh, I did find out a bit of information, but not much, so I'm slightly wiser, but not much, I'll try explain
This might explain it a bit for anti depressants, at least for Mirtazipine ( also known as remeron apparently, sounds like a villain from flash Gordon or something to me )
You know how they're forever banging on about serotonin and dopamine, and chemically imbalanced, blah blah
Well, according to t' internet , there are 15 serotonin receptor sites in your body
These are classified in 3 different groups
These 3 groups come under exciting titles as
5HT1
5HT2
And yes, if you haven't fallen asleep or slit your wrists, then you've guessed it..
5HT3

Now, it's this last 1, that I'd like to draw your attention to children,it's 1 of the 1s that our friend flash Gordon's nemesis ( in a muddle? Thank you paul weller) affects
I shall cut and paste a couple of juicy titbits from said t'interweb thingy mejig ( it's very high tech you know, no wires...look, or mirrors)

5-HT3 receptors also regulate gut motility, secretion, and peristalsis in the enteric nervous system and are involved in information transfer in the gastrointestinal tract (7). Serotonin was identified in the 1940s as a potent vasocon- strictor present in blood serum (8).Oct 4, 2012

As might be expected due to their role in emesis, 5-HT3 receptors are involved in information transfer in the gastrointestinal tract, and in the enteric nervous system they regulate gut motility and peristalsis [23].

Emesis means vomiting ( damn these Greeks and these bloody doctors obsession with them, why couldn't they just say spewing up like everybody else, it's a form of legalese you know, don't get me started) sounds like nemesis don't it?

The enteric nervous system or intrinsic nervous system is one of the main divisions of the autonomic nervous system and consists of a mesh-like system of neurons that governs the function of the gastrointestinal

Peristalsis, involuntary movements of the longitudinal and circular muscles, primarily in the digestive tract but occasionally in other hollow tubes of the body, that occur in progressive wavelike contractions. Peristaltic waves occur in the esophagus, stomach, and intestines.( somebody is full of $hit huh, feeling better sir? Fuc$ off)

Motility is the ability of an organism to move independently, using metabolic energy.

Now I had to look those 4 things up, perhaps you didn't have to. Now please, correct me if I'm wrong. I ain't no rocket scientist but I like to think that I'm reasonably smart, and as a Yorkshire man I'm pithy ( hear that bastardo doctors, pithy) , so I'd say, that in my most humble, scientific and expert opinion, and all that jazz..
That it....
Wait ( no pun intended) for it...
Drum roll please....

Affects your bleeding stomach, guts, metabolism call it what you will

And if it does that...
Then...
That might explain...

Zzzzz, I fell asleep...sorry

yup

I'll go back to my first assumption...
You are taking the wrong meds for your body.

If your doc won't listen to you and take what you say to them as valid...
You are using the wrong doctors.

This is the simplest answer to the topic at hand.

If you choose to use the wrong doctors and take the wrong meds, the cause of the problem is...You.

I assume you are not locked away in the "loony bin" right now.
You have a choice.
Its up to you to make the correct decisions concerning your own health.
After all, it is your life you are living.
You can choose to take control or you can allow others to control you.

Ooooohhhh Tom
Firstly, that doesn't really answer the question

Secondly, and, as a more direct response to you, you seem to be labouring under the illusion that I can pick and dismiss a doctor or drug when and if I should please or deem it neccessary.
I assure you sir, I have neither option
With the greatest of respect, I would hope that you think, that I have at least a little intelligence and fortitude.
I tried sir
In the words of Randall Mcmurphy
I tried god damn it, at least I did that

I agree I do find you intelligent and cunning.
Perhaps my response is based on the freedom of my own.

For years, I felt as if I was not in control of my own life.
It was part of my mental health issue.
When I finally gained my control and took back my power to control my own life, I was amazed at how long I allowed others to have power over me.

You are a citizen of England. To which, you are a citizen of the society in which you live.
While England is part of the 'free' world, their definition of freedom may not be the same as mine.

I once suggested to you to relocate to a region where you have no history.
Like a 'clean start'. I imagine any doctor you see will get your history and make certain assumptions on how your treatment should progress.
The solution is to find a doctor outside the local and start your treatment fresh. Do not allow him access to your history.
In the states we have to permit a disclosure of medical history to a new doctor. They can't just get it without that permission. It has to do with right to privacy.

England being a free country may or may not have those protections. Perhaps ours are specific to our bill of rights?

At any rate, Like I said once before in reply to one of your threads, only give a new doctor the information you think is needed to treat you. Your honesty needs to be pertinent to treating the condition you have right now, leave the past in the past. If you go in there making snarky sideways comments about stuff, it will cause them to do some digging to figure out why you have that attitude.

As for the fast weight gain, it didn't happen with me. It may not have happened with others but others it may have happened more severely than you.
It depends on the unique physiology of the person taking the specific drug and the circumstances in which they take it. Drugs affect people differently because people are unique.

The drs might be aware of the weight gain but unconcerned because the weight gain is insignificant to the severity of the problem for which the drugs are prescribed. A lesser of two evils.

Much in the way my diabetes meds cause me to have diarrhea when they change my dosage. The diabetes is more important than the diarrhea so they are unconcerned. The Lesser of two evils.

My nephew died from severe asthma. Before he died the meds he was on made him huge (over 400 lbs). My sister had to knock out his bedroom wall and remove her sliding glass doors so the ambulance could take him away. Taking the meds and gaining the weight gave him that much more time in life. The Lesser of two evils.

I feel for your situation, I really do. I wouldn't participate in the treads with you on this subject if I didn't. Like I already stated, I live in a free country where I can make my own decisions. I understand you may not have the same liberties as me. All I can do is give you some info which might help you realize your own solution. Ultimately its up to you to find your own solutions in life but a few suggestions may create a train of thought you may or may not have previously considered.