Tracking weight on antipsychotics
If you take an antipsychotic, your weight or BMI should be tracked over time, not just measured once.
Across de-identified U.S. psychiatric records, we found this step was missed about 18% of the time it should have happened. At the best-performing clinics it almost never gets missed, so this is a gap that can be closed. Whether it happens usually comes down to how a clinic is set up, not anything about you.
Among people on antipsychotics, those who had gained enough weight to reach obesity were about 3 times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes over the next year as those who stayed at a lower weight.
This page is here to help you know what to ask about. It is not medical advice, and you should never start, stop, or change a medication on your own. Bring these questions to a doctor who knows you.
Questions to ask your doctor
Copy a line and ask it at your next visit. These are questions to start a conversation, not instructions to change your treatment.
- Are you tracking my weight over time while I'm on this medication?
- If I've gained weight on this medicine, what are my options?
The evidence
Among people on antipsychotics, those who had gained enough weight to reach obesity were about 3 times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes over the next year as those who stayed at a lower weight.
This page is information, not medical advice. It describes care patterns across many people and can't speak to your own situation. Bring these questions to a clinician who knows you.
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