How Stopping GLP1s Can Have a Negative Impact On Mental Health

For many people, stopping a GLP1 medication brings more than just physical changes—it can deeply affect how you feel about your body, your relationship with food, and your sense of control.

As an eating disorder therapist, I’ve seen how this transition can stir up complex emotions that often go unrecognized in medical conversations.

The Emotional Whiplash After Stopping

When clients come off GLP1s, they often describe a sense of loss or confusion. Hunger cues return after being muted for months. The body may start to regain weight, sometimes quickly.

For someone who has worked hard to trust their body, or has a history of body image struggles, this can feel destabilizing.

Some clients express anger or grief: anger at losing access to a medication that seemed to “work,” or grief over seeing their body change again.

Others feel shame, blaming themselves when weight comes back, even though these changes are a normal biological response to discontinuation—not a sign of failure or lack of willpower.

When Shame and Pressure Take Hold

In a culture that celebrates thinness and “before-and-after” stories, regaining weight can feel isolating.

Many clients experience intensified body dissatisfaction after stopping GLP1s, struggling to accept natural changes and internalizing shame when their body no longer fits the smaller ideal they briefly achieved.

Clients tell me they feel pressure—from others or themselves—to maintain their post-GLP1 body at any cost. This pressure can increase anxiety, lead to restrictive behaviors, or reawaken old disordered eating patterns.

After stopping GLP1s, many clients feel unsure how to eat without the medication’s appetite suppression. Hunger cues can feel unpredictable or overwhelming, leading to confusion, fear of overeating, or difficulty trusting their body’s natural signals around food.

For those in eating disorder recovery, these messages can be especially triggering. The return of appetite or cravings may feel “unsafe,” and it’s easy to slip back into habits of suppression or control to manage the discomfort.

The Role of Therapy in This Transition

Therapy can play an important role in helping clients reconnect with their bodies after coming off GLP1s. Together, we can work on rebuilding trust in hunger and fullness cues, challenging shame-based thoughts, and developing compassion for the body’s natural responses.

This process isn’t about “getting back on track” with weight, but instead it’s about re-establishing balance and self-acceptance after a period of disconnection.

Whether you’ve recently stopped a GLP1 or are preparing to, know that it’s normal to have mixed emotions. Support from an eating disorder–informed therapist can help you navigate this transition with care and curiosity, rather than fear or judgment. I provide therapy across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

You deserve support that honors your full experience—physical, emotional, and relational. Healing is not about control; it’s about connection. Please reach out to learn more about how I can help.