31 Shocking GLP-1 Side Effects That Have Nothing To Do With Weight Loss

This article contains mentions of eating disorders, addiction, and mental illness.

Recently, we collected stories from a viral Reddit thread about the surprising personality, mood, and behavior changes people have noticed in their loved ones taking GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. It turned out that A LOT of people could relate, and readers flooded the comments with even more of their own experiences.

So we’re back with 31 more stories about the unexpected ways GLP-1 has affected people’s lives beyond the number on the scale, from changes in their interests and hobbies to changes in the way they experience joy and connect with others.

Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

1. “I went through a very bad divorce. My daughter died five years ago, at the age of 24. I didn’t want to live anymore; I was drinking, smoking and making bad decisions. My psychiatrist put me on heavy medication, but I was getting no relief. Then I was offered a GLP-1 to lose the weight I had gained, but I had done my own research and read that it could also have effects beneficial for drug addiction, depression and anxiety, so I opted for Now I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I’ve lost weight But it was never about the weight – I’m functional now, I have a part-time job and I miss my daughter every day, but I’m coping.

—Anonymous, 52 years old, F

2. “My husband took this product for a year and a half, and it masked his colon cancer symptoms. He had annual blood tests and was extremely anemic. If he hadn’t had an annual physical, we would never have known and would have attributed the symptoms to a GLP-1 connection. So my PSA is Please use it under medical supervision, follow up, and don’t buy it online!”

—Anonymous, 41 years old, F, United States

Related: “15 patients who learned the hard way to never lie to their doctor”

3. “I can’t take normal ADHD medications because they trigger negative mental health and panic side effects. So I’ve mostly been working hard on my ADHD. I started taking Wegovy almost two months ago and have lost maybe eight pounds. But even if I don’t lose another pound, I plan to keep taking it because impulse control is changing my life. The ability to go to Target and buying the one thing I planned to go for and not leaving with two other little treats because “

—Anonymous, 41 years old

4. “My partner and friends on Ozempic have trouble eating more than a single bite when we go out now. They are tired, dizzy, and have instant diarrhea after meals. Increasing anhedonia, which is the inability to experience pleasure. Chronic low-grade nausea and fullness. This has completely changed meals for us as a social thing, and I feel alienated when I eat an average portion and finish it while others watch. This is definitely a trigger for my past eating disorder, and I hope to see more regulation with these medications and a ban on advertising them as a cosmetic weight loss medication.

—Anonymous, 32 years old, F, Canada

5. “My father was always heavy and gained a lot of weight after moving across the country. He also always suffered from depression. After he started taking GLP-1, his depression and disinterest in life only got worse. He got into an argument with my mother and left, completely disappeared, turned off his phone, was completely in the dark for several hours. My mother was about to call the police; she was so scared that he hurt himself. bad. He always suffered from depression, but now I’m really afraid for his life Yes, he lost weight But is it worth it?

-Anonymous

6. “My sister and I discovered that our older daughters, ages 50 and 40, were both taking GLP-1 and destroying their lives. We were very close to our daughters, and they both abruptly cut us out of their lives. It was as if they had spoken to each other and agreed to do it at the same time. (They didn’t.) This wild behavior lasted about six months (for both girls), and we slowly rebuilt the relationship. They both”

-Anonymous

7. “I started using Zepbound six months ago. The hidden, non-physical side effects are: stable mood. I am able to deal more easily with the grief of losing my daughter to cancer; it is still there, but it does not control my life. No food cravings or cravings for alcohol.”

—Anonymous, 68 years old, F, California, United States

8. “My mother is on it. She’s much smaller than she’s ever been, and I mean that physically and emotionally. She just seems flat. Indifferent to things, listless, no energy. She was so greedy, but it’s all gone. She gets violently ill for three days after each injection, and her migraines have at least doubled, as far as I know. However, she’s lost about 30 pounds. I mean, you can decide for yourself if it’s worth it.”

—Anonymous, 25 years old, F, Charlottetown, Canada

9. “I’ve been taking a GLP-1 for two and a half years. Nothing but positive things to say about my experience, other than the fact that I need a facelift to deal with my sagging skin! I lost 80 pounds, which I could never have achieved with diet and exercise alone. Believe me, I’ve been on this roller coaster my entire adult life. It’s such a relief to feel healthy and not no longer have cravings The most dramatic side effect was a reduction in inflammation My hands and feet were still swollen, and it went away immediately, even before I lost weight.

“The first six months I felt pretty emotionally bored, but that went away when I discovered things like gardening and exercise to replace drinking when I was bored. My experience was so positive that at least eight of my friends started taking it too. It’s so great to see the people I care about being healthy too. 10/10 would recommend it to anyone who wants to do it in a healthy way.”

—Anonymous, 56 years old, F, Maine

10. “I took this medication for three or four months. It caused me severe and debilitating anxiety and depression. I’m now 18 months off and finally starting to stabilize. But when it was severe, it was horrible. It got to the point where I couldn’t speak because my brain fog was so severe. I went to the emergency room over 10 times a year, and every time I was diagnosed with a seizure. panic. I lost my memory because of this experience, and my brain definitely doesn’t work the same way as it did before. I have days where I want to run away from the family I built, I’ve never felt like that before in my life.

Related: “20 Unsexy Hygiene Habits People Swear By”

“If I could turn back time, I would never have taken GLP-1s. It also caused hallucinations, delusions, and suicidal thoughts. I work in mental health and none of the normal coping mechanisms worked for me. I had to start emergency medicine to calm myself down. I have never had to take an SSRI before. There is something much more serious going on in the brain from this drug, and it doesn’t doesn’t stop right after stopping. And I didn’t lose any weight on it.

—Anonymous, 30 years old, F, United States

11. “I’m disabled after a car accident. I eat pretty healthy, but I walk with a cane. The GLP-1s have lifted my spirits. I feel more confident in my own skin. I’m not obsessed with food. My blood tests are so much better. My blood pressure is dropping steadily. Mentally, it’s a huge load on my mind, because I don’t sit around getting bigger and sicker. I can do gentle exercise. I feel better as I get older, and I started socializing again for the first time in a decade, and it also lifted my morale.”

-Anonymous

12. “I’ve always been thin, but when COVID got bad and there was so much uncertainty at work (I work at a medical clinic) and we also had an earthquake, I suddenly developed major anxiety or something (panic attacks in my sleep, which was so scary). I gained about 100 pounds in just a few years. I started taking semaglutide about two years ago and had felt like I was instantly back to my previous weight (it took about a year in total, but the majority of the weight loss has happened).

“But if you expect to look like your old self, even just a few years ago, you’ll be surprised and maybe not as confident as you hoped. I was excited to be the ‘me’ I knew, but I have a ‘me’ that looks way different. It’s still better than being overweight, way better, but I haven’t got my confidence back (if that makes sense?), so I’m a little jealous of everyone excited to see a new one. Oh, and my libido is non-existent I never had much before, but now it’s not there at all, so weigh the pros and cons!

—Anonymous, 46 years old, F, Utah, United States

13. “A week after starting Zepbound, I feel better and more mentally clear. I’m not as anxious and food is a thing, not a craving. I now understand what it’s like to…