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

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

Recently, we rounded up stories from a viral Reddit thread about the surprising personality, mood, and behavioral changes people noticed in loved ones taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. As it turns out, 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 firsthand accounts about the unexpected ways GLP-1s have affected people’s lives beyond the number on the scale, from shifts in their interests and hobbies to changes in how 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 poor decisions. My psychiatrist had me heavily medicated, but I wasn’t getting any relief. Then, I was offered a GLP-1 to lose some weight I’d put on, but I had done my own research and read that it could also have some benefits for substance abuse, depression, and anxiety, so I went for it. Now, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and lost the weight. But it was never about the weight — I’m functional now, have a part-time job, and I do think about the future. I miss my daughter every single day, but I’m coping. GLP-1s saved my life!!”

—Anonymous, 52, F

2. “My husband was on it for a year and a half, and it masked his symptoms of colon cancer. He went in for annual bloodwork and was extremely anemic. Had he not gotten a yearly physical, we would never have known and would have chalked the symptoms up to being GLP-1-related. So my PSA is please use it under medical supervision, go in for follow-ups, and do not buy it online!”

—Anonymous, 41, F, USA

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3. “I can’t take normal ADHD meds because they trigger some negative mental health side effects and panic. So I’ve mostly been raw-dogging my ADHD. I started on Wegovy almost two months ago, and I’ve dropped maybe eight pounds. But even if I don’t drop another pound, I plan on staying on it because the impulse control is life-changing. The ability to go into Target and buy the one thing I planned on going in there for and not walk out with two other little treats because I couldn’t control the impulse, on its own, is worth its weight in gold. I can look at the healthy food in my fridge and pick the thing I want to eat because I know it will give me energy, instead of the thing that sounds so good but I know will give me a sugar crash. It’s like I’m back in the driver’s seat of my own mind again.”

—Anonymous, 41

4. “My partner and friends on Ozempic are struggling to eat more than a single bite when we go out now. They are tired, dizzy, and have instant diarrhea after meals. Rising anhedonia, which is the inability to experience pleasure. Chronic low-grade nausea and fullness. It’s completely changed meals for us as a social thing, and I feel alienated when I eat an average portion and actually finish it while others are staring at me. It’s really triggering for my past eating disorder, and I hope to see more regulation with these medications and a ban on advertising this as an aesthetic drug for weight loss.”

—Anonymous, 32, F, Canada

5. “My dad has always been heavy, and he gained a lot of weight after a cross-country move. He has also always suffered from depression. After starting to take GLP-1s, his depression and flat disinterest in life have only gotten more severe. He got into a fight with my mom and just left, totally disappeared, turned off his phone, went totally dark for several hours. My mom was at the point of calling the police; she was so scared that he had harmed himself. He has always suffered from depression, but now I’m genuinely scared for his life. Yes, he has lost some weight. But is it worth it?”

—Anonymous

6. “My sister and I discovered that our grown daughters, aged 50 and 40, were both taking GLP-1s and were blowing up their lives. We had been very close to our daughters, and they both abruptly cut us out of their lives. It was as if they had been talking to each other and had agreed to do this at the same time. (They didn’t.) This wild behavior lasted about six months (for both girls), and we’ve been slowly rebuilding the relationship. They both have been on this med for around the same time. Over a year now. Also, my ex-husband blew up his life while on these meds. He cheated on his girlfriend and moved out after a very long-term relationship. While I’m not sure the exact medical reasoning for this, I know that the GLP-1s changed my loved ones profoundly. Wild times.”

—Anonymous

7. “I began using Zepbound six months ago. The hidden, non-physical side effects are: steady mood. Able to negotiate the grief of losing my daughter to cancer more easily; it’s still there, but it doesn’t control my life. No food cravings or alcohol cravings.”

—Anonymous, 68, F, CA, USA

8. “My mother is on it. She’s so much smaller than she’s ever been, and I mean that physically and emotionally. She just seems flat. Uninterested in things, listless, with zero energy. She used to be such a foodie, but that’s all gone. She gets violently ill for three days after every shot, and her migraines have at least doubled, as far as I can tell. However, she’s lost, like, 30 pounds. I mean, you can decide for yourself if that’s worth it.”

—Anonymous, 25, F, Charlottetown, Canada

9. “I have been on 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 saggy skin! I’ve lost 80 pounds, which I would never have been able to achieve on diet and exercise alone. Trust me — I’ve been on that roller coaster my entire adult life. It’s such a relief to feel healthy and not have any more cravings. The most dramatic side effect has been a reduction in inflammation. My hands and feet were always swollen, and that went away immediately, even before I lost any weight.”

“The first six months, I felt pretty emotionally dull, but that went away when I found things like gardening and exercising to replace consumption when I got bored. My experience has been so positive that at least eight of my friends have started taking them as well. It’s so great to see people I care about getting healthy, too. 10/10 would recommend to anyone willing to do it in a healthy way.”

—Anonymous, 56, F, Maine

10. “I was on the medication for three to four months. It gave me severe, debilitating anxiety and depression. I am now 18 months off and finally starting to stabilize. But when it was bad, it was horrible. I got to a point where I could not speak because my brain fog was so bad. I’ve been to the ER over 10 times in a year, diagnosed with a panic attack every single time. I have memory loss from the experience, and my brain definitely doesn’t operate the same way that it used to. I have days when I want to run away from the family I built. I never felt this way before in my life.”

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“If I could go back in time, I would’ve never taken the GLP-1s. It also caused hallucinations, delusions, and suicidal thoughts. I work in the mental health field, and none of the normal coping mechanisms worked for me. I had to start emergency medicine to calm myself down. I’ve never had to even take an SSRI before. There’s something much more serious going on in the brain from this medication, and it doesn’t just stop after you go off. And I lost no weight on it. It is my biggest regret in life.”

—Anonymous, 30, F, USA

11. “I’m disabled after a car accident. I eat pretty healthy, but I do walk with a cane. GLP-1s have cheered me up. I feel more confident about myself. I don’t obsess over food. My bloodwork is so much better. My blood pressure is steadily going down. Mentally, it’s a huge load off my mind, as I’m not sitting around getting fatter and sicker. I can do gentle exercise. I feel better about growing older, and I’ve started socializing again for the first time in a decade. That has cheered me up as well.”

—Anonymous

12. “I have always been thin, but when COVID got serious, and there was so much uncertainty at work (I work in 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, like, 100 pounds in just a few years. I went on semaglutide about two years ago, and it felt like I instantly was back to my previous weight (it took about a year total, but the majority of the weight loss happened early). The thing is, since I hadn’t been overweight for years, like a lot of people, I was just excited to be ‘me’ again. But, I didn’t go back to what I was; I look much older than I expected. My self-esteem didn’t really return, because I still don’t see ‘me’ in the mirror. I think when you’ve been overweight for years, the transformation is exciting because it’s a new you.”

“But if you are expecting to look like your old self, even from just a few years ago, you will be surprised and maybe not as confident as you expected you’d be. I was excited to be the ‘me’ I knew, but I got a ‘me’ that looks much different. Still better than being overweight, much better, but I didn’t get my confidence back (if that makes sense?), so I’m a little jealous of everyone excited to see a new them. Oh, and my libido is nonexistent. I never had much before, but now it’s not there at all, so weigh your pros and cons!”

—Anonymous, 46, F, Utah, USA

13. “Within a week of starting Zepbound, I just feel better and clearer mentally. I’m not as anxious, and food is a thing, not a craving. I now understand what it feels like to just ‘be’ in my life without worrying and obsessing constantly about everything. If I don’t lose a pound, it is still worth taking it to just feel normal feelings at normal volume.”

—Anonymous, 70, F, Texas

14. “I’ve been on GLP-1s for two months and have lost 11 pounds. I am bouncing with energy, happy to cook and eat good food, and things are great. I’m at the lowest dosage. Silencing the food noise has meant everything, but so has my husband, who goes to the gym with me five days a week. He’s losing weight, too, even though he isn’t taking a GLP-1 medication. Note: If anyone says you’re ‘cheating’ by losing weight with the help of the meds, look them in the eye and ask, ‘Who, exactly, is being cheated?’ and don’t let them change the subject. Make them say it OUT LOUD. They would prefer to have us suffering the shame of struggling instead of us living our best healthy lives as we now can!”

—Anonymous, 67, F, Washington

15. “People who have never struggled with food noise will not get it. It literally goes away — it’s incredible: the amount of brain energy I had spent my entire life on what I was eating, what I was going to eat next, how many calories were in this, what the next diet was, etc., etc., etc. It is a miracle drug. Do not knock it till you try it. I was on Ozempic, and a full dose was too much for me, so I lowered the dose, and now I can enjoy food and yet don’t overeat. Incredible. I wish these drugs were around 20 years ago.”

—redcactus632

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16. “This medication is like pretty much all drugs. It works for some people, and not others. I’ve tried the pill form of GLP-1s and had nausea and explosive, bloody diarrhea. I had a colonoscopy after, and it was fine. So, no clue why I had such an extreme reaction. We have one daughter who tried the shots and lost 20 pounds, but was nauseous the whole time. We have another daughter who has been on the shots for about nine months and has lost 50 pounds with no negative side effects. I do worry, though, that super-skinny body styles are going to make a comeback. Looking like a walking skeleton is just as unhealthy as being overweight.”

—rlstahr

17. “I’ve known a couple of people on it, and I’m seeing a trend here that I’ve noticed personally as well. The drug ‘quiets the food noise,’ however, it makes you completely ignore food for most of the day. By evening, the people I know who were or are on it are NASTY. This is because we literally need food to function. Due to the drug, your stomach might not be telling you you’re not hungry, but your brain is literally screaming for food. You have to remind yourself to eat smaller meals throughout the day, otherwise you turn into a cranky asshole.”

—oldtoaster86

18. “I have a friend who thinks that starting GLP-1s will fix everything that is wrong in her life. She has an abusive husband who only gives her money when he feels like it, even if the shelves are empty. She has had a number of surgeries for spinal issues and takes a large amount of narcotic pain meds, and I think she’s somehow thinking that this is the ‘magic fix’ to all her problems. She talks of nothing but being able to start taking it in December. She tried it once before and was sick for almost three weeks after the first dose, so she stopped. I’m truly very worried.”

—Anonymous, 65, F, USA

19. “I’m on my return to paying for GLP-1s out of pocket since getting a new steady job, and after three months being back on the meds, I’m reminded why I missed them so much when I lost my previous job and couldn’t afford them anymore. My insurance doesn’t acknowledge GLP-1s unless in specific cases, and even then, they’re looking to take some of those cases away, and the process itself is incredibly long (like probably about almost a year to get to have the conversation about it being prescribed, depending on the doctor/clinician), so I didn’t bother and went through an online company.”

“The biggest changes, besides no longer craving junk food, are that I haven’t been nearly as financially irresponsible. I can be patient and wait for the price of something I like to come down instead of impulse-buying from scalpers. I actually shop around for lower prices and ways to save! I’m really on top of using my phone and rewards apps/accounts to my full advantage, too, to have their rewards points pay for gift cards to put toward the hobbies/activities that I enjoy. This has extended to me saving money on groceries, too, which has been super helpful against the rising cost of everything. No more fast food, except for maybe once in a blue moon when I’m exhausted.”

—Anonymous, 30, F, USA

20. “My daughter has had many mental health issues, including self-medicating with alcohol and food. It was so important for her to gain control that we paid full price for Wegovy (ouch), but it’s been well worth it. She has completely backed away from alcoholism, doesn’t overeat, and is much more mentally stable. She was absolutely incapable of handling any kind of stressor, and around her menstrual cycles, she was a nightmare. All of that is gone now! She’s been slowly losing weight, but even if she wasn’t, we’d finance the whole endeavor just for her mental health. Not all react this way to the meds, but she is one of the very lucky ones. I only hope the medical profession starts treating this medication as a medical need so more people are able to afford it. Fingers crossed!”

—Anonymous, 62, F, California

21. “My husband had a slightly elevated blood sugar, so he was put on Ozempic. He lost 40 pounds in two months, and essentially stopped eating and communicating. He was divorced from life. So he tried Mounjaro, and it was a little better, but the constipation and diarrhea were from a horror/comedy movie. I called his doctor’s office, crying. I didn’t know if we could make it. So we went over all his meds and eliminated some that did too much dehydration, and now he’s on Jardiance. So much better. Excess sugar is excreted in urine, not in the stomach. Do not let someone close to you disappear into these drugs if they’re not working.”

—Anonymous, 67, F, Arizona

22. “I am a nurse practitioner and own a med spa. We fill prescriptions for many GLP-1 meds. One thing I noticed right away is that GLP-1 meds affect Botox and fillers…our spa has MANY clients who notice that fillers and injections burn off in about half the time. GLP-1s raise your metabolism, which also affects how the body handles fillers and Botox! Make a choice that really matters to you, or get your injections twice as often. I’m surprised that hardly anyone knows or talks about this side effect outside of my industry!”

—Anonymous, 50, F, Colorado

23. “My (former) best friend takes a GLP-1. She became increasingly irritable and negative almost from the get-go. I confronted her about something she did that I thought was out of line — not a fight, just a ‘please don’t do this in the future’ thing — and she snapped, ‘Well, it’ll never happen again!’ And hung up on me. I tried to call her back, but she wouldn’t answer. That was seven months ago, and we haven’t talked since. She was never like that before taking GLP-1s.”

—Anonymous, 62, F, Virginia

24. “Soooo, I found out that my stepdad has become addicted to exercise after starting Zepbound for his diabetes. I didn’t know that was a thing, and apparently, a small group of people who were in the drug trials became addicted to the dopamine and endorphin rush from exercising. He will literally exercise for, like, an hour before going to the gym, then work out there for three to four hours, and then go to physical therapy for an hour, and then go do tai chi for two hours. My mom has been really worried about him because he’s lost SO much weight in such a short time, and he looks sick. He was only about 10 pounds overweight when he started it, and now he looks positively skeletal.”

—ogsassytaco

25. “I am on Mounjaro. I have lost almost half my starting weight. Positives: everything. I have the labs, A1C, and BMI of a thin person half my age (I am old). Negatives: Emotionally flat, but because I’m flat, I don’t care. I am more judgy about overweight people, even as I know that not everyone’s insurance will pay for it. When people ask me how I lost the weight, I say, ‘My doctor and I worked out a plan.’ It’s none of their business. Most people probably have guessed, but I’m an intensely private person and don’t talk about my body with anyone except my spouse, siblings, and one best friend.”

—nyc4ever

Related: “29 Women On GLP-1s Share The Side Effects No One’s Been Talking About”

26. “I have been on GLP-1 meds for some years now; maybe almost four? It’s hard to remember. I got on them for weight loss, as I was pre-diabetic, and I’m staying on them because…when you stop, the weight comes right back. I have never felt better than I do when taking the meds. I’m running at the same pace I ran at almost 20 years ago. My wedding ring, which I haven’t worn since my second pregnancy, fits. Downsides: Life’s a little flatter, that part’s true. But so am I!”

—Anonymous

27. “A relative of mine was on it for diabetes, and it has been a nightmare. He got so snappish that his assistant at work quit. His GI system is so bad that he can barely leave the house. His balance became so bad that he fell numerous times. He was also dizzy. His wife thought he had Parkinson’s. And he only lost maybe 10 lbs. His doctor keeps taking him off it and restarting it. Evil drug.”

—shelleye

28. “I tried the GLP-1 drugs for about four months. Really horrible side effects, like I was so lightheaded I almost passed out when I stood up. Very nauseous to the point I couldn’t even drink water and got dehydrated. I kept weight training, but it was hard to eat enough to work out, and I felt like I was going to throw up after every set. No energy or interest in anything. I would just lie on the couch and stare. I am prone to depression anyway, and this wasn’t helping at all. Now off all drugs, and it took over a month to feel normal again. My strength is back, and I will tell people I will ‘raw dog’ my weight loss using old-fashioned exercise and a calorie deficit.”

—magicalscissors71

29. “Since being on GLP-1s for almost a year, I have lost 68 pounds, my type 2 diabetes has gone into remission, I’m off Metformin and insulin, and my A1C is 5.7. I feel wonderful. My self-esteem is through the roof. My sex drive is amazing, and my libido is OMG. I found love and am deliriously happy. My skin started to sag, and I started losing hair before I realized l had to eat more protein, so once I started walking and exercising, that all improved. I eat protein, take Nutrafol for hair growth, and have noticed great improvements.”

—Anonymous, 73, F, Washington

30. “I entered my ‘menopause era’ three years ago, and do not know when I entered my ‘perimenopause era,’ but before any of that, I did not have a weight problem. About six years ago, I started gaining weight that I could not take off. I have always been one that could lose weight easily with exercise, but this was different. The more I exercised, the worse I felt, and I was still gaining weight. It was starting to negatively affect everything about who I was. I tried diets, and I even hired a ‘food coach’ who helped guide me. She promised she could turn my weight around. I lost a whopping seven pounds. Nothing in comparison to what I had gained.”

“Then, in 2023, I entered full-blown menopause. It felt like someone lit my insides on fire! My doctor eventually started me on Zepbound. I started losing weight immediately. Out of the miserable 40-plus pounds I gained in five to six years, I lost 60 pounds in 10 months. I did not experience any mood flatness, thankfully. I am so thankful for the research that has been done and just feel for all the women who had to live life during menopause, not feeling like themselves. This has been a total game-changer for me!”

—Anonymous, 53, F, Indiana

31. And finally, “GLP-1s took away my urge to drink alcohol. I lost my husband a few years ago, and before his death, we were bordering on alcoholism, if not outright functional alcoholics. After his death, booze became the only thing that took away the pain for a few hours and allowed me to sleep. I’ve been on Zepbound for six months and have lost 45 pounds. The weight loss has been great, and I have a new confidence I haven’t had in years, but to me, not craving booze anymore has been the real win. The loss of food noise has been very beneficial to me as well.”

—Anonymous, 59, F, California

Did you or a loved one notice any unexpected changes in mood, personality, emotional well-being, or relationships after starting a GLP-1? Whether the changes were positive, negative, or somewhere in between, we want to hear about it.

Share your experience in the comments or use the anonymous form below, and your contribution could be featured in an upcoming post.

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. This post contains mentions of eating disorders, addiction, and mental illness.

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