Do Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic Improve or Worsen Eating Disorders? The Answer May Be Both
Health.com writer Elizabeth Yuko examines the impact of GLP-1s on eating disorders and features Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar in this important and timely discussion as more individuals are being prescribed these medications.
"It’s concerning that people are being prescribed a medication that has the potential to worsen their condition, Wassenaar said—especially given the risks associated with eating disorders."
When Penny Gautreaux started taking Rybelsus, an oral version of semaglutide, it didn’t take long for some of the side effects her doctor had warned her about to hit.
“I noticed stomach pain and gastrointestinal distress almost immediately,” said Gautreux, who began taking the medication in the spring of 2023 to manage her type 2 diabetes. Soon after, “no food sounded appetizing,” she added.
After several weeks on the medication, which uses the same active ingredient as the injectable weight loss drug Ozempic, Geautreaux also began slipping into old disordered eating habits, despite having been in recovery.
