How users of GLP-1 navigate the stigma of weight loss drugs

Despite his active and healthy lifestyle, Sasha Barden felt stuck in her weight loss journey.

She decided to try GLP-1 medications to support her weight loss goal. After six months on Wegovy (Sémaglutide), Barden saw no results and his insurance has stopped covering the medication. She then went to Zepbound (shooting) – a change that helped, but not without emotional setbacks.

“It is difficult not to compare yourself to other people with their weight loss. You have people who may have started almost at the same time as I did and who have lost 50 pounds or 100 pounds. Why not me? ” said Barden, 34, an authorized nurse based in Massachusetts working in mental health and dependence, who shared her GLP-1 experience as @itsmesashab on Tiktok.

At the beginning, Barden hesitated to tell her friends and family that she took the medication.

“I felt uncomfortable to admit it because I felt like I had the easy solution, which then aggravates things when you don’t really have the results you hope. It’s quite stressful. There was a shame and a stigmatization that surrounded him, “she said.

Neither Wegovy ni Zepbounde is a rapid solution – these long -term weight management drugs are intended to be used alongside diet and exercise. However, research shows that some people consider these drugs as a “shortcut” or “easy solution” for weight loss.

GLP-1’s unexpected emotional challenges use

People who start GLP-1 drugs can already expect physical side effects such as nausea, heartburn or constipation. But it is just as important to consider how these drugs could affect your mental health.

Mental health screening is essential before prescribing these drugs, in particular for people with a history of food or body image disorders, according to Eva Panigrahi, doctorate, assistant professor and approved psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health of Ohio State University.

“Weight and body image are linked to identity and self-esteem in our culture. Starting a medication that changes these things can reveal unexpected emotions, grief and shame on social pressure and fear of judgment,” she added.

Because GLP-1 remove appetite, they can intensify restrictive eating behaviors for some people. Working with a mental health supplier can help patients treat emotional challenges, develop realistic expectations and strengthen resilience, Panigrahi said.

Build support through the community

Paige Elizarraras, 35, started taking Wegovy to help manage your weight and blood pressure. His doctor said that lowering his weight and blood pressure could facilitate future pregnancies.

“It was not only a question of wanting to lose weight. It was a question of staying alive, of healing and creating a future for me and my family. Wegovy felt like the only tool that could help me do it,” said Elizarraras, a household in the home in San Diego, California, who publishes on her health course on Tiktok as @paigelina.

But some people in Elizarraras’ life have rejected its use of GLP-1 as a “cheating”. To find a community outside of her immediate social circle, she began to share her experience on Tiktok.

“I wanted to show people that they could also do that and not feel bad about it and not feel judged because there was someone like them by doing so too,” she said.

You can also search for GLP-1 groups in person if the use of social media does not support your mental health.

“For all those who consider this drug, I would say: it is normal to need help. You are not weak to need support – you are courageous for choosing a path that honors your health and your future. And if the people around you do not understand this yet, press the community that does it. We are here, and we root you for you,” said Elizarrara.

Not a unique approach

GLP-1 can affect mental health in different ways. A 2024 study revealed that people taking GLP-1 had a higher risk of depression, anxiety and suicidal behavior, while other research has shown that GLP-1 can help alleviate depression.

These varied results highlight an important point: there is no unique approach to treat obesity or mental health, said Robyn Pashby, PHD, a clinical and medical psychologist based in Washington DC and member of the board of directors of the Obesity Action coalition.

“Our society is really stuck in this idea that the bodies will respond in the same way to everything, and it is, for me, a perpetuation of stigma that there is a good way of losing weight, or accepting your body, or treating your mental health,” said Pachby.

With so many opinions on the “good way” to approach weight loss, you can find it difficult to ignore background noise when you start a GLP-1 medication.

“This is a reason to approach treatment with the support of a mental health professional, because weight loss is never only physical,” said Pashby.