People With Eating Disorders Are Misusing Ozempic

No matter how generally beneficial or safe a drug is, it can be misused. A study out today, for instance, shows that people with eating disorders are taking GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) in ways they shouldn’t be. Researchers at the University of Louisville and others looked at a large sample of people with eating disorders. Roughly a third reported having used GLP-1s in their lifetime—a much higher rate than the general public—while some have openly misused them. “Despite the benefits of GLP-1 medications in certain patient populations, these drugs aren’t risk-free or appropriate for everyone. For someone with a lifetime history or current eating disorder, they may become a method to maintain their illness,” lead study author Nicholas Peiper, a psychiatric epidemiologist at the University of Louisville, told Gizmodo. GLP-1s have revolutionized the treatment of obesity (and type 2 diabetes) in recent years, allowing people with obesity to reliably lose more weight than they likely would with lifestyle changes alone. Given these effects, though, it might seem obvious that some people who aren’t obese but are desperate to lose weight