GLP1 Medications and Eating Disorders: Hidden Risks Everyone Should Know
As GLP1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro become more widely prescribed and more accessible online, conversations about their impact on eating disorders seem to be falling behind.
While these drugs can play a role in diabetes and obesity care, for individuals with a current or past eating disorder, they can carry significant risks that are often overlooked.
As an eating disorder therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how the growing cultural obsession with GLP1s can create confusion, shame, and relapse triggers for clients in recovery [link to second blog about mental health].
What’s especially concerning is that there are currently no standardized screening protocols in place to assess for eating disorder history before prescribing these medications.
Without those safeguards, people in recovery can easily receive — and even be encouraged to pursue — a medication that may worsen or reactivate disordered thoughts and behaviors.
Easy Access, Limited Oversight
Beyond traditional prescriptions, GLP1s are now available through online providers, compounding pharmacies, and even resale. Many people have shared that they were able to obtain them with minimal medical assessment. This lack of oversight is especially risky for anyone vulnerable to disordered eating, as the appetite-suppressing effects of these drugs can reinforce restriction, hunger suppression, or the belief that “eating less is always better.”
Even when clients discontinue the medication, they may struggle with hunger dysregulation or guilt around eating — challenges that echo the core patterns of an eating disorder.
The Pressure of Recovery in a Weight-Focused Culture
For many clients, recovery means restoring the body’s natural cues, and this can often mean regaining weight. That process can already feel emotionally demanding in a society that idealizes thinness, but the constant conversation around GLP1s adds another layer of pressure.
Some clients describe feeling like they’re “doing recovery wrong” because they’re not using medication to control their weight. Others have shared that their providers — unaware of their eating disorder history — have suggested GLP1s as a “healthy” way to manage body changes, unaware of the psychological harm that can cause.
When those in recovery live in larger bodies, the cultural bias against weight gain can make the recovery process feel even more isolating. Without eating disorder–informed care, clients may receive messages that reinforce the very patterns they’re trying to heal from.
The Emotional Toll of Constant Marketing
Another factor my clients talk about often is the sheer pervasiveness of GLP1 marketing.
Between social media ads, influencer content, and “natural” supplement alternatives promising similar effects, many describe feeling like they can’t escape the message that weight loss is the ultimate goal.
For individuals working to build body trust and neutrality, that message can be triggering and destabilizing. Some clients have had to step back from social media entirely to protect their recovery, a reflection of how constant the exposure has become.
Misunderstandings and Mixed Messages
Even loved ones, trying to help, may suggest starting GLP1s to “get things under control” or to prevent weight gain during recovery.
While often well intentioned, these comments mirror a broader misunderstanding — that weight loss is always a sign of health, and that GLP1s are a simple, risk-free solution.
In reality, these messages can invalidate the recovery process and compound shame.
Moving Toward ED-Informed Care
There are currently no studies confirming that GLP1s cause eating disorders, but emerging reports suggest that they can trigger disordered behaviors in vulnerable individuals. What’s urgently needed is better provider education, careful screening, and collaboration with eating disorder specialists before prescribing or recommending these medications.
As awareness grows, my hope is that clients in recovery will be met with understanding, not judgment, and that conversations around GLP1s will begin to include what has too long been ignored: the very real risks they pose to those healing from an eating disorder. I provide therapy across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Please reach out to learn more about how I can help.
