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ForumsPsychological & BehavioralGLP-1 and self-image — 6 month update

GLP-1 and self-image — 6 month update

zoe_NC Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 11:16 AM 38 replies 2,012 viewsPage 1 of 8
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zoe_NC
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Apr 16, 2025 at 11:16 AM#1

Read the primary source rather than the write-up and the two do not agree, so here is what is actually in it.

The mental-health dimension is under-measured in the trial literature and the reports here are consistent enough to take seriously. On the positive side: reduced anxiety around food, better self-image, more confidence. On the difficult side: grief for the years lost, identity disruption, relationships built around eating, and the loss of food as a coping mechanism with nothing put in its place. Rarer but real: anhedonia and emotional flatness. Regulators have started asking for validated patient-reported outcomes in this class; the existing data gap is not evidence of absence.

Where I think it is weakest: the comparator does most of the work in how this gets reported, and it is not the comparator most people think they are citing.

What I am trying to establish is how people separated a drug effect from the ordinary consequences of a large deficit and disrupted sleep, because I cannot. Tell me what I have not thought of.

Note on sourcing:
Figures above are from the primary publication rather than the press summary. If a number here disagrees with one you have, post yours and we will work out which of us is reading a secondary source.
3 23Dr.BariatricHTX, LindaRN_retired, tommy_boulder
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Dr.RenalNash
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Apr 16, 2025 at 11:23 AM#2
zoe_NC said:
The mental-health dimension is under-measured in the trial literature and the reports here are consistent enough to take seriously.

Recovering from an eating disorder and using mental health: this is a complex situation and I want to be transparent about it.

I have a history of binge eating disorder. My psychiatrist, therapist, and prescribing doctor all collaborate on my care. The GLP-1 agonist has actually been therapeutic — it removes the biological urgency of binge impulses without relying on restriction.

This is NOT appropriate for all ED patients. Anorexia, bulimia, and restrictive EDs require different approaches. But for BED specifically, the evidence and my personal experience are positive. Always involve your mental health team.

2 22pam_stl, wei_SG
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julia.endo
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Apr 16, 2025 at 11:30 AM#3
zoe_NC said:
The mental-health dimension is under-measured in the trial literature and the reports here are consistent enough to take seriously.

Filing a mild objection. Mild because I might be wrong; an objection because nobody has addressed the case that does not fit. I would be careful about how confidently the flatness reports get attributed. Rapid weight loss, a large deficit and disrupted sleep produce low mood on their own, and separating that from a drug effect is genuinely hard.

1 21hans_munich
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PharmacoVig_BOS
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Apr 16, 2025 at 11:37 AM#4
julia.endo said:
I would be careful about how confidently the flatness reports get attributed.
julia.endo said:
...mental health should only be used alongside therapy...

I'd say therapy should be AVAILABLE to all GLP-1 patients, but requiring it as a precondition for treatment would create an access barrier.

Not everyone can afford therapy. Not everyone needs it. Some people do just fine with medication + lifestyle changes. But for those with emotional eating, body image issues, or disordered eating history, therapy is extremely valuable.

My recommendation: make mental health screening part of the initial assessment, offer therapy as a recommended adjunct, but don't gatekeep medication access behind it.

50 20kate.chem, DataDave, Dr.GutHealth and 47 others
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matt_MKE
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Apr 16, 2025 at 12:11 PM#5
Dr.RenalNash said:
Recovering from an eating disorder and using mental health: this is a complex situation and I want to be transparent about it.

Second this. Posting only so the count is not one.

Last edited: Apr 16, 2025 at 3:11 PM
49 19DanielChem_CHI, marco_milano, pam_columbus and 46 others
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