How Is Weight Loss Different for People Who Take Newer Obesity Drugs?

Using medication to lose weight is nothing new, but drugs making headlines these days are in a league of their own.

Data from an Everyday Health survey bears that out. Respondents who tried popular drugs that can lead to weight loss — including tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), and liraglutide (Saxenda) — cited them as the best way to lose weight. Those who used them were more likely to lose weight and to lose more than 20 pounds.

The findings come from an Everyday Health survey of more than 3,000 American adults. All the people who took part had attempted to lose weight at some point during the preceding six months.

The survey respondents answered questions about their approaches to weight loss. They shared what worked and what didn’t, their motivations for losing weight, and information about other aspects of their weight loss journey.

Here are some of the top-line survey findings about weight loss medications.

Key Finding 1: Most Users Believe That Weight Loss Medications Work

While a smaller percentage of survey respondents had tried prescription weight loss drugs, those who did rated them as highly effective. Nine percent of survey respondents had used prescription weight loss drugs Ozempic or Mounjaro, while 4 percent had used Wegovy or Saxenda. Roughly 3 out of 4 people who used these medicines named them the most effective weight loss tactic.

Experts say that this mirrors their own perception of the drugs. “In our field, I would say they’re revolutionary because they’re functioning so well,” says Kong Chen, PhD, a senior investigator in the metabolic clinical research unit at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Other experts agree.

“Although often there is enthusiasm for new treatments, there are some that have certainly lived up to their expectations, and the GLP-1 medications are one of them,” says Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine at the Harvard-affiliated Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

Key Finding 2: Most Respondents Understand That These Drugs Suppress Appetite

“They appear to work directly on the higher cortical centers that regulate food intake,” says Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, an obesity medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. This leads to a drop in appetite.

In our survey, among those interested in trying the drugs if prescribed, 76 percent said they were aware that these drugs worked by suppressing appetite.

Ultimately, these drugs promote weight loss in several ways.

“[These new drugs] slow down the emptying of the stomach, and as a result, people are more full and eat less,” Dr. Gabbay says. “In addition, they appear to have some impact on centers in the brain responsible for appetite.”

While it’s possible that the drugs also increase a person’s metabolism and energy expenditure, Dr. Chen says that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Key Finding 3: Many People Aren’t Interested in Trying These Medications

Despite that, less than half of survey respondents said they were interested in trying the new weight loss medications. Even if a doctor prescribed these drugs to them, only about 1 in 3 respondents said they’d be willing to take these drugs.

When asked about their concerns, survey respondents were most likely to say that they worried about regaining weight when going off these drugs.

Experts say that this is a valid concern. “Given that obesity is a chronic disease, it often requires chronic treatment,” Gabbay says. These drugs stop working when a person stops taking them, he adds, so people who want to keep the weight off would likely have to stay on them for the rest of their lives.

Key Finding 4: People Are Worried About Side Effects

The newer drugs are more effective for weight loss, but they also come with side effects that survey respondents expressed worry about.

Many respondents (44 percent) mentioned gastrointestinal (GI) issues as their leading concern. Some also highlighted the potential for long-term side effects of these weight loss drugs. Here again, experts say that these concerns are valid.

“With any drug, there are going to be side effects, and so patients and their doctors need to weigh the risks against the benefits,” he says.

Other experts agree. “When choosing if these medications are right for you, it's critical to work with an experienced obesity medicine specialist to fully understand the pros and the cons,” says Sean Hashmi, MD, a lifestyle and obesity specialist at Kaiser Permanente and a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and Everyday Health’s Health Expert Network in Woodland Hills, California. Working with a primary care physician who is familiar with the drugs is another option if you do not have access to an obesity medicine specialist.

Key Finding 5: The Drugs Were a Difference Maker for People Who Lost Weight

Survey respondents tried a number of tactics to lose weight. There was often a lot of overlap among people who lost weight versus those who maintained or gained weight.

For example, 73 percent of people who lost weight had attempted to consume fewer indulgent or high-calorie foods and drinks. Meanwhile, 67 percent of people who maintained or gained weight had tried the same tactic.

But people who lost weight were twice as likely to have tried weight loss drugs as people who maintained or gained weight. In fact, one of the clearest differences between people who lost weight and those who did not was that the people who lost weight were more likely to have tried these medications.

“It’s not just hype,” Dr. Stanford says. “Patients on these medications tell me they don’t even have to think about eating less.”

The Takeaway:

• People taking anti-obesity medications including semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide found them to be more effective than other weight loss methods, according to an Everyday Health survey.
• Only about 1 in 3 respondents said they’d be interested in trying these drugs, and just 1 in 8 had actually used one.
• Many people say they’re concerned about side effects and fear they’d regain any lost weight if they stopped taking the drugs.

Everyday Health's Weight Loss Reframed Survey queried 3,144 Americans nationwide ages 18 and older who had tried losing weight in the past six months. The study was fielded between July 10 and August 18, 2023, across demographic groups, genders, and health conditions. Survey recruitment took place via an online portal, in an app, and via email. The margin of error for the sample size of 3,144 is +/-1.7 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.