Can Ozempic cause personality changes?

Can Ozempic cause personality changes? What doctors think of this rare phenomenon

Updated: 1:01 PM EST Dec 1, 2024

You’ve heard of “Ozempic face” and “Ozempic butt,” but have you heard of “Ozempic personality”? One of the main reasons Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonist medications are so effective is because they target your brain, not just your stomach. While this bodes well for weight loss, some users are concerned the drug’s impact also means unwanted changes to their mood and personality.First, know that the doctors we spoke with are only seeing personality and mood changes in a very small number of patients. And the most common Ozempic emotional and psychological changes appear to be positive ones, from an elevated mood because your blood sugar is more stable, to a higher libido to a clearer mind because GLP-1s reduce inflammation in your noggin, doctors say. On the flip side, while there isn’t scientific evidence of negative effects of this nature at this point, there is some anecdotal evidence linking GLP-1s and a decreased enthusiasm and drive when it comes to activities you previously enjoyed. GLP-1 users have also reported a decreased libido, irritability, and being quieter or more monotone, according to experiences shared on a Reddit post. “I feel more subdued and almost like I lost my spark,” one commenter wrote. “Also my highs aren’t as high; feels a bit tamped down.” Another thing people are sharing on Reddit? That after taking a GLP-1, friends and family members are outright calling them “boring.” Reassuring news: Doctors have an idea about why you may notice personality changes after going on a weight loss drug, and if it sounds like something you’re going through, there’s something pretty simple you can do about it. Here’s what you need to know about Ozempic’s potential impact on your personality.How Ozempic Affects The Brain—And Maybe Your PersonalityOzempic and other GLP-1s mimic a hormone that is found in both the gut and the brain, meaning they can have an impact on you mentally. They work partially because they make you feel fuller for longer by slowing down the food digestion process, but also because they likely regulate the reward center in your brain (known by scientists and doctors as the hypothalamus) and make the high you get from eating food not as dramatic. “Just as much as the GLP-1s are a diabetes drug and a weight loss medicine, they are brain drugs, too,” says Rekha Kumar, MD, an endocrinologist at New York-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine. We know that GLP-1s work across the body and the brain to result in weight loss and that they tamper spikes of feel-good chemicals like dopamine, she says.There are positives to this effect—namely weight loss, but also potentially treating substance use and addiction, likely due to GLP-1s’ effect on the hypothalamus. And, while some people report positives like a greater sense of calm on the meds because they don’t have to deal with mental distractions like food noise, others feel like their personality has dulled. The biggest change people are noticing is anhedonia, or lack of interest in things they typically find pleasurable, says Michael Russo, MD, bariatric surgeon at MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center. And, while there are anecdotal accounts of GLP-1s negatively impacting personality, there isn’t much research confirming it yet. Dr. Kumar and Dr. Russo believe that it’s possible, though. Luckily, it’s also uncommon, say the doctors—like, less than one percent in Dr. Russo’s own practice. “It’s very, very rare,” he says.The reasoning so far is simple: Just as a GLP-1 can make eating food less enjoyable because it modulates your brain’s pleasure and reward center, doctors say that it could impact how you feel about other activities and hobbies you used to enjoy, too. Dulled mood and personality effects on a GLP-1 are “likely related to overly suppressing pleasure pathways that are in the brain,” says Dr. Kumar. While most often suppressing these pathways gets a dysregulated brain “back to baseline,” a GLP-1 will impact everyone differently, she says.It’s worth bringing up any mood changes with your prescribing doctor.Again, this isn’t a common side effect. But if you’re experiencing negative mood or personality changes (or any other Ozempic side effects), talk to your doctor ASAP, say both experts. This is because there’s likely something they can do—like decrease the dosage or switch to a different class of GLP-1—to avoid these impacts. (For example, if you’re experiencing anhedonia on a semaglutide, you can switch to a tirzepatide, which is thought to have less of an impact on people’s mood, says Dr. Russo.)One thing is for sure: You don’t need to suffer just to receive the benefits of the drug. “Ultimately, we’re prescribing these medications to improve people’s lives,” Dr. Russo says. “If they’re not doing that, we need to do something to change it.”