Gen Z Is Leading a New Weight Loss Trend: Ozempic Microdosing
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As Ozempic use skyrockets across America, Generation Z is fueling a new weight loss trend, according to a new survey from healthcare software company Tebra.
Many Americans are taking GLP-1 medications, which include weight loss and diabetes medications Ozempic and Wegovy. However, Gen Z specifically appears to be driving a microdosing trend for the medications, with nearly 9 in 10 Gen Z users saying they are or have microdosed, according to Tebra's survey.
Why It Matters
Ozempic is a prescription drug developed to manage blood sugar levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes. But it can also cause weight loss as a side effect due to its impact on appetite.
Ozempic is one drug of many based on the naturally occurring human hormone GLP-1, which contains semaglutide and can significantly reduce appetite amongst users.
Microdosing on GLP-1 medications may be done as a way for patients to save money while still losing weight or looking to avoid some of the side effects that could come along with taking larger doses of the drug.
What To Know
The number of people using GLP-1 mimic medications like Ozempic has skyrocketed in recent years. Between the start of 2020 and end of 2022, prescriptions rose by 300 percent across the U.S., according to healthcare analytics firm Trilliant Health.
The younger generation is using these drugs slightly differently, Tebra's survey suggests.
In the survey of 640 GLP-1 users, 36 percent said they have microdosed with the drug. Gen Z was leading the trend, with 89 percent of Gen Z users saying they had microdosed in the past or currently do so.
Tebra said that was significantly higher than other age groups.
Across all respondents who microdosed, 24 percent said they had been microdosing for six months or more, showing it may be a more sustainable way to tackle weight loss goals.
It can save a significant amount of money as well. With one monthly dose of Ozempic ranging from $1,000 to $1,200, 38 percent of GLP-1 users said they were microdosing to save money.
However, some users who admitted to microdosing said they later regretted it—roughly one in five.
As for why people opted to microdose, avoiding side effects was the main reason for 66 percent of microdosers, while 38 percent said they did it to save money.
Weight loss satisfaction did not differ between those who microdosed and those who didn't, according to Tebra. However, microdosers were 16 percent more likely to feel confident about maintaining their weight loss over time.
In this photo illustration, boxes of the diabetes drug Ozempic rest on a pharmacy counter on April 17, 2023, in Los Angeles.
In this photo illustration, boxes of the diabetes drug Ozempic rest on a pharmacy counter on April 17, 2023, in Los Angeles.What People Are Saying
Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist and weight-loss expert and author of Beat the Gym & The Micro Workout Plan, previously told Newsweek: "Unfortunately the human condition is such that, when it comes to diet and exercise, we are constantly seeking the quickest fix with the least amount of effort, regardless of the costs, both monetarily as well as physically."
Dr. Sharon Giese, plastic surgeon, weight loss expert and creator of the Elective Weight Loss program previously told Newsweek: "Many of these patients have tried 'everything' and have not been able to lose weight without some assistance. This is exactly the time when trying an appetite suppressant, like Ozempic or semaglutide, may work."
What Happens Next?
While the number of Americans using GLP-1 medications continues to be high, the side effects and the weight gain many report after stopping the drug have some questioning the drug's long-term effects.
In one 2022 study, patients who stopped taking semaglutide had regained two-thirds of the weight they initially lost one year out.
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If physicians are primed to think of a rare diagnosis like NAION when they see a patient on a GLP-1 drug, they might be more likely to make the diagnosis than they would if presented with exactly the same symptoms in someone not taking the drug. When the outcome is rare like this, minor biases can drive the results. So, I'm not ready to go back on my statement that these drugs are game changers. They clearly are. But we'd be naive to assume that there wouldn't be some risk. I'm encouraged that this particular risk is not nearly of a magnitude and frequency to counteract the obvious benefits of the drugs. In the end, this is one of those knowledge-is-power things. I don't think we'll see enthusiasm dampen for the GLP-1 drugs because of NAION, but it doesn't hurt for any of us — patients or providers — to be aware of it.
