Results Outweigh Side Effects Among Ozempic/Wegovy Users, Study Says

Follow Drugslib on

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 23, 2026.

via HealthDay

MONDAY, Feb. 23, 2026 — Side effects like nausea or vomiting are common among folks taking Ozempic/Wegovy, but they’ll grin and bear it if they think they’re losing weight, a new study finds.

The drugs’ perceived effectiveness — lost weight, less appetite, fewer food cravings — outweigh GI side effects, researchers reported recently in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

“There’s been a lot of focus on the side effects of GLP-1 medications — nausea, digestive issues — and whether they're worth it,” said senior researcher Morgan James, an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

“What we found is that for many users, the calculus is straightforward: If the drug helps them lose weight, they’re willing to tolerate significant discomfort,” he said in a news release. “That tells us something important about the demand for effective weight loss options and how we need to think about supporting such patients.”

Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) is a well-known glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug.

These cutting-edge weight-loss drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, decreases appetite and slows digestion of food.

For the new study, researchers analyzed 60 anonymous, publicly available reviews from the health website Drugs.com, in which semaglutide users evaluated their experience with the drug.

“Ozempic has become a cultural phenomenon, but much of the public conversation has been driven by celebrity endorsements and social media trends rather than the voices of everyday users,” said lead researcher Abanoub Armanious, a graduate student in epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health in Piscataway, New Jersey.

“Our study cuts through the noise to ask a simple question: What do people actually experience when they use this medication for weight loss, and what shapes their decision to keep going or stop?” Armanious said in a news release.

About 62% of the semaglutide users said they’d experienced side effects like nausea or vomiting. However, these side effects didn’t significantly influence their satisfaction scores or decision to keep taking the drug.

“I have had all 5 of the main side effects, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. I am happy with the weight loss, so am learning to manage these,” one sample review read.

“What it has done is to force me to give up bad habits because I do not like staying nauseous,” another said. “I do believe this negative reinforcement will make me sustain weight loss.”

On the other hand, people who experienced little to no weight loss were far more likely to drop semaglutide.

“To date, I am not losing anything and most weeks I have gained the weight back,” one patient wrote.

Overall, more than two-thirds of participants (67%) reported weight loss, reduced appetite or lowered food cravings while taking semaglutide, researchers found.

Future studies could use online reviews to see whether patients’ attitudes differ based on sex, and how their perception of semaglutide changes over time, researchers said.

Sources

  • Rutgers University, news release, Feb. 10, 2026
  • Journal of Medical Internet Research, Jan. 9, 2026

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2026-02-24 09:41

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords