GLP-1s don’t just make a person less hungry. They also influence how the brain treats reward, motivation and pleasure. Some people on the meds report that they feel flattened or dulled emotions and less desire for some foods and pleasurable activities.
No causal relationship has been found between GLP-1s and mood disorders. The reports are from personal experiences and not a study. People are calling the loss of interest in romance, music, social activities and exercise that they experience while taking GLP-1s and “Ozempic Personality.”
The medications impact dopamine and help people break addictions and quiet food noise. But they also impact the motivation centers in the brain, making people less motivated toward goals, desires and seeking pleasure.
People who experienced the problem described being on GLP-1s, “as trying to be excited about something but weren’t fully able to connect to it.”
Hunger isn’t just need-based. It is also reward-based. The brain reward system releases dopamine to encourage a person to eat and feel pleasure. GLP-1s reduce dopamine and, therefore, reduce the pleasure connected to food and potentially activities.
“You’ve got to understand, the brain has fundamentally two systems, a liking system and a wanting system. If you do these things, like eating or romance or going to work, you’ll still like it, you just don’t want to do it,” said Dr. Drew Pinsky. “That wanting part that is part of the reward system, the drive system that is the opposite of addiction, where literally when you see addiction, one priority emerges and all the other priorities sink away. In this case, all the priorities flatten away and you don’t want to want these things, even though you still like them.”
“A kind of sensory deprivation is associated with these weight loss drugs,” said Dr. Monika Sharma, a senior endocrinologist at Aakash Healthcare. “Although, there is no evidence to show that they actually reduce the physiological capacity to taste or smell but they might be changing the way the brain reacts to these stimuli.”
GLP-1s can be beneficial for many people. If you think they may be something you are interested in, you should speak to your doctor about the possible risks and benefits. All medications have side effects, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful. Your doctor can help you make the right choice for you. Being aware of potential side effects means you can be on the lookout for problems and stop taking the drug sooner if they happen to you.
