Fancy clothes, mealtime alarms and Disney princess gigs: How GLP-1s are changing people's lives in unexpected ways

GLP-1 drugs have changed the lives of Americans and others across the world, in ways both expected and unexpected.

Originally used to help people with Type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels, GLP-1 drugs have achieved a widespread level of popularity and notoriety as weight-loss medicines over the past half-decade. The drugs, which include brands like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly and Company’s Zepbound, essentially mimic gut hormones to function as appetite suppressants.

Roughly 20 million to 25 million patients worldwide could be taking a GLP-1 manufactured by one of those two companies, Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks estimated during a Feb. 4 interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” Among Americans, 18% of adults say they’ve taken a GLP-1 drug at some point, and 12% say they’re currently taking one, according to a KFF Health Tracking Poll published on Nov. 14.

The drugs have brought with them a host of unexpected byproducts for users’ daily lives. By and large, users are seeing their weight drop. Some say they find themselves drinking less alcohol, spending less on groceries or no longer craving junk foods — or much food at all.

Others have reported more unglamorous side effects like gastrointestinal distress, shrinking muscle mass and sagging skin from the weight loss. GLP-1s typically have a list price of more than $1,000 per dose, and while those prices can drop significantly under some health insurance plans, coverage can be inconsistent across insurers. Some users report rapid weight gain after stopping GLP-1s — a concern that researchers have raised in recent studies — and the drugs’ longer-term side effects aren’t particularly well-studied yet, some doctors say.

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk spokespeople told CNBC Make It that the companies stand behind the safety and efficacy of their GLP-1 medicines, and that the drugs’ labels include FDA-approved warnings of known risks.

The spokespeople also pointed toward their companies’ self-pay pharmacies for users without health insurance coverage, and said they’re attempting to close coverage gaps so more insurance plans cover GLP-1s. Anyone experiencing side effects froman Eli Lillymedicine can call The Lilly Answers Center at 1-800-LillyRx (1-800-545-5979), that company’s spokesperson noted.

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk currently dominate the market for FDA-approved GLP-1s: Each brings in billions of dollars in GLP-1 sales annually, and both have spent or plan to spend billions on expanding the drugs’ production. Patient and insurer spending on GLP-1s in the U.S. rose to $71.7 billion in 2023, up from $13.7 billion in 2018, according to an April 2025 research letter from American Medical Association researchers.

As the industry grows, some analysts predict that GLP-1 sales will rise to $100 billion by 2030. Companies like Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Roche are now developing competitor medicines for weight loss. Advertisements for GLP-1s now include Super Bowl commercials featuring celebrities like tennis legend Serena Williams, “Saturday Night Live” actor Kenan Thompson and Grammy-winning record producer DJ Khaled.

CNBC Make It surveyed a group of people who have taken GLP-1s about their personal experiences with the drugs. Here, four of them discuss the results they least expected and whether they consider the medicine worthwhile. Always consult with your primary care physician before making any changes to your routines that could impact your health.

‘I have alarms set to remind myself to eat’

—Daniel Daines-Hutt, 44, head of content at an online education platform

I’ve been very fit for most of my life, until I was about 35 and my dad got sick. Even though I still exercised a bunch, between stress and work, I kept putting on weight. I hired a nutritionist, and I was a success story for a little bit. But when I stopped the restrictive diet, I couldn’t keep the weight off.

I’m in my eighth week right now of taking a GLP-1. It’s summer here — I’m based in New Zealand — and we’re having ice cream and things like that, but I noticed that I’m eating far less of it. I just don’t want it. I’m not having cravings for it. I’m down 5.3 kilograms (nearly 12 pounds).

I have so much more energy. I go to jiu-jitsu twice a week, and I’m there with guys who are in their 20s and 30s who are much more athletic and stronger and faster. I’m able to hold my own a lot better.

I do get nauseous sometimes, for about 10 minutes [at a time]. The main thing is just remembering to eat. I have alarms set to remind myself to eat. Otherwise, you can go 12 hours and suddenly you realize you’re grumpy and you’re not sure why, because you don’t really have those hunger pains.

On groceries, I’ve gone from what could have easily been between $200 and $300 to $100 or $80, [or] $50 some weeks. I still treat myself to a burger and fries on the weekend, but I’m having, like, a kid’s burger — because I noticed I was struggling to finish the “adult” burger. Even then, if I’ve finished my fries first, I’m like, “I don’t even know if I can eat this burger.”

Obviously, it’s not cheap to take the stuff. The amount of money I’m saving [on food] and the amount of money I’m spending on the medicine almost balances out.

‘If I smelled fried food, it literally made me sick to my stomach’

—Rachell Dumas, 34, nurse

My story is probably unique from what you [typically] hear. I have a rare condition called idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). When my weight is higher, fluid builds up in my brain [which leads to other serious health issues]. One of the ways to keep the fluid down is to get my weight down.

After researching with my doctors, we found this study where people with IIH were on GLP-1s, and it decreased the pressure in their brain. I tried a GLP-1, and since then, I’ve weaned off all my [other] medication. I lost 80 pounds.

The first month, I was vomiting. I was afraid to eat new healthy things because of the repercussions of the medicine. If I ate too much — and too much on a GLP-1 is not much at all — I had really bad GI symptoms, so I made sure my portions were really, really small. I started taking prebiotics and probiotics. I drank more water. I took a stool softener.

I don’t eat any fried foods or drink sugary drinks. If I eat food high in salt, fried food or generally unhealthy food, I feel the repercussions very quickly. In the beginning, I experienced repulsion towards [those] foods: If I smelled fried food, it literally made me sick to my stomach. I’ve been able to tolerate it now.

I have to remind myself to eat and set alarms to eat, because I can go 24 hours and not eat, and that’s not healthy. I don’t feel called to go out to eat, because I feel like it’s a waste of money. When your body undergoes a quick weight loss, like 80 pounds in six months, it’s a lot of physical changes. But now I feel really confident about it.

‘There’s a lot of stigma out there regarding the shot’

—Taylor Ragano, 35, tech entrepreneur

I always struggled with weight gain [and some health issues related to it]. I was on a diet since I was 14 years old. [GLP-1s are] better than anything I’ve ever done regarding weight loss.

It’s just quieted that food noise that makes you obsess over food. Food noise, for me, is being constantly hungry and just thinking about food. Looking at the menus obsessively before I go out to eat, eating and never feeling full, and just constantly craving food. I went from a live-to-eat mentality to an eat-to-live mentality.

I spend like $400 every six-to-eight weeks on GLP-1s. My grocery bill has gone down a lot, and I’d rather spend money on events or life experience than going out for dinner. Another thing, I don’t know what it is, but I don’t really want to drink much alcohol anymore.

[Since starting on GLP-1s] I was in a commercial as an extra. I do Disney princess gigs on the side. I was Ms. Virginia North America 2024. I did pageants when I was a teen, but I never thought I could do it again, especially given my age. I can’t believe I get to do these things.

There’s a lot of stigma out there regarding the shot, and I feel like so many people could really benefit from it. I know people think you cheated by doing the shot, but I put my health as a priority.

GLP-1s allow ‘me to get physically healthy without having to be mentally unhealthy’

—Elisa Vitalo, 44, health tech executive

I was very hesitant to start on a GLP-1. I had been on so many diets and really struggled with eating disorders in the past. I finally got to a mental place where I felt OK with who I was, and I was really concerned that focusing on my weight again was going to upset the sense of peace.

What finally pushed me over the edge was having a lot of issues with my knees. Now, I have turned into a huge advocate of GLP-1s. It’s been the best thing in terms of allowing me to get physically healthy without having to be mentally unhealthy in the process.

I just don’t think about food. The food noise really does go away. I heard a lot about side effects like people vomiting and having a lot of physical reactions. I have been fortunate, I haven’t had any of that. I did not realize about the constipation issues, though. And the biggest side effect for me was heartburn. I have become an expert on the Tums chewy bites.

I was surprised by my reduction in alcohol consumption. I’m buying higher-end clothes than I would have before because, one, I look better in them, and, two, I can actually fit into them. When you are in plus sizes, you have a limited selection of what you can purchase, and it’s usually not the highest quality.

For those of us who have been chronically chubby, it’s a health condition. I’m taking a drug that works. Why wouldn’t I do that in order to treat my condition? It just feels like a silly stigma for us to put on people. Like, who cares how you did it? As long as you are getting healthy and you’re losing the weight that you need to, don’t let other people get in your head about that.

These conversations have been condensed and edited for clarity.