Putting this up for argument rather than for agreement. I have read it twice and I am still not certain what it supports.
The mental-health dimension is under-measured in the trial literature and the reports here are consistent enough to take seriously. On the positive side: reduced anxiety around food, better self-image, more confidence. On the difficult side: grief for the years lost, identity disruption, relationships built around eating, and the loss of food as a coping mechanism with nothing put in its place. Rarer but real: anhedonia and emotional flatness. Regulators have started asking for validated patient-reported outcomes in this class; the existing data gap is not evidence of absence.
Where I think it is weakest: the follow-up is short relative to how long people actually take these drugs, so durability is an assumption here rather than a finding.
The question I want answered is how people separated a drug effect from the ordinary consequences of a large deficit and disrupted sleep, because I cannot. Numbers rather than impressions, if you have them.
Figures above are from the primary publication rather than the press summary. If a number here disagrees with one you have, post yours and we will work out which of us is reading a secondary source.
JennaRN said:The mental-health dimension is under-measured in the trial literature and the reports here are consistent enough to take seriously.
One year anniversary on mental health — reflections:
What I wish I'd known: the side effects are temporary, the benefits compound over time, protein is more important than I thought, and the mental health aspect needs as much attention as the physical.
What surprised me: how much my relationship with food changed, the cascade of health improvements beyond weight, and how supportive this community is.
What I'd do differently: start therapy earlier, prioritize resistance training from day 1, and stop comparing my progress to others. Everyone's journey is unique.
JennaRN said:The mental-health dimension is under-measured in the trial literature and the reports here are consistent enough to take seriously.
I read this differently from JennaRN, on substance rather than tone. I would be careful about how confidently the flatness reports get attributed. Rapid weight loss, a large deficit and disrupted sleep produce low mood on their own, and separating that from a drug effect is genuinely hard.
If somebody has the primary source to hand I would rather cite it than paraphrase it.
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View ResultsFDA_TrackerJim said:I would be careful about how confidently the flatness reports get attributed.
Recovering from an eating disorder and using mental health: this is a complex situation and I want to be transparent about it.
I have a history of binge eating disorder. My psychiatrist, therapist, and prescribing doctor all collaborate on my care. The GLP-1 agonist has actually been therapeutic — it removes the biological urgency of binge impulses without relying on restriction.
This is NOT appropriate for all ED patients. Anorexia, bulimia, and restrictive EDs require different approaches. But for BED specifically, the evidence and my personal experience are positive. Always involve your mental health team.
CarlaRPh_TPA said:One year anniversary on mental health — reflections: What I wish I'd known: the side effects are temporary, the benefits compound over time, protein…
Adding a me-too, because a thread of one person's experience is not much use.