07 Aug RAND Study Analyzes Which Demographic Most Likely to Use GLP-1 Medications

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Donofry

Shannon D. Donofry Ph.D.
Behavioral Scientist
B.A.Sc. in psychology/neuroscience
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus;
Ph.D, University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus

Dr. Rancaño

Katherine M. Rancaño, Ph.D
Associate Policy Researcher
RAND

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: GLP-1 medications were first used to help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar. Lately, they’ve become popular for helping people lose weight, too. Because of this, a lot more people have started using them. In our study, we asked over 8,000 adults from across the country about their use of GLP-1 medications and any side effects they had.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response:  We found that women are more likely than men to use these medications, except for men over 65, who use them a bit more than women their age. Middle-aged women were the group most likely to take these medications—about 1 in 5 said they had used them. We also looked at side effects like nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and what some call “Ozempic face,” which is a hollowed-out look in the face. Most people had mild side effects, with nausea being the most common. The hollowed-out face was the least common side effect.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: The number of people using these medications hasn’t changed much in the last two years. About 12% of adults had tried them two years ago, and our study found almost the same number. What’s new from our study is that middle-aged women are the most likely to use these medications. We think this is an important finding because there may be unique health considerations for GLP-1 use among midlife women that deserve attention. We also found that most people who had side effects said they were mild, which is good news. But it’s important to know that a small group—between 1% and 8%—had more serious side effects. We didn’t ask about long-term effects or how these side effects might change someone’s daily life or their decision to keep taking the medication. 

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?

Response: We saw that most people taking these medications are middle-aged women. This matters because middle age is when many women go through menopause, which brings a lot of changes physiologically, socially, and psychologically. Right now, we don’t know much about how these medications affect women during this time. Future research should focus on this group to help answer those questions.

We do not have any disclosures to report.

Citation:

New Weight Loss Drugs: GLP-1 Agonist Use and Side Effects in the United States
Robert Bozick, Shannon D. Donofry, Katherine M. Rancaño
ResearchPublished Aug 6, 2025
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4153-1.html#:~:text=About%20Half%20of%20Those%20Who,%2For%20hollowed%2Dout%20face.

The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Some links may be sponsored. Products are not warranted or endorsed.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.

Last Updated on August 7, 2025 by Marie Benz MD FAAD