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When Molly Taylor started taking Mounjaro in the fall of 2024, she marveled at the speed of results. She wasn’t overweight, but she hadn’t been comfortable in her body. Now, she could eat whatever she wanted, just in smaller portions, and people were complimenting her looks. She no longer felt self-conscious.
Then her mindset began to shift.
“I gradually started to worry about what I was eating, how many calories were in it, if it was going to stop me from losing more weight,” said the 23-year-old nanny, who is studying to be a nurse in London. “I think that’s when I was starting to develop anorexia.”
GLP-1s have been hailed as miracle drugs, their rise leading to critical breakthroughs in America’s fight against obesity. Roughly 13 million Americans are now on them, according to research from JPMorgan published in February. The drugs mimic naturally occurring hormones to suppress appetite and cravings and make people feel full. For those who’ve struggled with restrictive eating and anorexia, that can be a tantalizing proposition—and a dangerous one.
Anorexia kills a higher percentage of patients than any other eating disorder, and it is the second most deadly mental illness after opioid addiction, according to data compiled by the nonprofit National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.
“I recovered from anorexia myself many years ago, and had this been on the market, I think I certainly would have tried to access it,” said Jennifer Rollin, therapist and founder of the Eating Disorder Center, which is based in Rockville, Md., and provides therapy for patients in seven states.
“Seeing all of the celebrities on the red carpet and so many friends and family members, kind of, bragging about weight loss—that has been a huge trigger for many of the clients I work with,” she said.
Rollin’s business has helped treat people with eating disorders who’ve obtained GLP-1 medications to suppress their appetites, as well as those who were triggered into disordered eating while taking the drugs for approved conditions.
The popularity of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, approved for use in 2017 to treat Type 2 diabetes, helped usher in a new wave of GLP-1 drugs that are helping people address chronic weight issues and related problems like sleep apnea and adverse cardiovascular events. Researchers are probing for other applications.
Some doctors say the drugs have as much potential to hurt people with certain eating disorders as to help people with others. The drugs have been used off-label to help with conditions like binge eating and bulimia, which are notoriously difficult to treat.
Jamie Thayer, 48, was prescribed Wegovy for weight loss. “It was like a miracle at first,” she said.
She weighed 240 pounds when she started taking the drug in March 2023, and she rapidly started to shed pounds. She also experienced very low energy, hair loss, severe dizziness, fainting spells from low blood sugar and brain fog. Her son, who had recovered from anorexia, shared his concern with her that Thanksgiving.
“I was really proud of my weight loss at that point,” said Thayer, a Title IX coordinator in Frederick, Md. “I thought I was doing a really good thing.”
When her insurance stopped covering brand-name GLP-1s, she started buying a compounded powder version from China and reconstituting it at home. Meanwhile, her eating became more disordered, governed by strict rules.
“I wouldn’t eat Monday or Tuesday, then on Wednesday I could get a pastry,” she said. “My shot would start to wear off around Saturday, so I usually got some calories on Saturday and Sunday.”
In July 2024, after losing 100 pounds, she checked into a residential treatment center in Connecticut, where she was diagnosed with atypical anorexia and, soon after, re-feeding syndrome, which endangers malnourished people who take on food too fast. She said it saved her life.
Sam DeCaro, director of clinical outreach and education at the Renfrew Center, described a common misconception: that undereating is fine for people who are not considered underweight. In fact, it can be a sign of atypical anorexia, where someone has all the hallmarks of anorexia but is not underweight by body-mass index standards.
“Their undernourishment is causing them all these medical issues, heart issues,” DeCaro said. “It affects every system in the body.”
The rise of telehealth has made it easier than ever for people to obtain pharmaceuticals. Taylor, the nanny in London, said she submitted a doctored photograph of herself that made her look heavier to obtain her prescription. Jessica Scheer, CEO of National Eating Disorders Association, said the organization has heard that some providers don’t screen for a history of disordered eating before prescribing GLP-1s.
The makers of popular GLP-1 drugs have condemned the use of their medications for cosmetic weight loss. The medications don’t warn against using the drugs if you have a history of eating disorders. As with all prescriptions, it is up to care providers to determine whether a medication is right for a particular patient.
“We support our medicines being prescribed to patients who meet the indicated criteria and only promote the FDA-approved indications of our medicines for appropriate patients,” a Novo Nordisk spokesperson said in a statement.
“Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority,” an Eli Lilly spokesperson said in a statement. “As part of our routine safety review process for obesity management and Type 2 diabetes medications, we are working closely with regulators regarding potential safety topics, and we will continue to review data, including any data regarding eating disorders.”
Taylor, who began injecting in October 2024, was hospitalized in May 2025, soon after returning from a vacation. She’d gone about two weeks without eating, and her weight had dropped from 147 pounds to 103.
“I had to slowly re-feed myself and also get all my electrolytes and everything replenished,” she said. She didn’t tell the hospital about her GLP-1 use. “I wanted to carry on losing weight.”
When Mounjaro became harder to get, she sought out the medication through a friend of a friend. This January, she stopped the injections and began going to eating disorder treatment several times a week.
“I still struggle massively, and my weight has continued to go down,” she said. She currently weighs 88 pounds and plans to seek inpatient treatment, as soon as a room becomes available.
If you are struggling with body-image or eating concerns, you can call the National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline at 866-662-1235. If you are in crisis or need immediate help, text “ALLIANCE” to 741741.
Write to Sara Ashley O’Brien at [email protected]