"I Lost Weight, But I Don’t Feel Like Myself Anymore"

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsGLP-1 Medication to the RescueMounjaro: What’s Changed for Me?How I’m CopingNext in GLP-1s and Mental Health GuideCaring for Your Mind and Body While Taking a Weight Loss Medication

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

GLP-1 Medication to the Rescue

Mounjaro: What’s Changed for Me?

How I’m Coping

Next in GLP-1s and Mental Health Guide

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This article is purely informational and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider if you think that using a weight loss medication is right for you.

WarningsYou should not take Mounjaro (tirzepatide) if:you have a history or family history ofmedullary thyroid carcinoma(MTC)you havemultiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2(MEN2)you are allergic to tirzepatide or any ingredient in Mounjaro

Warnings

You should not take Mounjaro (tirzepatide) if:you have a history or family history ofmedullary thyroid carcinoma(MTC)you havemultiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2(MEN2)you are allergic to tirzepatide or any ingredient in Mounjaro

You should not take Mounjaro (tirzepatide) if:

Losing weight feels empowering and often boosts self-esteem. However, losing weight doesn’t equate to feeling better mentally. Some people who lose weight successfully might not feel entirely like themselves after the weight comes off.

“Well, you do have a heavy sweater and jeans on,” the nurse reassured me while I audibly gasped as soon as I stepped on the scale. It was a chilly November morning when I visited my local urgent care center for debilitating back pain thanks to a raging, unrelenting case of sciatica.

I could barely focus on what the doctor had to say when she entered the examination room. All I could think about was my weight – a frightening number I hadn’t seen before. How did I get here? What had I done over the last few years to pack the pounds on so quickly? The only thing I knew at that moment was that Ihad to do something.

It took a few months after this harrowing revelation before I started using GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) medication, namely, Mounjaro (tirzepatide). I found atelehealth providerwho gave me a prescription after submitting my height, weight, age, and a blood test. I’ll admit, I was a bit hesitant and scared of the potential side effects, mostly nausea (something that I find intolerable).

Once I started taking Mounjaro, the side effects were minimal and the weight slipped off me at breakneck speed. Even when I ate “whatever I wanted to,” I wouldn’t gain – I’d even lose a bit after the evenings my husband and I would go out to a nice restaurant and indulge in rich, heavy meals and a decadent dessert.

Initially, it was my goal to get back to my wedding weight. I had gained a significant amount since our wedding and told myself I’d be happy to just get back to that point. Before I knew it, I was 12 poundsbelowmy wedding weight. After a year of using Mounjaro, I’m now down 45 pounds, which might not be as much weight loss compared to other users, but it’s an incredible victory for me.

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I’m physically smaller now, and my body fits into smaller clothing sizes. This still shocks me every time I get dressed and look in the mirror. Yet somehow, my brain still has a tough time connecting the joy of my weight loss to how I feel in other ways.

Here are some things that have changed for me since embarking on my GLP-1 weight loss journey.

My Anxiety Is Off the Charts

I never dealt with anxiety before, but I do haveattention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This makes things a bit more challenging in my professional life as a writer. However, when I tookADHD medicationbefore taking it in conjunction with Mounjaro, I never felt antsy or anxious, just focused and calm.

Since I started Mounjaro, I get intense bouts of anxiety that occasionally make it difficult for me to focus and to feel at ease in general. I spend most of my day writing with deadlines dangling above my head, and piling on the anxiety makes my otherwise typical daily tasks difficult to manage. I feel burnt out and overwhelmed at the end of the day, and it sticks with me until I finally fall asleep.

Ironically, one study found that patients with diabetes who took GLP-1 medications had a lower likelihood of being diagnosed with depression and anxiety.

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Insomnia Upends My Days

I’ve suffered from insomnia since I was a child. Sure, I have decent stretches when I sleep just fine, but when I don’t, the following day is hell. When I enteredperimenopause, the insomnia started coming back in intense and brutal waves.

Once I started taking Mounjaro, I noticed that I tend to have sleepless nights on the evening of my weekly dose. Now I have to diligently plan when I take the medication, or else I’ll suffer the next day. Whenever I pair a night of little to nosleep with anxiety, it’s disastrous and can derail my day entirely.

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The Anhedonia Is Real

It’s not set in stone, but some healthcare professionals theorize that GLP-1 drugs may directly interact withdopaminein the brain. Those dopamine receptors are what give you a feeling of satisfaction or reward. Although this may show that GLP-1 drugs have the potential to help people dealing with addiction,it might not work for people like me.

You see, since I’ve started taking Mounjaro, I don’t feel the same feelings of joy or elation that I once did. Things I used to get excited about barely make a blip on my radar. I wouldn’t say I’m depressed, but I would say it feels similar toanhedonia, an inability to experience joy or pleasure that makes me feel numb. You’d think it would be the opposite since losing the weight, but I constantly feel like I’m in a heavy mental fog that blocks sheer delight from my view.

Before taking this medication, I’d get giddy about the little things in life. Whether it was a friend coming to town to visit me or exciting dinner plans with my husband, those small yet personally significant things have sadly lost their shine. Of all the changes I’ve felt, this one has impacted me the most profoundly.

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I still take Mounjaro once a week and don’t plan to stop until my doctor advises me to do so. However, I am doing afew things to try and mitigate these new changesin my mental health:

While the maker of Mounjaro lists its side effects as only physical, I can say with confidence that this medication has had a profoundimpact on the way I feel mentally, too.

If you are feeling like this or experiencing similar symptoms, talk to your healthcare professional.

If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety or depression, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety or depression, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jastreboff, A., Aronne, L., Ahmad, N., et al.Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity.N Engl J Med. 2022;387:205-216. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2206038Miller, A., Joyce, B., Bartelt, K., Deckert, J.Most GLP-1 medications correlated with a lower likelihood of anxiety and depression diagnoses.Epic Research.2024.Chuong, V., Farokhnia, M., Kohm, S., et al.The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue semaglutide reduces alcohol drinking and modulates central GABA neurotransmission.JCI Insight.2023;8(12):e170671.

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jastreboff, A., Aronne, L., Ahmad, N., et al.Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity.N Engl J Med. 2022;387:205-216. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2206038Miller, A., Joyce, B., Bartelt, K., Deckert, J.Most GLP-1 medications correlated with a lower likelihood of anxiety and depression diagnoses.Epic Research.2024.Chuong, V., Farokhnia, M., Kohm, S., et al.The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue semaglutide reduces alcohol drinking and modulates central GABA neurotransmission.JCI Insight.2023;8(12):e170671.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Jastreboff, A., Aronne, L., Ahmad, N., et al.Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity.N Engl J Med. 2022;387:205-216. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2206038Miller, A., Joyce, B., Bartelt, K., Deckert, J.Most GLP-1 medications correlated with a lower likelihood of anxiety and depression diagnoses.Epic Research.2024.Chuong, V., Farokhnia, M., Kohm, S., et al.The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue semaglutide reduces alcohol drinking and modulates central GABA neurotransmission.JCI Insight.2023;8(12):e170671.

Jastreboff, A., Aronne, L., Ahmad, N., et al.Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity.N Engl J Med. 2022;387:205-216. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2206038

Miller, A., Joyce, B., Bartelt, K., Deckert, J.Most GLP-1 medications correlated with a lower likelihood of anxiety and depression diagnoses.Epic Research.2024.

Chuong, V., Farokhnia, M., Kohm, S., et al.The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue semaglutide reduces alcohol drinking and modulates central GABA neurotransmission.JCI Insight.2023;8(12):e170671.

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