For weight loss, do these medicines not only reduce appetite but also romance? Doctors told the truth

Nowadays, obesity has become a common problem and to reduce it, people are increasingly resorting to new weight loss medicines. These include Ozempic to glp1. Especially some such medicines, which help in weight loss by reducing appetite, are in trend these days and millions of people around the world are using them.

Meanwhile, a doctor’s claim has sparked a new debate. He says that some medicines taken to reduce obesity not only reduce appetite, but can also affect people’s romantic desire or love feelings. However, the discussion has now intensified on what is the opinion of doctors regarding this claim and what is the truth.

Claim went viral on social media

This discussion started when Dr. Shin Geon-Young (PhD) shared a post on the social media platform X. He wrote that weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Tirzepatide are not limited to just reducing appetite, but they can also affect the parts of the brain that are associated with human desires and motivation. He further said that earlier it was believed that GLP-1 medicines only reduce food cravings. But some new research has indicated that these medicines can also help in reducing the desire to drink alcohol, drug addiction and habits like gambling. He also said that some of the same parts of the brain that are associated with the hunger and reward systems are also active when falling in love or feeling attraction for someone. In such a situation, he believes that if these medicines reduce the intense desire to achieve something i.e. “wanting”, then it is possible that they may also affect romantic attraction to some extent. This post of Dr. Shin quickly went viral on social media. After this, the question started arising among the people whether the medicines taken for weight loss can affect not only the body but also the relationships and emotions of the person.

What does the research say?

• A study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that GLP-1 signaling is linked to neural pathways in the brain that control addiction and behavioral motivation. In this research, it was seen that these medicines can reduce reward seeking behavior i.e. the intense desire to get something by affecting the circuits related to dopamine. This is the reason why many people using these medicines reduce their craving for food and sometimes their craving for alcohol or other things also reduces.
• Similarly, in a research published in The Lancet eClinicalMedicine, the wide-ranging effects of GLP-1 drugs on the brain were studied. This study indicated that these drugs may affect areas of the brain that are associated with impulse control and motivation. This is why these drugs are now being seen as having potential in the treatment of addiction and compulsive behavior in some cases. However, neither of these studies concluded that these drugs directly affect love, attraction or relationships.

Can love be explained by a single chemical?

Experts say that feeling attraction towards someone or falling in love is not just a biological process. According to NDTV report, no solid scientific evidence has been found yet to prove that GLP-1 drugs directly reduce romantic attraction. Love and relationships are formed by the combination of many things. In this, brain chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and vasopressin, as well as the person’s mood, nature, environment and his life experiences also play an important role.

Some side effects of medicines

Many times, mood changes due to medication are not caused directly by the medication itself, but by its side effects. GLP-1 medicines can cause problems like nausea, dehydration and very low appetite in some people. When someone starts eating less or feels uncomfortable, it can spoil his mood and affect his daily life. According to experts, eating together is a big social occasion in most relationships. If there is no appetite, then these opportunities are reduced and relationships are affected. Also, eating less can lead to deficiency of vitamins and essential nutrients, which has a negative impact on mood and mental health.

Changes may be seen in some people

Some patients have reported experiencing mild changes in motivation or reward sensitivity after taking GLP-1 medications. According to Dr. Monica Sharma, such changes may vary from person to person. Psychological, hormonal and relationship related factors also affect them. For this reason, doctors recommend that people who are taking these medicines should keep an eye on their mood, desire and emotional state and if any changes are felt, they should discuss it with the doctor.