For clinicians treating eating disorders, the central question is how to weigh reported changes in appetite against the possibility that medication-related weight loss may complicate recovery. A WHYY News report from the Renfrew Center in Philadelphia describes patients who tried GLP-1 medications and continue to struggle with food restriction or binge eating, as well as patients who fear what may happen when they stop taking the drugs.
In its WHYY News report, Samantha DeCaro, a Renfrew Center eating-disorder specialist, said some GLP-1 products could cause tremendous harm to vulnerable patients. The drugs have also been used to treat type 2 diabetes, chronic obesity, cardiovascular issues and metabolic complications.
DeCaro told WHYY that evidence is not yet sufficient to guide definitive recommendations about GLP-1 medications in eating-disorder treatment. She called for more weight-neutral research into the drugs’ effects. The report also describes patients who say the medications help manage binge-eating urges and quiet the so-called food noise that drives compulsive eating.
A Culture Shift Collides With Recovery
Gabriela Ponce’s experience is one of the personal accounts in WHYY’s report. She developed an eating disorder as a teenager and struggled with bulimia and anorexia into her mid-20s before entering recovery more than a decade ago. Now living in New York City, Ponce is a mother and an athlete who prioritizes strength, stamina and happiness over the scale, and embraces body positivity.
Ponce told WHYY she has seen culture turn back toward weight loss and thinness as GLP-1 medications have become more prominent among celebrities, public figures and the public. Her husband takes a GLP-1 for diabetes and chronic weight-management-related health issues, with a health care provider monitoring his care.
WHYY reported that telehealth companies advertise and prescribe GLP-1 medications for purposes including weight loss, sexual health and hair growth, sometimes with limited medical and mental health screening or follow-up. The report noted clinicians’ concern that people with or at risk of eating disorders may turn to weight-loss drugs instead of seeking eating-disorder treatment, potentially delaying evidence-based care and long-term recovery.
Fewer Patients Walking Through the Door
Shira Collings, a Philadelphia-based telehealth licensed professional counselor, told WHYY she has seen fewer patients seeking therapy for eating disorders. Clinicians cited in the report worry that GLP-1 use can mask psychological drivers of disordered eating without resolving them.
Research cited in the article raises a separate concern about weight change during treatment. Monte Nido describes GLP-1-induced weight suppression—the gap between a person’s highest historical weight and current weight—as a risk factor for eating-disorder vulnerability, according to Monte Nido.
Evidence on potential benefits is also being studied. A 2024 retrospective cohort study published in PubMed Central found that patients with binge eating disorder treated with semaglutide had significantly greater reductions in Binge Eating Scale scores than patients on traditional pharmacotherapies such as lisdexamfetamine or topiramate alone. Lisdexamfetamine remains the only medication specifically approved by the FDA for binge eating disorder, one reason clinicians are watching semaglutide’s effects despite the lack of a formal recommendation.
How Widespread Is GLP-1 Use Now
The scale of adoption helps explain why this tension has become so visible. A Gallup poll cited by KFF Health News in July found that 15% of U.S. adults reported having used GLP-1 medications to lose weight at some point, with 11% currently taking them — up from just 3% in 2024. A separate KFF Health Tracking Poll from November found that about 12% of U.S. adults reported currently taking a GLP-1 drug for weight loss, diabetes or another condition, while 18% said they had ever taken one.
That surge arrives against a backdrop of eating disorders that already affect a staggering share of Americans. SAMHSA data published in February 2025 estimate that roughly 28.8 million Americans — about 9% of the population — will develop an eating disorder during their lifetime, generating more than $64 billion in annual U.S. economic costs. Per the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, eating disorders cause approximately 10,200 deaths a year in the U.S., and people with high symptom severity are 11 times more likely to attempt suicide than those without an eating disorder.
Regulators Still Watching, Support Still Available
Federal regulators have continued to scrutinize the drugs' psychiatric risks. An FDA Drug Safety Communication updated in April found that evaluations of post-marketing surveillance and clinical trials turned up no clear evidence linking GLP-1 receptor agonists to suicidal thoughts or actions, though the agency said it would keep monitoring post-market data. Hoodline has also reported on Colorado's push to regulate compounded GLP-1 products after lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 26-066 on January 28; an amended version was sent to the Committee of the Whole on March 5.
What the labels and local care information establish
The FDA’s warning-letter summary says Zepbound is indicated, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, for chronic weight management in adults who meet specified BMI criteria. That labeled use is distinct from treatment of an eating disorder. The cited FDA material does not establish approved uses for semaglutide products or whether other prescribing labels address eating disorders or binge-eating disorder, so those questions are not resolved here: U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
For local treatment information, the Renfrew Center identifies its Philadelphia location as one of its two residential campuses. That location information does not, by itself, document insurance coverage or the full range of eating-disorder services available in Philadelphia or Pennsylvania: The Renfrew Center.
For those navigating recovery amid this shifting landscape, Ponce's message is simple: people who have struggled or are struggling should reach out for help, she told WHYY. Support groups, specialists, therapy providers, friends and relationships all offer paths forward, the outlet notes, even as clinicians like DeCaro continue to call for more weight-neutral research before the field can say with confidence how GLP-1 medications fit into eating disorder recovery.
