FRIDAY, Feb. 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Satisfaction with semaglutide (Ozempic) is mainly driven by effective weight loss despite gastrointestinal side effects, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Abanoub J. Armanious, from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey, and colleagues applied a novel infoveillance approach to examine patient-reported experiences with off-label semaglutide use for weight loss in a study analyzing 60 publicly available, self-selected, anonymous user reviews.
The researchers identified three major themes from the thematic analysis: change in body weight and appetite, non-weight-related symptoms and side effects, and plan for ongoing use versus discontinuation. Reduced appetite, food cravings, or body weight were reported by two-thirds of respondents. Gastrointestinal complaints occurred frequently (reported by 37 of 60), but did not have a significant influence on satisfaction ratings or decisions to continue treatment. More frequent associations with low overall satisfaction and discontinuation were seen for minimal/no weight loss and the emergence of nongastrointestinal side effects. A greater willingness to continue semaglutide treatment was seen in association with effective weight loss, even when accompanied by gastrointestinal side effects.
"What we found is that for many users, the calculus is straightforward: If the drug helps them lose weight, they're willing to tolerate significant discomfort," senior author Morgan H. James, Ph.D., also from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, said in a statement. "That tells us something important about the demand for effective weight loss options and how we need to think about supporting such patients."
One author is an inventor on a patent describing novel approaches for reducing overeating.