Greater willingness to continue treatment seen with effective weight loss, even when accompanied by gastrointestinal side effects<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n
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<\/em>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n One author is an inventor on a patent describing novel approaches for reducing overeating.<\/p>\n