Can Ozempic Lead to Divorce? Here's Everything to Know, According to a Psychologist

Whether in Reddit comments or during real talk among my friends, I’ve been noticing more discussions about the role of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy in divorce. Writer Roxane Gay wrote about something similar when she considered her relationship vis a vis the weight loss surgery she had: “Many married people get divorced after the surgery because their spouses cannot cope with the changes, so much so that ‘bariatric divorce’ is a thing. The psychologist I saw for my presurgical evaluation warned that the first year is really difficult.” It makes sense, since the drug effects your personality,  your relationships and even your perimenopausal hormones. I spoke to an experienced weight loss clinician about whether GLP-1 is a shortcut to splitsville.

Rachel Goldman PhD, FTOS, is a clinical psychologist in private practice and the Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Goldman specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and takes a holistic approach to helping clients achieve their health and wellness goals. She is also an obesity Psychology Advisor for Ro, a New York City-based telehealth company.

Have You Seen Any Studies and/or Anecdotal Evidence of Love Relationships Ending or Having Friction Due to GLP1-Induced Weight Loss?

“Yes, and it’s nothing new,” according to Goldman. “We’ve seen it post-bariatric surgery. So similar kinds of life changes made after weight loss achieved by GLP-1s are to be expected.” Goldman cites a 2018 study of post-bariatric surgery patients found that that bariatric surgery patients who were married were 41 percent more likely to get divorced, compared to people in the general population, and she says she’s seeing a similar increase in relationship friction and breakups among people using GLP-1s, anti-obesity medications or medications like Ozempic.

What Are Some of the Reasons That Weight Loss of one Partner Can End/Evolve a Relationship?

“Let’s say you’re in a couple and your thing together is to watch a movie and munch popcorn on the couch,” Goldman says. “After starting a GLP-1, that person may want to go on an evening walk instead. So if that person takes their walk alone, they need to find and create a new ritual with their partner.”  

“Also, some other times, you’ll feel resentment from the other person, who doesn’t want to change their ritual or change to support their partner,” Goldman says. She acknowledges that it can be challenging, but also sometimes, the transition can bring the couple closer.

What Role Does Self-Confidence Play in All This?

Goldman says that when her patients take control of their health, many times she sees a boost of self-confidence, which can empower someone to leave a relationship they previously felt stuck in, but didn’t feel able to end. “I saw it firsthand and in such an extreme way—one client was really unhappy, had a low body image and exhibited depressive symptoms, she explains. “They showed up to my office in sweatpants with holes, put on crooked. But after getting their health and weight under control, they started appearing and presenting like a different person, dressed well with their head held high. They told me they had left their partner, were going back to school and now had the confidence that they could take control of their life.”

GLP-1s impact the reward center in the brain, which is why you’re having less food noise, fewer cravings and less interest in alcohol use. It’s also why that might impact your sex drive.”

Dr. Rachel Goldman

I’ve Heard Ozempic Shrinks the Empathy Center of the Brain, So It Makes You a Less Kind Partner. Is This True?

“I haven’t see that, however what we do know is GLP-1s impact the reward center in the brain, which is why you're having less food noise, fewer cravings and less interest in alcohol use. It's also why what might impact your sex drive,” Goldman says. She points out that it’s difficult to know the causal link between an uptick or dampening of libido and Ozempic; in her practice, she’s observed both increased and decreased sex drives on Ozempic. She points out that fluctuating desire might cause a mismatch—for example, if a couple wasn’t interested in sex and now the person on Ozempic is interested, the other partner can feel left out.

However, there are a lot of unanswered questions about the brain mechanisms of the drug. Recently a gastroenterologist and  psychiatrist published a paper entitled “Starting GLP-1 therapy may induce impulse control disorders,” which theorizes,“Starting GLP-1 agonists may result in cognitive changes in decision making through the combination of metabolic changes resulting from calorie deficit/rapid weight loss, in combination with direct effects of GLP-1 agonists on brain function. This isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound—these drugs are powerful and we don’t know everything about their biomechanics. And mood effects of drugs are far from unheard of—it’s common to see users getting unruly quitting smoking on Chantex, for example, and Levodopa, a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease, has been shown to increase the risk for pathological gambling.”

Is There a Way to Avoid Ozempic Divorce/Breakups?

“First I tell patients that this might happen, so they might take a preventative care approach and find ways to strengthen the relationship,” per Goldman. “I tell them that a lot of communication [is] the key to any couple—when there is stress, nobody is a mind reader and your partner can be on a completely different page if you don’t talk to them,” she says, adding that you should be mindful of tone.

Be aware that any depression or mental health issues or relationship issues are not going to disappear because you lost weight, even withstanding the recent Journal of Geriatric Medicine study that linked reduced depression symptoms with GLP-1 treatment. “I have had people come to me post weight loss and ask why am I still depressed? To which I remind them [that] not much has changed other than you have lost weight,” Goldman says. She’s underscoring the important point that while safe weight loss and GLP-1 therapy might be a good thing, it’s not a cure-all. The mind, body and yes, the lover are all still needing tending to stay healthy and grow.