GLP-1s silenced the food noise in my brain. But did I also lose my ability to enjoy anything?
I’ve been on semaglutide for about 4 months now (2.4mg weekly) and the weight loss has been great – down 38 lbs. The constant food chatter in my head is just… gone. I used to think about my next meal while eating my current meal, you know? But here’s the weird part nobody warned me about. I don’t just feel neutral about food anymore. I feel kind of neutral about everything? Like I still do my hobbies and see friends, but there’s this flatness to it all. My favorite coffee shop opened a new location nearby and I was like “oh okay” instead of excited. My daughter made honor roll and I was proud but it felt muted somehow. Is this anhedonia? Did the GLP-1 mess with my dopamine system or something? I’m not depressed exactly, just… emotionally beige? Has anyone else experienced this? I brought it up to my prescriber and she said it’s not a known side effect but maybe we could lower my dose. I’m scared to mess with what’s working for the weight loss but I also miss feeling like myself. Would love to hear if anyone has dealt with this or if I’m just going through some weird phase.
I had something similar around month 3 on tirz. For me it turned out my calories had gotten TOO low because I just wasn’t hungry ever, and I was barely hitting 800 cals some days. Started tracking and forcing myself to eat more protein and healthy fats, and within two weeks I felt more like myself again. The flatness lifted quite a bit. Not saying that’s definitely your issue but might be worth tracking for a few days to see where you’re actually at? My doctor mentioned that undereating can definitely affect mood and energy even if you don’t feel hungry.
This is actually being talked about more in the GLP-1 research community. These medications do affect dopamine pathways, not just in the reward centers related to food but potentially other areas too. Some people report exactly what you’re describing – a general dampening of excitement or motivation. The good news is Mara’s point about calories is real too, and that’s often the culprit. But if your nutrition is solid and this persists, talking to your doctor about dose adjustment or even taking a break might be worth it. Quality of life matters just as much as the number on the scale imo.
yes YES this happened to me too! I thought I was losing my mind. For me it got better after my dose stabilized and I stopped titrating up. I’m on month 7 now and that flatness mostly went away after month 5 or so. I think part of it was also just adjusting to not having food as an emotional crutch anymore? Like I used to get excited about meals because they were dopamine hits throughout my day, and without that I had to find other things. Started painting again which helped. But def mention it to your doctor if it doesn’t improve.