Can Ozempic & Similar Drugs Affect Your Sex Drive?
What we know — and what we don’t — about injectable weight loss meds’ impact on libido.
Roughly 15.5 million Americans use or have used injectable weight loss medications, according to a Gallup poll released last year. What once seemed like a secret weapon reserved for celebrities to shed weight quickly is now a much more accessible medication, and if you’re not on them, you probably know more than one person who is. So, it matters that we know more about them going forward, and some patients say they’ve noticed some changes in their libido since starting their shots. But does Ozempic affect your sex drive? What about similar medications, like Mounjaro and Wegovy?
Does Ozempic affect your sex drive?
Some people who take injectable weight loss medications — Ozempic or others — have questions about what it can do to their libido. One user told Wired in an interview that his sex drive increased after losing about 18 pounds on the medication, and a Wall Street Journal report quotes a woman who noticed when she takes her medication, her sex drive is much higher, then throttles back down as she nears the time for her next dose.
On the other hand, plenty of people have taken to Reddit reporting their weight loss medication tanked their libido. (Like, a lot of people.) There is some evidence that glucose-lowering medications can contribute to erectile dysfunction, while other studies say they help alleviate it. These drugs work by turning down some of the brain’s reward system as it relates to food and pleasure, which is the same part of the brain that finds reward and pleasure in sex, reproductive endocrinologist Dr. James Simon told the Washington Post.
As you can see, there are a lot of theories and contradicting information out there. Unfortunately, medical experts just can’t say for certain yet whether these medications impact libido positively or negatively, or how they might be influencing it.
“There isn't currently any concrete clinical evidence that suggests one way or the other that these medications increase or decrease libido,” says Aleesa Ponce, APRN, a certified nurse-midwife with Orlando Health Physician Associates. “I do know that there are some studies out that are going to be looking at this, but I don't think we have any concrete information right now. So at this point, I think this is a conversation that a patient should have with their provider.”
Ponce’s patients who take injectable weight loss medications frequently report fatigue, especially when they first begin taking the medication, which is one possible reason for a decline in libido, she says.
It makes sense why research about this doesn’t exist yet — sexual health is an underfunded area of study anyway, particularly as it pertains to women, and there have never been so many people on this class of medications before. We are bound to learn much about their side effects in the coming years. For now, if the change in your sex drive is impacting your life or concerning you in any way, talk to your doctor about it. They can help you suss out the possible cause, whether it’s Ozempic or something else.
The only thing for certain right now is this: Sex drive is a complicated thing, one that can be influenced by menopause and perimenopause, other health conditions, your relationship with your partner or your body, Ponce says. “The take-home message is to follow up with your provider, and please start to dig into what might be going on because it’s important to try to rule out other things.”
