Harmful Effects of Weight Loss Drugs Outweigh the Benefits

Turn on the television or scroll on your phone for 5 minutes, and you are likely to be bombarded with ads about weight loss drugs that lower risks of certain diseases. However, I believe that the harms associated with the drugs far outweigh the benefits, as it can cause diseases and financial stress.

As obesity rates rise, and beauty standards heavily prioritize thinness over health, weight loss drugs are becoming more and more popular. These drugs make you feel less hungry, become full more easily, or take in less fat from food. However, although providing a small benefit, they cause massive health and economic struggles that ultimately overshadow their appeal.

In the 1950s, weight loss drugs were developed and became popular for disease prevention , and people started using them to treat weight loss and other diseases. As years passed, unhealthier ingredients were added to many popular foods, raising the obesity rates and contributing to the popularity of these drugs. Now, according to undefined, 91 percent of Americans surveyed were aware of these drugs, compared to 80 percent in 2024, and 15 percent had taken them before, compared to 3 percent in 2024.

Weight loss drugs, although treating the disease of obesity, can introduce many other issues. For example, cyclic vomiting is a common concern. This is marked by episodes of vomiting every day, and can last many days to weeks. This can greatly affect one’s ability to complete daily tasks, as it can cause rapid energy draining and severe dehydration. It can also disrupt the regular sleep cycle, as episodes often happen during the morning or night.

The drugs can also increase the chances of gallbladder disease, which can escalate into a life threatening medical emergency. The drugs drastically slow down the stomach as part of their function and can also stop the gallbladder from contracting efficiently. This may cause gallstones to develop inside the gallbladder, causing intense abdominal pain and even a ruptured gallbladder in certain cases. For most patients, the only solution to this is an emergency surgery, which can introduce significant setbacks and health risks. This surgery would have been unnecessary if the these drugs had not been used in the first place.

Finally, although weight loss drugs do not cause withdrawal symptoms, they are a long-term medication, and sustaining the purchase of these drugs for life is costly. Shortly after stopping the drug, one’s body will not be able to readjust to normal conditions, causing one to gain back weight rapidly. Therefore, many individuals choose to continue this medication for the rest of their lives. These drugs can cost around $1350 from online sources, and this cost can draw many to sacrifice essentials like housing upgrades or nutritional food, making their overall health even worse.

Some might say that risks and high costs are a well–balanced trade off for a chronic and dangerous illness like obesity. However, there are other, less harmful ways to treat obesity, such as various types of therapy. The unpredictable side effects of these drugs carry their own dangerous health risks. Compromising essentials to daily life just to afford a dose can trap patients in a harmful cycle of financial strain and mental anxiety.

The rise of weight loss drugs is one of the most worrying trends nowadays. They can ruin an individual’s wellbeing and financial standing, just to help with one illness. If weight loss drugs are not controlled better in the future, with doctors imposing strict guidelines to who can use them, we risk fueling a crisis that prioritizes short term effects over long term individual health.