What effect does Ozempic have on your sex life?

Ozempic appears to be linked to another system in the body. Originally developed to treat diabetes, the drug is known to cause weight loss. These days, it's even better known for its weight-loss effects than for its effects on diabetes.

Users of the weight-loss supplement have recently been discussing how it affects their sex lives. For some, it's positive, for others, not so much. Apparently, the changes are noticeable in both men and women.

Miranda had a very healthy libido, she reported in an interview. But when she started taking tirzepatide, the generic version of Mounjaro—another weight-loss drug—she noticed her desire vanished. It turns out that aversion to sex is a common side effect of GLP-1 inhibitors (gluvagon-like peptide-1). These medications—Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic—mimic a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate blood sugar, appetite, and digestion.

When these GLP-1s affect a man's libido, they can lower testosterone levels and cause erectile dysfunction. In all patients, they affect dopamine levels. The hormone that drives us to seek out pleasurable activities and is released when we experience them is present when we engage in more pleasurable behaviors, such as eating or sex. So, in addition to a decreased appetite, a decreased libido can sometimes also occur.

Tea, a 35-year-old ICU nurse, described her sex life before the tirzepatide injections: "I'm hypersexual, so we used to have sex quite often, but the week I started the injections, my libido plummeted." Tea said that at her heaviest 180 pounds (84 kg) and a mother of three, she still had the energy for sex at least four times a week: long, sensual moments with multiple orgasms each time.

She started taking GLP-1 because she found that, even with diet and exercise, she couldn't lose the weight she'd gained during her pregnancies. She started taking the weight-loss drug, which cost €400 to €500 a month, to suppress her appetite.

The medication worked. Tea lost 40 pounds. But that had a downside. "That disgust some people feel when using the injections, I felt the same way during sex," Tea said.

Dr. Holly Lofton, director of the weight management medical program at NYU Langone Health, said the higher the dose of the drug, the more likely patients are to experience decreased libido.

Moreover, patients continue taking the drug while they lose weight. "So the drug works at a higher concentration in [the patient] because they are now a thinner person and are taking a high dose," Lofton told the Post. "Patients may feel too tired [to have sex] because the drug makes them function with lower blood sugar than before," she said. "They just don't have the energy to do enjoyable things, like spend time with their partner."

When Tea lowered her dose, her libido returned. For others, the opposite is true.

Christine started taking Zepbound in February 2024. For the first two months of taking the medication, she had no desire to do anything. But then she increased her dosage. "When I increased my dosage, I felt much more energetic, and so did my libido."

Researchers from Florence, Italy, attribute the increase in libido to a more positive body image, the role insulin plays in influencing sex hormones, and the overall impact of weight loss on mental health.

This also applied to Caley Svensson, who has been using Mounjaro for three years. "Before I started the injections, my libido was terribly low because I didn't feel good about myself," says the mother of three and interior design influencer.

Svensson also suffered from depression. Since 2022, she's lost almost 100 pounds. "Now I feel sexy and confident," she says. "I truly thrive in the bedroom."