{"id":617809,"date":"2026-02-26T15:39:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/617809\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T15:39:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:39:11","slug":"we-lost-weight-on-glp-1-drugs-and-then-lost-our-sex-drives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/617809\/","title":{"rendered":"We lost weight on GLP-1 drugs \u2014 and then lost our sex drives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to The Thin Line, The New York Post\u2019s series about the darker side of GLP-1 drugs. Though GLP-1 agonists sold under brand names like Ozempic have helped millions of people lose weight, manage diabetes and improve other health conditions, they are not without risks. Check back for more stories about the lesser-known downsides of these wildly popular medications.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Christine Reed-Smith had tried it all: a dietitian, grueling workouts, even weight-loss surgery in Mexico. Yet the pounds kept creeping up, and her body was becoming insulin resistant.<\/p>\n

So at 50, the salon owner from Columbia City, Oregon, turned to tirzepatide<\/a>, the active ingredient in GLP-1 drugs like Mounjaro and Zepbound, hoping to rein in her blood sugar and finally stabilize the scale.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, she got the body she wanted \u2014 but weight wasn\u2019t the only thing she lost. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll of a sudden, I couldn\u2019t care less about sex,\u201d Reed-Smith told The Post.<\/p>\n

Christine Reed-Smith credits GLP-1 medications with helping her maintain weight loss, but says they also wiped out her sex drive. Christine Smith-Reed<\/p>\n

Reed-Smith\u2019s sex life with her husband had ups and downs over their 17-year marriage \u2014 not uncommon for a long-term relationship. Usually, she was the one keeping things spicy \u2014 but after starting a GLP-1, her libido tanked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would participate, but I definitely wouldn\u2019t climax, or if I did, it took a lot of effort. And I feel guilty for that because it isn\u2019t due to poor performance on my husband\u2019s part,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s literally that something is wrong with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem went beyond the bedroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you go from having a very active sex life to having a nonexistent sex life, there was a lot of silence,\u201d Reed-Smith said. \u201cThere were cold shoulders. There were hurt feelings \u2014 probably from both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

How GLP-1s can affect libido <\/p>\n

GLP-1s help regulate appetite and blood sugar by mimicking hormones released by the gut after eating \u2014 but they can also affect the brain and body in unexpected ways. For some, the changes can dampen libido.<\/p>\n

\u201cFewer signals are being sent to your brain to seek out pleasure, and sexual motivation just doesn\u2019t happen,\u201d explained Dr. James Chao<\/a>, co-founder and chief medical officer of VedaNu Wellness in San Diego, who treats patients taking the weight-loss drugs.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t affect everyone the same way \u2014 in fact, he points out, some report more sexual desire after weight loss<\/a>: \u201cMoving feels good again. Clothes fit. They can look in the mirror without loathing. That visual dopamine hit coupled with decreased cortisol can kick libido into overdrive for some people.\u201d<\/p>\n

GLP-1s are primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes and manage chronic weight loss. Tamara Beckwith<\/p>\n

That has been CJ Rock\u2019s experience before GLP-1s.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, if I had lost weight, I got a self-esteem boost, which is almost like dopamine. It makes you crave sex more,\u201d the 47-year-old explained. But when she started taking tirzepatide, her libido dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sex drive was normal, two or three times a week. I had the craving and the desire,\u201d she said \u2014 but then, suddenly, it was gone.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cFive months in, I didn\u2019t even want my husband to come near me. Like \u2018No, stop, I don\u2019t even want to kiss you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Nathalia Souza<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She had lost 70 pounds in seven months and was feeling good in her skin. But when her fianc\u00e9 tried the moves that used to turn her on, her body didn\u2019t respond. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was almost numb to it,\u201d she said. \u201cThere would be nights where I\u2019d wonder what was wrong with me.\u201d <\/p>\n

Chao said this fits a pattern. Rapid weight loss like that spurred by GLP-1s can sometimes push the body into \u201cconservation mode\u201d as it adapts to having less available fuel.<\/p>\n

CJ Rock credits GLP-1s with giving her a new lease on life, even if they did kill her sex drive at first. CJ Rock<\/p>\n

\u201cSince libido is categorized as a \u2018want\u2019 and not a \u2018need,\u2019 your brain will often suppress it until things come back in balance,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

The menopause transition only added to the challenge, as both Rock and Reed-Smith had to untangle the overlapping effects of hormones, aging and medication on their libido.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very hard because when you start perimenopause, your sex drive is one of the main things that goes,\u201d Rock said. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of doctors don\u2019t recognize it with women at all, so here you have all these women on this drug and it\u2019s making them healthier, but they\u2019re going through this too,\u201d she continued. \u201cIt\u2019s just so confusing, like picking your poison.\u201d<\/p>\n

From \u2018very high sex drive\u2019 \u2014 to no desire at all<\/p>\n

But the changes in libido aren\u2019t limited to women navigating menopause. <\/p>\n

Nathalia Souza, a 37-year-old from New Jersey, started taking tirzepatide after three years of dieting and exercising resulted in just 30 pounds of weight loss.<\/p>\n

In the seven months since starting the medication, Souza has dropped another 22 pounds \u2014 and overall, she calls the experience a success. But there was one unexpected downside.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a very high sex drive, and probably two months in, I noticed I had no desire anymore,\u201d Souza said.<\/p>\n

The change was stark. Before the drug, she and her husband were having sex four or five times a week. <\/p>\n

\u201cFive months in, I didn\u2019t even want my husband to come near me,\u201d Souza said. \u201cLike \u2018No, stop, I don\u2019t even want to kiss you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts say that GLP-1 users can experience a wide range of effects on their libido, including a higher or lower sex drive. PKpix \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

How they got their groove back<\/p>\n

The abrupt shift in Souza\u2019s sex drive left her shaken, making her question whether the weight-loss drug was worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is where I draw the line,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not losing my marriage over this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before giving up on the meds, she stocked up on supplements \u2014 vitamin D, magnesium, creatine and maca root \u2014 but nothing worked.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI would rather be in this body than be sexually active. What does that say about me? I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christine Reed-Smith<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then she discovered URO Vaginal Moisture & Mood<\/a>, a daily supplement formulated to support natural lubrication, mood, stress relief and arousal. Within a few weeks, Souza started feeling a change.<\/p>\n

For Reed-Smith, relief came in the form of a synthetic peptide known as PT141<\/a>, also called bremelanotide. It stimulates the central nervous system, targeting the brain\u2019s melanocortin receptors to activate sexual desire and arousal.<\/p>\n

The FDA approved bremelanotide in 2019<\/a> to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women, though it\u2019s sometimes used off-label for men experiencing erectile dysfunction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reed-Smith plans to continue taking tirzepatide, now on a maintenance dose to help sustain her weight loss. Christine Smith-Reed<\/p>\n

After she gave herself the first shot, Reed-Smith\u2019s libido flickered back to life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like [my sex drive] went into overdrive, but I had no problem achieving orgasm. And that happened more than once,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was like coming up for air when you\u2019ve been drowning. Like I\u2019m not broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Rock, the answer was patience. \u201cOnce I\u2019d been on the drug for a while, my sex drive did come back, but I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s super strong,\u201d she said. \u201cI think my body just kind of got used to the drug and adjusted eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctors say patience may be key.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key thing I tell patients is that libido changes, if experienced, are usually not permanent,\u201d said Dr. Fernando Ovalle Jr.<\/a>, a plastic surgeon and obesity medicine specialist. \u201cIn many cases, they normalize as dosing stabilizes, side effects improve, nutrition normalizes and the body adjusts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, if changes are persistent or distressing, they deserve to be taken seriously and managed,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirzepatide), told The Post that the medications \u201cinclude robust, FDA-approved warnings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPatient safety is Lilly\u2019s top priority, and we actively monitor, evaluate and report safety information for all our medicines,\u201d they said in a statement. \u201cIf someone is experiencing any side effects while taking any Lilly medication, we encourage them to speak with their healthcare provider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Users can also call the The Lilly Answers Center at 1-800-LillyRx. <\/p>\n

Rock found that over time, her libido began to return while she continued taking GLP-1s. CJ Rock<\/p>\n

No regrets<\/p>\n

Ovalle said the wide range of experiences with GLP-1s underscores a simple truth: Scientists are still learning about how these drugs affect the body \u2014 and the brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t yet have high-quality studies specifically designed to look at libido. So much of what we know right now comes from real-world patient experience rather than formal research data,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

But for Rock, one thing was clear: \u201cThey do work.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cFor years and years and years I lived in a world where it was always \u2018someday,\u2019 \u2018I\u2019ll do it when\u2026,\u2019 but now that\u2019s today,\u201d she said. \u201cIt gave me my life back.\u201d<\/p>\n

GLP-1s are generally considered lifelong medications, and many users regain weight<\/a> after stopping. Souza plans to discontinue tirzepatide once she reaches her goal weight and try to maintain it on her own.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kind of numbs you,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to feel normal again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reed-Smith, however, has no plans to quit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would rather be in this body than be sexually active,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat does that say about me? I don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/p>\n

Even so, she hopes other women facing similar challenges don\u2019t turn that frustration inward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want every woman to know that they aren\u2019t broken. It\u2019s because a medication has a side effect<\/a>, and like any other side effect, it doesn\u2019t affect everyone,\u201d Reed-Smith said. \u201cBut if it does, understand that you have not lost something. There are ways you can come back from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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