It doesn\u2019t take much these days to fall down a GLP-1 rabbit hole on the internet. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Reddit all feature streams of testimonials from people touting the miracle \u2014 and warning of the risks \u2014 of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.<\/p>\n
In recent years, microdosing \u2014 taking smaller doses than what\u2019s generally prescribed for obesity and diabetes \u2014 has also cultivated a cult-like following online. Microdosing advocates claim it can help with weight loss by reducing cravings, better metabolic health, reduce inflammation, enhance mood and cognitive function, and even potentially improve longevity, all while coming with less side effects and being more affordable than larger doses.<\/p>\n
Microdosing GLP-1s began emerging as a trend after Wegovy, an Ozempic competitor, was approved by the FDA for obesity in 2021. (Previously, Ozempic was being used for weight loss, but had only been approved for diabetes.) In the years following approval, a growing number of household names from Oprah<\/a> to Elon Musk<\/a> spoke publicly about their positive experiences using GLP-1s for weight loss. This fueled an exponential growth in interest <\/a>among the public, but not everyone qualifies for GLP-1s through their insurance or can afford them, even if they do.<\/p>\n All of the major brand-name medications people currently use for weight loss are based on one of two molecules: semaglutide or tirzepatide, and most are self-injected weekly. Ozempic and Wegovy contain semaglutide, which works by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1 that helps regulate appetite and blood sugar. Mounjaro and Zepbound contain tirzepatide, which targets that hormone plus another one involved in metabolism.<\/p>\n The price of weight loss<\/p>\n Brand name GLP-1s cost around $10,000 per year or more if paid for out of pocket, and around $300 to $1,200 per year if covered by insurance. Many insurance plans, however, will only pay for GLP-1s if a person has a diagnosis of diabetes, not obesity. On top of that, one of the biggest complaints about GLP-1s, when taken according to the standard doses approved by the FDA \u2014 is that they cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhea and fatigue. Influencers, everyday people and even some medical professionals online now recommend microdosing as a potential solution.<\/p>\n \u201cIn three weeks, I have lost 7 pounds and [have] very few side effects. Before now I was terrified of them. They put my husband on [a] standard dose for diabetes and he was just so sick,\u201d reads a Reddit post<\/a> by MenloShark25, who says they\u2019re receiving their prescription through telehealth provider Midi<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m microdosing. I\u2019m on week 4 of [semaglutide] and my mind is blown,\u201d reads another Reddit post<\/a> by palenesslitethesky<\/a>. \u201cI feel so much better than I expected to. The microdosing is great for me because I was super scared about getting constipated. I am down 9 pounds and my tastes changed. I was addicted to sugar!! Addicted. Now I hardly want sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n The DIY injections boom<\/p>\n In 2025, following the surge of anecdotal reports online about microdosing, a number of telehealth companies such as Fridays, Noom and Found Health started offering GLP-1 protocols at lower doses and lower costs. Previously, people who were taking smaller doses of GLP-1s were either getting them \u201coff label\u201d from a physician \u2014 which means they were prescribed, but not based on the protocols approved by the FDA \u2014 or getting them illegally online and figuring out how to take them on their own. One controversial aspect of microdosing GLP-1s is that, when they\u2019re taken in smaller doses, they often come from compounding pharmacies that make their own versions of FDA-approved drugs. This allows for dose customization but isn\u2019t subject to the same reviews for safety, efficacy or consistency, and may carry added risks related to quality control, potency variation or contamination.<\/p>\n For people like Monika Awadalla, however, they feel they have no choice but to find GLP-1s on their own, unable to afford the cost of treatment through a physician. Awadalla, a 31-year-old caretaker living in Huntington Beach, has been buying a compounded tirzepatide from an illegal manufacturer in China that she connected with through a Facebook group about a year and a half ago. In that time, she\u2019s gone from 245 pounds to 140 pounds.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m extremely happy now,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t need to stay home, I\u2019m not embarrassed, I\u2019m already looking forward to summer. Everything is just in its right place.\u201d The manufacturer, who communicates on encrypted messaging boards such as Telegram and Signal, charges $290 for 10 vials of compounded tirzepatide, which will last Awadalla about a year.<\/p>\n Based on stories like Awadalla\u2019s, it\u2019s no wonder so many people are curious about microdosing GLP-1s through their doctor, telehealth companies and illegal suppliers. But do we have enough information yet on the benefits and risks? Here\u2019s the deal.<\/p>\n A doctor\u2019s take<\/p>\n For now, there\u2019s no scientific studies looking at the efficacy and safety of microdosing GLP-1s. Dr. Shauna Levy, medical director for the Tulane Weight Loss Center, says that doesn\u2019t mean it doesn\u2019t work, but that the medical community just doesn\u2019t know. Even if it does cause weight loss or a reduction in inflammation, she says, it\u2019s unclear whether those results will persist long-term or whether the practice causes harm.<\/p>\n One of the biggest problems with the term \u201cmicrodosing,\u201d as it pertains to GLP-1s, Levy says, is that it\u2019s \u201cvague,\u201d and there\u2019s no consensus on what it\u2019s referring to. \u201cMicrodosing GLP-1s is almost becoming this buzz word that carries inconsistent meaning. I think there are many people who are using it as a marketing tool because they want people to think you\u2019re not on a full dose of a GLP-1,\u201d she says. \u201cBut if we\u2019re really talking about treating obesity, those microdosing doses are not going to be effective for most people, and so I worry people are going to pay for it cause it\u2019s cheaper and then it\u2019s not going to work for them and they\u2019re going to think \u2018here\u2019s one more thing that\u2019s not working for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Levy says GLP-1s, when prescribed correctly, are \u201cfantastic\u201d for treating obesity. In her patients, gastrointestinal effects are common but generally tolerable. She also believes that it\u2019s important to expand the criteria for obesity so that more people qualify for these drugs through the proper channels, but says it\u2019s crucial that patients receive ongoing care from a medical professional who has been licensed by the American Board of Obesity Medicine. \u201cA lot of GLP-1s are being prescribed by untrained in obesity professionals,\u201d Levy says. \u201cMy No. 1 issue is who is prescribing it.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Sara Siavoshi, a board-certified obesity, neurology and headache specialist, treats about 5,000 patients in her practice. She estimates 30 to 40% of them are microdosing either tirzepatide or semaglutide. Siavoshi defines a microdose as \u201cthe lowest dose of a GLP-1 that lowers food noise without causing any significant weight loss.\u201d Food noise, a term used in obesity medicine, refers to chronic unwanted thoughts that make healthful choices (both about how much to eat and what to eat) difficult. If the GLP-1 dosage leads to more weight loss than 3 or 4 pounds, she says, then she doesn\u2019t define it as a microdose. She says most people seem to think a microdose means an amount that\u2019s lower than what\u2019s commercially available, but in her practice, she hasn\u2019t seen it benefit most of her patients when doing that. Generally, she\u2019s found success in putting people on the lowest commercially available dose of a GLP-1. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you the patient satisfaction rate is extremely high and patients are very, very happy on these meds,\u201d Siavoshi says. In addition to reducing food noise, her primary goal is to lower inflammation in patients with autoimmune conditions.<\/p>\n Recommended: continuous, certified care<\/p>\n