GLP-1 medications are becoming increasingly popular for weight loss and diabetes treatment, and anecdotal reports suggest their use is spreading onto college campuses. Market research indicates that these medications are growing fastest among adults younger than 40, particularly young women.

The drugs include semaglutide, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound. Their growing presence among younger people has raised questions about prescriptions sought for cosmetic reasons rather than obesity or metabolic problems.

A 2024 analysis published in JAMA found that 162,439 adults ages 18 to 25 received at least one dispensed GLP-1 prescription during 2023. Women represented 76.4% of those patients, although the analysis included medications prescribed for diabetes as well as weight management.

The 2025 Monitoring the Future survey offered another glimpse of use among younger people. It found that 2% of students in grades 8, 10 and 12 reported using a prescription GLP-1 medication, while another 2% reported using one without a prescription.

A feature published by The Cut, titled “The Secret 'Ozempidemic' on Sorority Row,” argued that the drugs have quietly entered campus culture at some elite universities. The report focused particularly on the competitive sorority recruitment process.

Three female students interviewed under pseudonyms said they were taking compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide to improve their chances during rush and conform to an increasingly thin beauty ideal. They described pressure to appear extremely thin, along with social media comparisons and weight loss competitions among friends.

“For many young women who have just arrived on campus, thinness feels like the ticket into the best possible college experience ,” one student said. A former sorority recruiter described an attitude that people have no excuse to be fat because GLP-1 medications are available.

Jay Campbell, a longevity and peptide expert and bestselling author, said the medications were created to address a metabolic crisis but have been “hijacked as a cosmetic shortcut.” He contrasted their medical use among people with metabolic problems with their cosmetic appeal to sorority members who have a normal BMI.

Campbell said sororities can create an environment of social visibility and continuous comparison, particularly through Instagram. He argued that dramatic results can spread quickly through a sorority house because the medications do not demand the same discipline associated with nutrition or training.

College aged women already tend to have high sensitivity about body image, Campbell noted. He warned that medication may further affect young women who already have disordered relationships with food and their bodies.

Campbell also emphasized that GLP-1 medications benefit many patients. In clinical studies involving people taking them for obesity, fat mass generally represented more of the weight lost than lean mass.

The risk may look different for a healthy person at age 20 who does not have obesity, he said, because that person has less metabolic and muscular reserve to lose. Rapid weight loss without sufficient protein or resistance training may lead to a greater proportion of lean mass being lost.

Rapid weight reduction can also contribute to facial and body changes sometimes called “Ozempic face” and “Ozempic body.” Although muscle loss may be preventable, Campbell said prevention requires meaningful protein intake and resistance training.

Fertility and pregnancy also require attention. GLP-1 medications should not be used for weight loss during pregnancy, and semaglutide labeling advises stopping Wegovy at least two months before a planned pregnancy.

Tirzepatide can reduce the effectiveness of oral hormonal contraceptives during treatment initiation and dose increases. The FDA advises using an alternate contraceptive method for four weeks during those periods.

Mental health remains another consideration, particularly for young adults with depression, anxiety, eating disorders or a history of using food for emotional coping. The FDA has found no increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior from GLP-1 medications, but patients should report new or worsening mood symptoms to their prescriber.

“Nobody knows what 10 or 20 years of GLP-1 use looks like in a woman who started at 20 with a normal body weight, because that population barely existed in the clinical trials,” Campbell cautioned. He said the medications can suppress appetite but cannot repair an underlying metabolic problem or explain why a young woman feels compelled to lose weight.

Campbell stressed that treatment should involve a qualified prescriber who reviews the patient’s medical history and goals, monitors treatment, adjusts dosage when needed and helps manage possible side effects.