As GLP-1 medications continue to surge in popularity for weight loss and diabetes treatment, their use is rising among younger adults — with anecdotal reports suggesting the trend is making its way onto college campuses.Market research has shown that GLP-1s – including semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) – are growing fastest among adults under 40, particularly young women.A 2024 analysis published in JAMA found that 162,439 young adults ages 18 to 25 received at least one dispensed GLP-1 prescription in 2023.Women accounted for 76.4% of those patients, although the analysis included medications prescribed for both diabetes and weight management.PATIENTS TAKING WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS OFTEN MAKE 5 CRITICAL MISTAKES, DOCTOR WARNSSeparately, the 2025 Monitoring the Future survey found that 2% of students in grades 8, 10 and 12 reported using a prescription GLP-1 medication, while another 2% said they had used one without a prescription.A recent feature in The Cut, "The Secret 'Ozempidemic' on Sorority Row," argues that GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have quietly become part of campus culture at some elite universities, particularly within the competitive sorority recruitment process.As GLP-1 medications continue to surge in popularity for weight loss and diabetes treatment, their use is rising among younger adults — with anecdotal reports suggesting the trend is making its way onto college campuses.
(Getty Images)Three female students interviewed under pseudonyms said they were using compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide to improve their chances during rush and to meet an increasingly thin beauty ideal.The students described a pressure to look extremely thin, noting that social media and weight-loss competitions among friends have fueled increased GLP-1 use.POPULAR GLP-1 WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS LINKED TO POTENTIALLY DEADLY BRAIN DISORDER"For many young women who have just arrived on campus, thinness feels like the ticket into the best possib...