Semaglutide user experiences: what users themselves report
Users’ own accounts, not research. The accounts are self-selected and prove neither that it works nor that it is safe.
This page does not list users’ doses or where they got the medicine, and no figure on it is a recommendation. The dose is for the doctor to decide: Semaglutide dosage.
In short
Of 1345 people, 912 (68%) said semaglutide brought some benefit and 711 (53%) some harm.
We went through 1,244 public Reddit posts and a random sample of comments (1,500); the first-hand experiences of 1345 users among them are compiled here. Method: Where the accounts come from and how we read them. Use of AI: AI disclosure.
- An AI model read and classified 1,244 public Reddit posts and 1,500 randomly chosen comments one by one, following written instructions. Leaving out posts that looked like marketing, 1505 were first-hand accounts, from 1345 different people.
- Benefits mentioned most often: weight loss (694, 52%), less appetite and food noise (352, 26%) and better blood sugar or HbA1c (52, 4%).
- Harms mentioned most often: nausea (212, 16%), stomach pain or bloating (120, 9%) and vomiting (95, 7%). In addition, 130 (10%) described some other, rarer harm. People tend to post when something goes wrong, so this share does not tell how common harms are.
- Comments reported benefit only clearly more often than posts (49% vs. 38%) and harms less often (46% vs. 57%). A possible reason is that people tend to post when something goes wrong: Posts vs. comments.
- Semaglutide is a prescription medicine. The figures describe users' experiences, not treatment advice: we did not record doses, dose changes, where the medicine came from or how much weight was lost. Of those who said how they took it, 744 injected it and 77 took it as tablets.
- The accounts cannot separate the substance from placebo or other causes. What the research shows: Semaglutide: what the research shows.
Where the accounts come from and how we read them
Sources: the Reddit forums r/WegovyWeightLoss (594 accounts), r/Ozempic (425), r/Semaglutide (350), r/Peptides (35), r/Retatrutide (26), r/Mounjaro (23), r/Zepbound (20), r/cagrilintide (13), r/liraglutide (13), r/Biohackers (4), r/CagriSema (1) and r/bpc_157 (1), 14 Oct 2025 to 12 Oct 2026. The posts were retrieved from a public Reddit archive. Of those, 1,244 were first-person posts about semaglutide, and every one was read. In addition, 7,187 comments met the same criteria in the same period (12 months, 13 Oct 2025 to 13 Oct 2026), and a random 1,500 of them were read. The sample was drawn with a fixed seed, so it can be repeated.
Coding: for each account we recorded the route, reported benefits and harms, how strong a harm was, whether and why the person stopped, length of use and other substances used at the same time. We kept accounts that reported some effect, some harm, or no effect. Questions and plans were left out. A harm was recorded when the person reported it during use, even if the cause was uncertain. Several posts by one person count as one person. One person can mention several things, so the shares in the tables do not add up to 100.
Check: an AI model read and classified the posts following written instructions. A second, separate AI run classified a random tenth (124 posts) again without seeing the first classification. The main fields matched: 120/124 (97%). 150 of the comments were re-classified the same way, and the main fields matched: 141/150 (94%). 15 posts looked like marketing and are not in the figures.
Whose accounts these are: routes mentioned: injection 744, by mouth 77; the others did not say. The figures describe the writers and are not a recommendation. We do not know whether the writers’ medicine came from a pharmacy or from elsewhere.
Did semaglutide help? The overall picture
Of 1345 people, 565 (42%) reported benefit only, 347 (26%) both benefit and harm, 364 (27%) harm only and 69 (5%) neither.
Stopping. 179 people (13%) said they stopped or paused: 94 because of harms and 85 because they noticed no effect or for another reason.
| Overall picture: benefit, harm or neither | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Benefit only | 565 | 42% |
| Both benefit and harm | 347 | 26% |
| Harm only | 364 | 27% |
| Neither benefit nor harm | 69 | 5% |
Posts vs. comments
The figures on this page combine two sets: all 795 people who described their own use in a post, and 550 people found only in comments. 7,187 comments met the criteria, and a random 1,500 of them were read, from the same period as the posts: 12 months, 13 Oct 2025 to 13 Oct 2026. Because only part of the comments was read, the combined shares are not an average of the whole discussion.
Comments reported benefit only clearly more often, and harms less often, than posts. Benefit only: 38% in posts and 49% in comments (difference +11 percentage points, 95% confidence interval +6 to +16). Some harm: 57% in posts and 46% in comments (difference -11 percentage points, 95% confidence interval -17 to -6).
A possible explanation, which we have not verified: people tend to write their own post when something goes wrong, while replies often say briefly that it worked. Neither group tells how often it really helps or harms, and the difference does not prove that it works.
| Reported | Posts (n = 795) | Comments (n = 550) | Difference, points (95% CI) | Clear difference? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefit only | 38% (303) | 49% (270) | +11 (+6, +16) | Yes |
| Some harm | 57% (452) | 46% (251) | -11 (-17, -6) | Yes |
Most common reported benefits
Of 1345 people. 912 (68%) mentioned some benefit; the table lists every benefit reported.
| Reported | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Weight loss | 694 | 52% |
| Less appetite and food noise | 352 | 26% |
| Better blood sugar or HbA1c | 52 | 4% |
| Better mood | 30 | 2% |
| More energy | 26 | 2% |
| Less urge to drink | 16 | 1% |
| Less joint pain | 16 | 1% |
| Better sleep or sleep apnoea | 10 | 1% |
| Lower blood pressure | 9 | 1% |
| Better blood lipids | 7 | 1% |
| Better liver values or liver fat | 3 | 0% |
| Other benefit | 63 | 5% |
Share = people / 1345.
Most common reported harms
Of 1345 people. 711 (53%) mentioned some harm; 70 said explicitly they had none.
| Reported | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 212 | 16% |
| Stomach pain or bloating | 120 | 9% |
| Vomiting | 95 | 7% |
| Fatigue | 92 | 7% |
| Constipation | 87 | 6% |
| Food aversion or eating too little | 79 | 6% |
| Diarrhoea | 60 | 4% |
| Burping | 41 | 3% |
| Headache | 34 | 3% |
| Mood or anxiety | 34 | 3% |
| Heartburn or reflux | 31 | 2% |
| Hair loss | 20 | 1% |
| Insomnia or sleep problems | 18 | 1% |
| Loose skin or facial change | 15 | 1% |
| Muscle loss or weakness | 14 | 1% |
| Raised heart rate or palpitations | 13 | 1% |
| Low blood pressure or faintness | 10 | 1% |
| Injection site reaction | 9 | 1% |
| Dizziness | 8 | 1% |
| Dehydration | 7 | 1% |
| Rash or itch | 7 | 1% |
| Skin pain, tingling or burning | 7 | 1% |
| Gallbladder | 6 | 0% |
| Allergic reaction, hives or rash | 4 | 0% |
| Low blood sugar | 2 | 0% |
| Other, rarer harm | 130 | 10% |
| Harms mentioned but not named | 95 | 7% |
Share = people / 1345.
How severe were the harms?
Of the 704 people who described how strong a harm was, 300 (43%) described it as mild, 328 (47%) as clearly bothersome and 76 (11%) as severe. The strength is the writer's own description, not a doctor's assessment.
| Strength of the harm as the writer described it | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mild: minor and manageable | 300 | 43% |
| Clearly bothersome: several days, sleep or work affected | 328 | 47% |
| Severe: emergency visit, hospital or unable to function | 76 | 11% |
Harms known from research and regulators: What are the side effects of semaglutide?
How long did people use semaglutide?
869 of 1345 people (65%) said how long they had been using it at the time of writing. Where one person wrote several posts, the longest stated time counts.
| Stated length of use | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under a week | 80 | 9% |
| 1-4 weeks | 123 | 14% |
| 1-3 months | 231 | 27% |
| Over 3 months | 435 | 50% |
Many people post partway through, often in the first days or as soon as harms start, so short times are over-represented. The numbers describe the writers; they do not say how long it should be used.
Other substances at the same time
163 of 1345 people (12%) mentioned using other medicines or products at the same time. We do not name them on this page.
Injection or tablet?
Of those who said how they took it, 744 described injections and 77 tablets taken by mouth. The others did not say.
Of those who injected it, 481 (65%) reported some benefit and 435 (58%) some harm, most often nausea (145, 19%).
Of those who took tablets, 64 (83%) reported some benefit and 38 (49%) some harm. The group is small (77 people, publication threshold 40), so the shares are uncertain. The groups cannot be compared with each other, because the writers and their situations differ.
A prescription medicine: what this page does not tell
Semaglutide is a prescription medicine; whether to use it and at what dose is for the doctor to decide. We did not record doses, dose changes, where the medicine came from or how much weight was lost, and we do not name the other medicines people used at the same time. Side effects seen in trials: What are the side effects of semaglutide?
The weight-loss drug side-effects guide has its own section on the side effects users report: what users themselves report about side effects. Its side-effect shares are higher than on this page because its posts were chosen for side-effect wording, while this page's posts are drawn from all posts about the medicine.
About dosing
We do not repeat the amounts or ways of use people mention, and we give no dosing or how-to instructions. The dose is for the doctor to decide. Approved doses and trial doses, with sources: Semaglutide dosage in studies. Legal status: Is semaglutide legal in Finland?
What can be concluded?
Weight loss and less appetite were the most common reported benefits and nausea the most common harm. The accounts do not tell how much weight was lost, and they do not replace a doctor's assessment.
The accounts prove neither that it works nor that it is safe. The writers are self-selected, people tend to post when something goes wrong, and the accounts cannot separate the effect of the medicine from other causes. The research and its evidence levels: Semaglutide: what the research shows.
Quotes
Short excerpts in the writers’ own words. Writers’ names and links are not shown. We picked quotes from every group: benefit, both benefit and harm, no effect, harms and people who stopped.
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"I'm happier in my own skin I'm healthier and thankful for this medication."
r/WegovyWeightLoss, 2026-01, Semaglutide, product and route not stated, about a year and a half. The writer reports large weight loss, the most common benefit reported in the sample.
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"am feeling fuller quicker and not thinking about food NEARLY as much!!"
r/WegovyWeightLoss, 2026-07, Wegovy as a tablet for about two weeks. Weight dropped a little, fullness came sooner and food thoughts eased; it was still early in use.
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"thankfully my nausea is not unmanagable, it's annoying but can easily get over it, and well… I'm farting a lot. However my appetite is quite surpressed"
r/WegovyWeightLoss, 2025-12, Semaglutide injections for about three months. Appetite dropped and weight began to fall, but with mild nausea and gas. The writer says they use it without a doctor's supervision.
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"There have been no side effects to mention."
r/WegovyWeightLoss, 2026-05, Wegovy injections for about three weeks. Weight dropped clearly with no side effects; the writer did eat prunes to prevent constipation, and it was still early in use.
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"Since Monday I've been incredibly nauseous, now I have sulfur burps, bad stomach pains, and gas."
r/Semaglutide, 2025-11, Semaglutide injections for about two months. After the latest injection came nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and loss of appetite that even anti-nausea medicine did not fully stop.
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"I can sometimes hold down food and drink now. I never want to try this ever again."
r/Semaglutide, 2026-08, A single use of semaglutide about three weeks earlier, route not stated. Afterwards the writer could not keep food or drink down for about a week and decided to stop.
Other summaries made with the same method: BPC-157 user experiences, Retatrutide user experiences, Cagrilintide user experiences, Tirzepatide user experiences, Liraglutide user experiences, NAD+ user experiences, MOTS-c user experiences and user experiences with collagen and skin peptides.
Content is general information about research, not medical advice. If you have symptoms, contact a healthcare professional.