One in 10 U.S. adults took a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic last year, and nearly half didn’t take it as prescribed, often to save money, CDC finds
About 1 in 5 users took a cheaper compounded version that the FDA never reviewed. Here is how to tell what you are getting and stay safe.
About 1 in 10 U.S. adults, 9.8%, took a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound in the past year, and 44% of them changed how they took it from what their doctor prescribed, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published Thursday. Skipping doses was most common, reported by 28% of users. Among users who changed their dose, 38% blamed cost and 36% said they couldn’t get the drug.
What it means for you
About 1 in 5 users, 22.6%, took a compounded version, a copy mixed by a pharmacy rather than made by the drug’s maker, and 8.8% didn’t know whether theirs was compounded. The Food and Drug Administration does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold, and it has received reports of hospitalizations tied to dosing mistakes with compounded semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy. The FDA says to: get a prescription from your doctor, fill it at a state-licensed pharmacy, and don’t use an injectable GLP-1 that arrives warm. It also warns that offers that seem too cheap, or a seller that skips a doctor’s screening, are red flags.
The CDC authors note that the safety and effectiveness of taking these drugs differently than prescribed haven’t been studied. If cost is pushing you to skip or stretch doses, the FDA’s advice is to talk to your doctor about your medicines.
Who is using them
GLP-1 drugs mimic a gut hormone that curbs appetite and lowers blood sugar. Use was higher among women, 11.9%, than men, 7.6%, and among adults 40 to 64, 13.7%. Nearly half of adults with diabetes, 47.4%, took one. Younger adults were hit hardest by cost: among those 18 to 39 who changed their dose, 58% cited cost, compared with 20% of those 65 and older. The CDC surveyed 8,118 adults in July and August 2025.
Source: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Nov. 12, 2026; FDA, concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs.