About one in 10 U.S. adults took a GLP-1 medication in the past year, and many of them did not take it as prescribed, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report was published Thursday in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
GLP-1 medications are drugs that help regulate appetite, lower blood sugar and promote weight loss. The Food and Drug Administration has approved them for type 2 diabetes, long-term weight management and certain other conditions. The CDC authors said it is important to understand how people use them in everyday life because dose and frequency changes might affect safety and effectiveness.
The findings come from a CDC survey conducted in July and August 2025, which collected 8,118 completed responses from adults. The survey is designed to represent the national adult population. Of the respondents, 976 said they had taken a GLP-1 drug in the past 12 months, for an estimated 9.8% of adults.
Use was higher among women (11.9%) than men (7.6%). It was lower among adults 18 to 39 (4.8%) than among those 40 to 64 (13.7%) or 65 and older (11.1%). Nearly half of adults who had ever been told they had diabetes (47.4%) reported using one. So did 24.1% of adults with severe obesity.
Among users, 22.6% said they had taken a compounded version. Compounded drugs are made by specialized pharmacies and contain the same active ingredients as brand-name drugs. The FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold. Another 8.8% of users did not know whether their medication was compounded.
Compounded use was higher among women (27.3%) than men (14.8%). It was also higher among people with private insurance (25.9%) than among those with public insurance (12.5%). The report notes that the FDA declared shortages of tirzepatide and semaglutide resolved in December 2024 and February 2025. After a shortage ends, the agency no longer permits bulk compounding of the drug.
Overall, 44% of users said they changed how they took the medication from the way it was prescribed. Skipping doses was the most common change, at 28%. Modification was more common among users 18 to 39 (54%) than among those 65 and older (30%). Younger users more often delayed filling a prescription (37% versus 6%). Users of compounded versions modified their use more often (62%) than other users (36%).
Among users who made changes, 38% cited cost and 36% cited availability. Cost was named by 58% of users 18 to 39, compared with 20% of those 65 and older. About 12% of all users said they reduced or stopped the drug because of side effects or symptoms.
The authors listed several limits. Online panel surveys have low response rates, at 13.3% and 3.8% for the two panels used. People without reliable internet may be harder to reach. Answers also could be affected by errors in recall or reporting.
The report says the FDA and the American Diabetes Association have raised concerns about the safety, quality and effectiveness of compounded GLP-1 drugs. The authors said more evidence on real-world practices could help guide clinical guidelines.
