Curious about the youngest individual you're aware of who's taking a GLP-1. Our 19-year-old is significantly overweight. We've gone through the standard approaches—dieting, sessions with a dietitian, a personal trainer, and so on. Occasionally there's short-term success, but they're unable to maintain it. I'm left wondering whether we're essentially penalizing them by withholding the 'tools' that are now on the market to assist...
Who Is the Youngest GLP-1 User in Your Circle?
- Thread starter tedvio
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lastresort
Explorer
For those using GLP, discipline remains essential—particularly when the medication is stopped for whatever reason. Otherwise, the weight will come back, and shedding it afterward becomes more difficult.
My daughter was 17 when she began sema. It made her quite ill, so we moved her over to tirz, and she's been handling that better. Just remember, sema is the only one with fda approval for minors. Her doctor approved the change, but a lot of places refuse to fill the prescription. She turns 18 in 3 months, though supposedly those 3 months are magic...
A handful of people in their 20s have shown up in posts on here, though nobody young is in my own circle of acquaintances who takes it.
Even so, in a case of morbid obesity where 60-70+ lbs needed to come off, my guess is that the upside for health would be greater than the downside of possibly relying on these indefinitely.
Looking back, I wish this option had existed for me at 25.. dropping 50lbs back then might have kept me off blood pressure medication today.
Even so, in a case of morbid obesity where 60-70+ lbs needed to come off, my guess is that the upside for health would be greater than the downside of possibly relying on these indefinitely.
Looking back, I wish this option had existed for me at 25.. dropping 50lbs back then might have kept me off blood pressure medication today.
RubbaDubba1
Explorer
I could fill an entire book with what I've been through on this. From the time I was in cubscouts, as far back as I can remember, I dealt with a lot of the same stuff. My dad was set on not having big kids, yet I ended up 3X the man he figured I'd become — close to 600lbs by the end. Twice I chose to make a change for my health: first weight loss surgery, then tirzepatide. What got through to me was tough love — and it came from someone outside my everyday circle, not from my parents. If there's a way to show them what life looks like 10-20-30 years down the road, and that the weight doesn't just disappear — all the health issues waiting, plus the money it costs (speaking from my own experience) — maybe that flips the switch.
400lbs down, Fourteen surgeries behind me, with 3-5 more expected over the next few years based on how things look and feel. For context, I'm in my mid 50's and have spent my whole working life in production enviroments, always on my feet. How I wish Tirzepatide had been available to me at 19!
Wishing you luck!
My issue is the 13-16 year olds over on Reddit who are looking to get on a GLP, typically Reta. Back when I was their age, the answer was exercise, and you ought to go get some. Now, simply setting the damn phone down takes monumental will power, and back then that wasn't a problem.
A number of these kids are hoping to shed 10 lbs overnight. Fix your diet and take a walk. I don't rule out a GLP for someone dealing with serious morbidity, but on Reddit and TikTok that looks like the exception. Yeah, and stay off my lawn, too.
A number of these kids are hoping to shed 10 lbs overnight. Fix your diet and take a walk. I don't rule out a GLP for someone dealing with serious morbidity, but on Reddit and TikTok that looks like the exception. Yeah, and stay off my lawn, too.
That 19-year-old is a grown adult, so the decisions ought to come from him — his own goals, his own feelings — and he's the one who needs to do the heavy lifting of learning all of it (all the more so if he's going the grey-market route, or using a compounding pharmacy, a medspa, or an online provider).
Or he doesn't. His call.
Or he doesn't. His call.
Shittersfull
Explorer
Honestly, you're a textbook case for why glp access needs to be way wider. Sounds like you've dealt with a ton. Ideally, stories like yours won't happen down the road — that's my hope, anyway.
Triz versus weight loss surgery: setting aside the operation itself and the recovery period, could you break down how the two compare for us? I was actually looking into surgery back before I'd ever heard of glp's.
If you compare early 20th-century nutrition research with what we have now, something striking stands out: average height has risen substantially, and the same goes for brain development tied to diet.
A minor should never, in my view, be given GLP1s unless there is significant medical oversight.
Back in 1926, American men averaged roughly 5 feet 7 inches (171 cm), and American women averaged about 5 feet 3 inches (159 cm). As of today, CDC figures put the average adult male at around 5 feet 9 inches (174.5 cm) and the average adult female at roughly 5 feet 4 inches (163.5 cm
Over the past century, U.S. average height grew thanks to improved childhood nutrition, less crowded and cleaner surroundings, and a drop in serious illnesses. Those factors let people grow to their genetic ceiling instead of reflecting evolutionary change
jjplantgeek
Explorer
My 17-year-old daughter uses Tirzepatide. Her PCP prescribed it as a compounded medication. The doctor oversees everything about her treatment, with bloodwork every 3 months and visits in person. I get grey for my own use, but every bit of her medication comes from her physician.
Scotswahae
Explorer
There's truth in what you say — people carrying just a few extra pounds probably do best with nothing more than better food choices and regular activity. But when someone is already severely obese, GLP medications serve as one more option in the toolkit, and they might head off decades of medical complications. Life prospects could shift in a major way too; carrying excess weight for years takes both a mental and a physical toll that can linger permanently.
The "eat less, move more" line gets repeated so often it has become meaningless. Plenty of people in this community could tell you that it simply isn't that straightforward, for a whole range of reasons. Yes, the claim that 95% of diets fail came out of research from the 1950's. Still, even the most current studies point to a failure rate somewhere between 65-85%. If any other medical treatment produced numbers like that, we'd call it a catastrophe
https://examine.com/faq/do-95-of-diets-fail/
My daughter is under a doctor's care as well. Locating a source for it took some effort, though we did eventually manage. Because she has pcos/pmos, keeping her weight down has been a battle even with careful eating and regular activity. Up to this point, it has helped her a great deal.
My point was about young folks who don't have any illness or metabolic issue that stops them from exercising or that exercise wouldn't help anyway. When none of those conditions are present, there's generally room to change eating habits and daily routines instead of going straight for an easy solution. My own daughter has PMOS and none of that helped her. In the end she needed a gastric sleeve plus a GLP. Situations like hers call for medical treatment.Scotswahae said:
There's truth in what you say — people carrying just a few extra pounds probably do best with nothing more than better food choices and regular activity. But when someone is already severely obese, GLP medications serve as one more option in the toolkit, and they might head off decades of medical complications. Life prospects could shift in a major way too; carrying excess weight for years takes both a mental and a physical toll that can linger permanently.
The "eat less, move more" line gets repeated so often it has become meaningless. Plenty of people in this community could tell you that it simply isn't that straightforward, for a whole range of reasons. Yes, the claim that 95% of diets fail came out of research from the 1950's. Still, even the most current studies point to a failure rate somewhere between 65-85%. If any other medical treatment produced numbers like that, we'd call it a catastrophe
https://examine.com/faq/do-95-of-diets-fail/
This isn't limited to the children—some moms are involved too. That 16-year-old I brought up earlier, whose mother is a nurse, was only a little overweight at most. Yet it's obvious mom could get her hands on glps. After that, her daughter was no longer overweight. Maybe there were underlying medical reasons that justified glps as the best option. I really hope that's the case.
Still, without a doubt, some parents simply don't want an overweight child—either because they think they can shield the kid from that experience, or because they see their child's weight as a bad reflection on themselves.
Appreciate everyone. I likely ought to have been clearer: if my 19-year-old were to start Tirz, it wouldn't come from the grey market — a doctor would be involved, allowing for things like blood work to be ordered.
cloratheshadow
Explorer
My 10-year-old daughter has two parents—her dad and me—who both struggle with weight. I wouldn't start her on a GLP-1 without medical oversight and added safeguards. Once she's an adult, though, I'd be fine with her going the gray market route, provided she gets the right testing done.
As a teenager, weight problems were something I dealt with, and having medical care plus GLP1 support would have meant a lot to me. In many respects, I believe my life would have been much simpler.
There is a teen I know who has had great results with Wegovy prescribed by a doctor; it has been approved for adolescents for quite a while.
CNCCurrency
Explorer
In the UK, that person was just 19.