“I started a GLP-1 on 1 August 2025, and I made the decision to leave my husband on 29 August 2025 – my birthday,” Bailey tells Dazed. “I officially left and moved out in September.” 

The 26-year-old says she believes there is a clear connection between her leaving her relationship – which she describes as physically and emotionally abusive – and getting on Tirzepatide, a common GLP-1. While she was already figuring out a plan to leave before she started taking the drug, which she took for weight loss, she believes it gave her the final ‘push’ she needed. “I do think it influenced me, because of my newfound confidence and the desire to better myself and my life as a whole… I also started to realise that I was not as undesirable as he made me believe. ”

Bailey is part of a new wave of people professing how GLP-1s – whether taken legally as prescribed doses, or as black-market jabs bought online – are changing their attitudes towards relationships. “I filed for divorce after being on Ozempic for 3 weeks. I never even grieved,” reads one comment on a video about GLP-1-induced breakups, which has over 35,000 likes and 600 comments. The phenomenon has even drawn the attention of psychologists and given rise to the term ‘Ozempic divorce.’

Alexis called things off with her “off-and-on” partner months after being prescribed Mounjaro for her health. “I felt co-dependent with them,” the 31-year-old tells Dazed. “Once I started taking a GLP-1 and I diverted my attention to keeping my health regulated, the connection became less important [...] things became less foggy for me when it came to self-worth and boundaries.”

Of course, both Alexis or Bailey were prescribed GLP-1s for health reasons — these drugs are not marketed or prescribed as a ‘cure’ for limerence or heartbreak — but this nascent trend suggests that taking a GLP-1 could impact your love life too. It makes sense: speaking to the causes behind the ‘Ozempic divorce’ in Psychology Today, Dr Thomas Rutledge says that most drugs target either medical, psychological or behavioural conditions, but GLP-1s tackle all three of these pathways at the same time. As a result, taking a GLP-1 can make you feel pretty different, pretty quickly; and while these drastic changes can make some couples grow stronger, others fall apart.

I have raised my standards, and do not settle in ways I did before. I don’t allow toxic behaviors and I do not chase men who clearly disrespect me

And just as this class of drugs can help with weight loss by ‘dulling’ food noise, it tracks that they can also help to lift off the rose-tinted glasses that often cloud our judgement in relationships. Some people who have ended relationships after going on a GLP-1, especially those on extremely strong versions of a GLP-1 such as Retatrutide (known as the ‘Godzilla’ shot due to its immense strength), have had this experience, explaining that they previously felt addicted to ‘toxic behaviour’ but achieved clarity after using a GLP-1.

“I am a lot more confident in myself. I also take care of myself more in ways like makeup, self-care, going to the gym, finding hobbies,” Bailey says. “I have raised my standards, and do not settle in ways I did before. I don’t allow toxic behaviors and I do not chase men who clearly disrespect me.”

Emerging science on GLP-1s, addiction, and relationships certainly suggests that there is more than anecdotal evidence behind this phenomenon. Dr Niamh Martin, Professor of Endocrinology at Imperial College London, points to similarities between cutting off obsessive relationships and “really exciting” emerging research on GLP-1s and addiction. The highs and lows of a combative relationship can follow the same psychological patterns as other addictions, and the kinds of relationships described by Bailey and Alexis — justifying abuse, dependency, and breaking up only to get back together — follow the patterns of an addictive relationship laid out by the Addiction Center. 

A combustive relationship can have the same psychological triggers as gambling or drugs: surges of dopamine followed by depressive trenches which can only be cured by another surge of dopamine, and repeat. If emerging GLP-1 research suggests the drug might be able to diminish the pull of substance use, it makes sense that it could also lessen the draw of a partner who has engaged in emotionally enticing, but unhealthy, behaviour. 

The impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on the management of addiction is really interesting

“There is definitely scope for a role for GLP-1 receptor agonists in treating addiction, but we need to wait for more evidence to be clearer about this,” said Dr Martin. “I think the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on the management of addiction is really interesting, so I [will] wait to see what future studies show. It’s a really exciting area of research.”

However, while GLP-1s might be helpful in nipping a toxic relationship in the bud, their ability to dampen desire can also impact otherwise healthy relationships, too. Dr Martin explains that, given the ability for GLP-1s to shut down pleasure centers, people in relationships who once shared a love of food and drink may find themselves suddenly alienated from their partner and their previous bond. While some people can work through these roadblocks, others may find themselves drifting further and further away from their partners and other loved ones because their outlook on pleasure is suddenly different to everyone else around them. 

“It is difficult to disentangle the cultural and societal effects of [eating and drinking less]. For example, maybe your family or your partner loves to meet up for a meal, but how does that work if eating is now less pleasurable for a patient taking a GLP-1 agonist?” says Dr Martin. “That can imaginably have a negative impact on relationships.” 

Plus, ‘off label’ use of a prescription-only drug is a dangerous game. While Bailey and Alexis are on prescribed doses of real drugs, there has been a sharp rise in people selling and promoting off-brand GLP-1s including Retatrutide, which is still in clinical trials and cannot be prescribed by doctors in the UK. These ‘drugs’, sold on websites claiming to be pharmaceutical labs, can contain anything from chalk to paint. 

Ultimately, GLP-1s are still relatively ‘new’ drugs, and it’s ultimately no surprise that those who have used them are discovering unexpected side effects in real-time. While research into their abilities to treat addiction and snap us out of all-consuming obsession is ongoing, it’s unlikely that GLP-1s will be rolled out as a quick fix for breaking out of a toxic relationship any time soon. In the meantime, though, many of those taking GLP-1s remain pleasantly surprised at how clear-headed the drug has made them feel. Bailey feels that taking a GLP-1 was certainly a net positive on her life: “People may shame those on a GLP for taking the ‘easy way out’, but it did far more for me than make me lose weight,” she says. “It saved my life in more ways than one.”