By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2026-09-02 16:18:51 | Updated at 2026-09-02 17:20:35
1 hour ago
After years of managing her eating disorder, one woman got her hands on a prescription for GLP-1 weight loss drugs from a telehealth service — and says it was “criminally easy” to do so.
Kate, identified only by her first name, told Australia’s ABC News that she had a history of anorexia nervosa prior starting a GLP-1. But she was not screened for an eating disorder before a practitioner gave her the drugs.
Later, in a follow-up appointment in which she asked for a higher dose, she said she was told she was “eating the wrong things” and “eating too much.”
“Kate” got GLP-1 medication after only two phone consultations. Lana Pietukhova – stock.adobe.comKate’s story
Kate, 25, was last hospitalized for anorexia in 2022. Since then, she’d been managing the condition with her medical team.
But after she researched GLP-1s online in 2025, she started getting targeted ads for a telehealth clinic on Instagram and made an appointment.
During her phone consultation, she admits she lied about her health details — but she claims she wasn’t acted about any eating disorder history. After a blood test, she was prescribed a GLP-1 during a second phone appointment.
In a follow-up for a refill on her medication, when Kate asked her for dose to be increased — people often “titrate” or increase dosing gradually to maximize effects while limiting side effects — she said she was given “forceful” and “intimidating” advie.
“They basically said … you’re eating the wrong things, you’re eating too much,” Kate said. “Hearing that specifically in terms of my food was quite jarring for the eating disorder.”
It “scared her,” she said — knowing how easy it was to access and how many people like her are struggling with an eating disorder. An estimated 9% of Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.
She was able to stop taking GLP-1s with the help of her doctor, and hopes her story can help others.
Many people are able to get a GLP-1 script through a telehealth clinic, avoiding an inconvenient trip to the doctor’s office. New Africa – stock.adobe.comHow GLP-1s can reawaken eating disorders
Kate’s not alone. A study from July showed 30% of participants with eating disorders had used GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy.
“I’d flirted with my symptoms on and off throughout my life,” Jenn Nourse, who has a history of anorexia and bulimia, previously told The Post. “But I didn’t have a full-blown relapse until I started taking GLP-1s.”
In the US, there’s no protocol in place to screen for eating disorders before prescribing a GLP-1.
Experts say many doctors aren’t screening for eating disorders before prescribing — a sharp departure from other weight-loss interventions, such as bariatric surgery.
“A psychological screening would happen before moving forward with that process. Here, with [GLP-1s], that’s not really happening,” said Sarah Davis, a licensed psychotherapist and certified eating disorder specialist.
GLP-1s can awaken an eating disorder that may have been “in recovery or have had good functioning for a long time,” said Dr. Brad Smith, chief medical officer for the Emily Program, a national organization that specializes in eating disorders.
“It doesn’t just affect people who are in the throes of acute illness,” he added.
In some cases, doctors are prescribing GLP-1s for other health reasons besides weight loss — and unsuspecting patients don’t realize it could awaken old issues.
That’s what happened to Jo Clark-Smith, who went on Wegovy for cholesterol management. It revived an eating disorder that she hadn’t actively struggled with for 20 years.
And when some with eating disorders quit their GLP-1s, they found it hard to stop their restrictive food habits.
“It takes over your brain and your mental capacity. It can be really like a prison of your own mind,” said Dr. Thea Gallagher, a clinical psychologist at NYU Langone.
