The first time Caroline began taking Wegovy, she made no secret of it. She openly shared the decision with her boyfriend, her mother, and her closest friends. Over the course of six months, they watched as she shed 30 pounds, returning from 130 pounds to what she considers her "healthy original weight" of 100 pounds. Even still, her loved ones grew deeply concerned about the extent of her weight loss and urged her not to drop any further.
"I had tried every way under the sun to lose weight," Caroline tells SELF. The 34-year-old resident of Montreal, who requested to use only her first name to protect her privacy, admits she was simply exhausted from the constant struggle. Standing at five feet, four inches tall, she was never clinically obese and doubted whether her primary care physician would approve a prescription for the popular medication.
Determined to find a solution, she turned to the internet, eventually connecting with a doctor who prescribed the medication over the phone without knowing her actual weight. Almost immediately after starting Wegovy, she noticed the pounds melting off at an alarming speed. After six months of successful treatment, she decided to stop taking the drug. However, the hiatus was short-lived; within just one month of discontinuing the medication, she regained 10 pounds.
"I realized, I can’t stop," Caroline says.
For the past six months, she has resumed taking Wegovy at a maintenance-level dosage. But this time, a significant dynamic has changed: she is keeping her treatment entirely hidden from her boyfriend and family. With discussions of marriage and children now on the table, she notes that her partner has already witnessed the physical and emotional impacts of the drug and has made it clear he is finished with it. Because she lives alone, concealing the medication is relatively manageable. She stashes the injectable pens in the back of her refrigerator, where they must be kept cold.
The real challenge arises when traveling. When taking trips with her boyfriend, she must discreetly tuck the medication into the hotel room refrigerator. When visiting her partner’s parents, the hiding spots become even more precarious.
"So imagine, I’m hiding stuff in my parents-in-law’s fridge, hoping they won’t see them," she says. "It’s super awkward."
Sometimes Avoidance Is the Easiest Option
Caroline is far from alone in going to elaborate lengths to keep her use of GLP-1 receptor agonists a secret from the people closest to her. On a recent discussion thread within the r/GLP1microdosing subreddit, users openly shared their creative and sometimes startling tips and tricks for concealing their medication from partners and family members.
The online forum reads like an inventory of everyday household packaging repurposed for discretion. One user stashes her pens inside a tomato paste box. Another uses a play food container borrowed from a child’s toy kitchen. Others have turned to opaque feta cheese containers, butter stick boxes, anchovy paste boxes, empty bottles of women’s probiotics and Alani Nu supplements, plastic to-go containers, metal water bottles, boxes of wine, and baking soda boxes tucked into the furthest corners of the refrigerator—all in an effort to keep their weight loss regimens hidden from prying eyes.
"It’s a real thing," Dr. Kia Mitchell, a family and obesity medicine specialist based in Jacksonville, Florida, tells SELF. She has encountered numerous patients in her practice who go to similar extraordinary lengths to hide their prescriptions from their significant others. When she first encountered this behavioral pattern, it stemmed from a patient who simply wanted to avoid a prolonged domestic debate. The patient wanted the autonomy to choose treatment without constant oversight.
"A lot of my patients are similar," Dr. Mitchell adds. "There’s this loss of control with the gaining of the weight, but being able to control the narrative around weight loss has been empowering and exciting for her patients. Because now they can reveal it on their own terms. That’s where the control comes back."
The motivations behind this intense desire for narrative control are palpable throughout the online support threads. One Reddit user, writing under the handle Vivid-Act-6442, explained that if her husband were to find out, it would inevitably trigger a series of lectures. Another anonymous user echoed the sentiment, stating they simply wanted to avoid hearing negative or critical opinions from a spouse of 52 years. Another woman chimed in to explain that she was hiding her medication from her teenage children out of fear that they would report back to her ex-husband, simply wishing to avoid an interrogation.
Dr. Mitchell admits to having mixed feelings regarding this widespread secrecy. From a clinical perspective, she notes that anyone embarking on a health journey benefits immensely from a support network actively cheering for them. Navigating a significant health transition is something best paired with community. At the same time, she acknowledges that exercising discretion can feel protective and empowering for women who want to dictate who holds knowledge of their bodies—even if the ideal scenario involves a partnership rooted in complete trust.
Medical professionals also point out tangible risks associated with hiding GLP-1 medications from a partner. For instance, fertility can increase while taking these drugs, and Dr. Mitchell notes that she has welcomed several "GLP-1 babies" born to patients who conceived unexpectedly. Furthermore, concealing treatment isolates patients from their support systems when managing potential side effects, creating an environment where stress levels can spike. When individuals attempt to lose weight while harboring secrets, the associated anxiety can actively work against their wellness goals.
Telemedicine Makes It Easier to Hide Them
A broader complication arises when patients conceal their GLP-1 usage not just from romantic partners, but from their primary care physicians as well. The rapid expansion of telehealth platforms, including companies like Hers and Ro, has made acquiring these prescriptions remarkably straightforward.
Caroline faces this exact dilemma. She failed to inform her regular doctor during both instances of starting Wegovy and remains reluctant to do so now, despite valid concerns about potential drug interactions with the Accutane and Ritalin she also takes. The prospect of confessing her GLP-1 use to her primary physician causes significant anxiety because she fears compromising their professional trust. With her annual physical examination fast approaching, she knows the substantial weight loss will be impossible for the doctor to miss.
"I use ChatGPT as my doctor at this point since I can’t be honest with my own doctor," she admits. "I say, ‘Hey, this is my actual weight, what type of dosage is okay to take with other drugs?’" She readily concedes that relying on artificial intelligence for medical advice is far from ideal.
Caroline secured her prescription through the telehealth platform Hers. During her intake process, she was only required to submit basic bloodwork and received no direct clinical counseling, instead being provided with informational documentation to read independently.
Dr. Craig Primack, the head of weight loss at Hers, tells SELF that the company’s prescribing physicians explicitly advise patients to discuss their treatment plans with their primary care doctors. While acknowledging that the platform offers limited direct counseling, he emphasizes that the service screens for mental health, anxiety, and stress. The proprietary Hers app also features psychologist-developed educational modules covering topics such as sleep management and behavioral eating patterns.
Dr. Primack confirms that he is fully aware of patients hiding their medications from their partners. He notes that some individuals withhold the information until they have concrete proof that the weight loss strategy works, while others cite the high financial cost of the drugs or fear how physical changes might alter relationship dynamics.
"Your weight and persona set up a dynamic in your couple," Dr. Primack explains. "When you start changing that, sometimes spouses get very jealous—‘Oh my god, you’re becoming potentially more attractive.’ Not that weight is directly linked to that, but that’s what I hear them say."
Coupled with the pervasive cultural stigma surrounding weight and body image, telemedicine offers a convenient workaround. Dr. Primack suggests that one of the primary benefits of virtual care is its ability to bypass social bias and personal discomfort, serving patients who otherwise feel too intimidated to discuss weight management with their local physicians.
Whether or not Caroline ultimately confesses her medication use to her doctor, she must still contend with the emotional fallout and psychological complexities her treatment has introduced. She describes the situation as deeply stressful, noting the paradox of depending on a drug she cannot discuss while feeling structurally unable to stop taking it.
"I don’t love the idea of taking medicine like that forever, but I’m kind of stuck with it," she says, driven by a persistent fear of regaining the weight. At the same time, she questions her own motivations: "I wonder to which extent I’m too harsh with my criticism of my body. Maybe my goals are too intense."
How to Talk With Your Partner About Weight Loss Medication
Given the immense vulnerability and emotional sensitivity intertwined with weight management, the hesitation surrounding whether to disclose GLP-1 usage is entirely understandable. However, approaching the conversation strategically can ease the transition, according to Dr. Rachel Goldman, a clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and a clinical psychologist specializing in weight management and disordered eating.
Framing the discussion around an individual’s personal experiences and health needs can transform the dialogue, making it feel manageable rather than like a defensive argument, Dr. Goldman explains. Because deciding to initiate this conversation is difficult, she encourages patients to first examine their underlying motivations—identifying what led them to the decision and what the treatment signifies for their overall health and well-being. Once a person feels grounded in their reasoning, communicating that confidence becomes much simpler.
Dr. Goldman also recommends drafting sample conversation scripts beforehand, advising patients to anchor their points in personal experiences rather than comparing themselves to broader societal trends. Utilizing "I" statements helps keep the focus on personal well-being rather than inviting judgment.
Anticipating a partner’s initial reaction and preparing for various conversational outcomes can also reduce anxiety. Dr. Goldman suggests considering what support is truly desired from a partner—whether it is active encouragement, understanding, or simply the space to make independent health decisions without criticism. She reminds patients that an initial emotional reaction from a partner is rarely definitive, as individuals often require time to process new information and work through their own internalized biases.
Ultimately, Dr. Goldman emphasizes that the objective of the conversation is not perfection, but rather laying the groundwork for greater honesty, connection, and mutual support over time.
For those who find the conversation insurmountable, however, the fallback option remains unchanged: there is always another box of anchovy paste waiting in the back of the fridge.
