"One kilo, one kilo. It goes up 2 kilos every year, and if I don't even take the meds (oral appetite suppressants) here, I feel like I'll suddenly gain weight exponentially. So you can say I've taken them every day for the past six years except when I go for a health checkup."Study participant G
"Rather than dressing up, my husband really likes it when I just lose weight. 'You look pretty today, don't you think?' That's when I've lost weight. And 'Shouldn't you manage it?' Three months after giving birth. It's been 50 days now, right? Even so, 'Shouldn't you start dieting now?' He already started saying that a few days ago."Study participant H
Appetite suppressants prescribed for weight loss are being used more for "cosmetic purposes" than for "obesity treatment," and many users are experiencing side effects and dependence. More than half of those who took the drugs started them while not obese, and more than 7 in 10 experienced side effects such as insomnia, heart palpitations, and depressed mood.
According to the report "Public perceptions of drug abuse and policy tasks" published on the 16th by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), a survey of 257 adults ages 19 to 64 who had taken oral appetite suppressants between 2022 and 2025 found that 59.5% of respondents said they took the drugs "to lose weight despite not being diagnosed with obesity." Only 34.6% said they were diagnosed with obesity by a doctor and took them for treatment purposes.
The trend is clearer when looking at body mass index (BMI) at first use. The share who started the drugs with a BMI under 25, meaning they were not obese, was 54.1%. Only 12.5% were actually obese with a BMI of 30 or higher.
Guidelines from the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity recommend drug therapy only for those with a BMI of 25 or higher who have failed diet and exercise therapy. In reality, however, the biggest motivation for prescriptions was the desire to "lose weight quickly." Among those who took the drugs without an obesity diagnosis, 62.1% said it was "because rapid weight loss is possible," and 31.4% said it was "because I don't want to control my diet or exercise."
Most actual users were female office workers. Women accounted for 82.5% of those surveyed, with many in their 30s (32.7%) and 40s (35.0%). College graduates or higher made up 75.9%, and wage workers 70.4%.
The overwhelming reason for taking the drugs was "weight-related stress." A total of 91.9% of respondents said "stress over weight influenced the decision to take appetite suppressants." A total of 74.7% also said "society overall prefers a thin body."
"It's not just my mouth; my throat gets dry so I end up drinking a lot of water no matter what. The dry mouth was so severe I had to drink 2 liters a day. I work at a department store, so I have to walk a lot. Every time I walked, the headaches and dizziness were really severe. It wasn't like motion sickness making me want to vomit. I felt the dizziness in my head and wanted to throw up. I often felt like I would vomit. If I didn't eat while on the meds or moved my body a lot, I felt a lot of tingling, like pins and needles, in my fingertips."Study participant B
"It's always like that when I take the meds (oral appetite suppressants). Always dizzy. At work, I don't know if it's because I go to the bathroom often or because I eat less, but sometimes my head spins. It spins once in a while."Study participant E
"I actually gained more weight from rebound than when I first tried diet pills. So I do regret it. Compared to the very first time I tried them. I really think a lot that it would've been better if I hadn't done it at all."Study participant D
The problem is side effects. A total of 73.5% of respondents said they experienced side effects after taking appetite suppressants.
The most common symptom was dry mouth (72.0%). That was followed by heart palpitations (68.8%), insomnia (66.7%), dizziness (38.6%), and nervousness or irritability (41.8%). A total of 53.4% said they experienced the "yo-yo effect," regaining weight.
Mental health issues were also not uncommon. A total of 25.4% reported experiencing depression, 22.8% anxiety, and 23.8% personality changes. A total of 21.2% said they felt drug dependence, and 1.6% said they experienced suicidal urges.
"I don't feel good; I feel kind of floaty. There's that floaty feeling. And I never think on the positive side when I'm on them. What's the point of doing this? I have a somewhat negative tendency. If I take them for a week. One day is fine. I'm fine into the next day. Symptoms show up for about three days, and after a week it's full-on. The depressed mood gets really bad. This is how a person could snap."Study participant C
Even so, not many fully stopped taking them. After experiencing side effects, 54.0% paused for a period and then resumed. A total of 22.8% continued the drugs despite side effects. While 69.8% consulted the prescribing doctor when side effects occurred, 54.7% said they sought information on the internet or YouTube.
There were also many cases where the duration of use exceeded recommended standards. While 45.9% of those surveyed took them for three months or less, 37.0% took them for more than three months but less than a year, and 17.1% took them for more than a year. As a rule, appetite suppressants are generally prescribed short-term within four weeks.
As for the prescribing departments, internal medicine and family medicine accounted for the largest share at 49.4%, followed by obesity clinics at 26.7% and dermatology and plastic surgery at 14.8%. A total of 18.7% of respondents said they had taken more than the dose prescribed by their doctor.
"It was almost like an assembly line. When I sat down, the doctor spoke right away, so I didn't really get a professional feel. It wasn't tailored to the individual. I don't remember the exact counseling. They said, 'There's no way it won't come off. If you take this, there's no way it won't come off. It will definitely come off.' That's what they said."Study participant F
Many also said explanations during consultations were insufficient. A total of 10.9% said they "did not receive an explanation" about side effects, 25.7% about the risks of overdose, 31.1% about signs of addiction, and 42.0% about how to cope with dependence.
Weight management was also not systematic. Only 35.0% said their weight or body fat was measured every time after a prescription, 24.1% said only at the first visit, and 11.3% said it was not measured at all.
Actual users' experiences were similar. One study participant said, "A coworker at the department store told me she lost 7 kilograms with diet pills and referred me to a hospital, so I got a prescription at a plastic surgery clinic." Another participant said, "When I take the pills my heart races and I can't sleep, so the hospital prescribed me sleeping pills together."
There were also cases of using the drugs "only when needed." One participant said, "The morning after I overeat eating out, I take the pills and fast all day."
Asked about their current status without taking the drugs, 14.8% were still taking appetite suppressants. Among those who had stopped, 33.9% said, "I will take them again if my weight goes back up."
Interest in injectable obesity treatments was also high. While 5.1% said they are currently using them, 27.6% said "I will use them if my weight increases."
The research team said, "We were able to confirm that the development of various mass media; a market-oriented health care system that drives the supply of medical services and the resulting environment of limitless competition; and, above all, a social atmosphere that emphasizes appearance and commodifies it, together with individuals' ceaseless efforts to conform to it, have converged to connect with the perception and reality of indiscriminate misuse and abuse of medicines."