Ozempic microdosing: Weight-loss hack or just a placebo?

As weight-loss injectables like Ozempic skyrocket in popularity, a new offshoot trend is starting to take hold: microdosing. But experts have concerns.

As weight-loss injectables like Ozempic skyrocket in popularity, a new offshoot trend is starting to take hold: microdosing.

Instead of following the standard dosing guidelines, some people are experimenting with smaller amounts of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. The reasons vary — from trying to stretch out expensive prescriptions to avoiding the side effects that can come with higher doses.

This off-label approach has picked up traction online. Podcasts, social media posts and YouTube videos feature users sharing personal stories of shedding pounds through lower-than-recommended doses.

But here’s the thing: using smaller doses for weight loss hasn’t been rigorously studied. Because it’s considered off-label, there’s little clinical evidence to show whether this kind of do-it-yourself dosing is actually effective, or just anecdotal.

So, can people really lose weight on a dose that hasn’t been prescribed?

“It’s not impossible, but there’s no evidence,” said Hertzel Gerstein, a professor of medicine and a diabetes specialist at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.

“But a lack of evidence doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. It means no one has really studied it in any systematic way. And you can always go online, on social media and you can find anecdotes. But the trouble is that a placebo works in anecdotes, right?”

Gerstein noted one study published in Diabetes Care in March 2025, which suggested that microdosing might have some benefits for people with diabetes. But the study also made it clear: there’s still not enough solid clinical evidence to back it up. Since microdosing is considered off-label and not officially supported by the drug makers, it needs to be done carefully, and only under the guidance of a health-care professional.