Cost is the top reason people with type 2 diabetes quit GLP 1 drugs in an Everyday Health survey

Cost and insurance coverage were the reasons most often given by people with type 2 diabetes who quit GLP 1 drugs, ahead of side effects and dislike of injections. An Everyday Health survey of 501 adults with type 2 diabetes found that 30% of those who had stopped named cost or coverage. Another 27% said side effects were too severe and 27% said they disliked injecting. The online poll ran from August 5 to 13, 2026, and the results were published on October 27. It is a publisher survey, not a peer reviewed study.

What the diabetes survey found

The survey asked 501 adults living with type 2 diabetes about daily habits, treatment and their views on GLP 1 drugs, according to the Everyday Health report on the results. Some respondents were current users, some had used the drugs in the past and some had never taken them. Among people who had stopped, the most selected reason was cost and insurance coverage, at 30%. Side effects that were too severe and a dislike of the injection process each drew 27%. Some of those who had stopped said they were unlikely to restart within six months. The report gives the size of the sample and the dates, but not how people were recruited or whether answers were weighted, so the figures describe the people who answered.

Side effects were common in the group. Fewer than one in five users said they had none at all. Diarrhea or constipation was the most frequent complaint, reported by 37% of current users and 31% of past users, followed by nausea or vomiting at 28% and 21%. Anxiety or mood changes, heartburn or acid reflux, and fatigue each affected about a quarter of users. Women reported more side effects than men, and baby boomers were the most likely to report none, at 29%. Among people who had never taken a GLP 1, 40% were worried about side effects. When asked what they would most want to ask a clinical expert, 24% chose safety and side effects.

Why people quit GLP 1 drugs over cost

The money finding stands out because diabetes is the use that plans are most likely to pay for. Many insurers that refuse GLP 1 drugs for weight loss still cover them for type 2 diabetes. Even so, cost was the top reason this group gave to quit GLP 1 drugs. The survey does not break down what kind of cost was involved, so it cannot say whether people faced high copays, a deductible, a coverage denial, a change of plan or no insurance at all. A copay that looks small on paper can still add up over a year of monthly fills, and our explainer on the four prices of one pen sets out why the counter price often differs from the list price.

Even so, cost was the top reason this group gave to quit GLP 1 drugs.

Other data point the same way. A separate preprint from researchers at the University of Southern California and RAND, based on a national panel of 9,150 adults, found that 97% of people taking these drugs for diabetes reported having drug coverage, while 43% of those taking them for weight loss said they had none. That means cover alone does not remove the cost barrier for people with diabetes. Some plans have moved to lower what diabetes patients pay. Walmart's company plan, for example, now makes Ozempic and Mounjaro free for diabetes, as we reported in our story on Walmart GLP 1 coverage. Such moves remain the exception, and the survey does not show which plans respondents had or what they paid each month.

Injections side effects and the oral option

Cost was not the only practical barrier. Just over a quarter of past users said they stopped because they disliked injecting, the same share that cited severe side effects. Alpana Shukla, who directs clinical research at the weight control center run by NewYork Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, told Everyday Health that pills are an option for some patients. "Patients who dislike injecting or have a needle aversion can also be offered an oral GLP-1 instead," she said. For people whose problem is money, Shukla suggested asking a doctor about another medicine that can help, and asking whether a clinical trial of an obesity medicine is open to them. Those are steps a patient can raise at the next visit.

The table below sets out the survey figures most relevant to staying on treatment. They show a group in which money, tolerability and the form of the medicine all pull people away. For prescribers, that means the first visit is also the time to ask about coverage terms and out of pocket costs, not only about blood sugar targets. Shukla said many people find side effects easier to handle over time, and that a prescriber can help by adjusting how the medicine is used or by trying another treatment. Patients who are thinking about stopping because of cost or side effects should talk to the prescriber first, so that any change is planned as a switch rather than a gap in treatment.

What it means for plans and pharmacies

For payers, the finding is a warning that a covered drug is not the same as an affordable one. If three in ten people with diabetes who quit say cost was the reason, part of the benefit of covering the drug may be lost through dropouts. Plans that set high copays or move drugs to higher tiers could see more of that. The survey cannot measure the effect on health, and it does not compare plans. For pharmacies, the counter is often where the cost first lands, and pharmacists may be the first to hear that a patient plans to skip a refill. A short check on cheaper covered options or patient support programs can keep a refill from turning into a stop.

There are limits to what this survey can show. It is a single publisher poll of 501 people with no published weighting, and it asked about reasons in broad categories. It does not report the type of insurance, the drug used or the amount paid. The results still fit a wider pattern of patients reporting money as a reason to stop. Readers who want to follow what a month of treatment costs and who changes that number can find every update on our price desk, which tracks list prices, cash offers and copay programs across markets. For approved drugs, the prescriber and pharmacist remain the right people to ask about lower cost options.

Conclusion

Cost and coverage were the top reasons people with type 2 diabetes in this survey chose to quit GLP 1 drugs, cited by 30% of those who stopped, ahead of side effects and injection dislike. The poll is not peer reviewed and lacks method details. Patients facing a cost problem should raise it with their prescriber or pharmacist before stopping.