The Facts: What You Should Know About Medication Stigma

Hey, you’re not imagining it. The stares, the questions, the awkward comments about your snacks, tech, or insulin? That’s stigma. And here is what the research says:

What Is Medication Stigma?

• Medication stigma happens when people judge you for needing diabetes meds, devices, or treatments, especially when they’re visible.
• It can come from strangers, friends, family, or even doctors.
• It can also come from yourself when you start believing that needing meds means you’ve done something wrong. That’s called internalized or self-stigma, and it’s just as harmful.

What the Research Shows (And Why It Matters)

It’s Common in Young Adults

• In a U.S. study of over 1,600 young people with diabetes, medication stigma was widespread, especially in teens and twenties¹.
• Young adulthood is a time when you’re building your independence, friendships, and identity, so stigma can hit extra hard during this stage².

Insulin Use Feels More Stigmatized

• If you’re on insulin, especially with type 2 diabetes, you’re more likely to feel judged¹.
• Why? Because many people wrongly assume insulin means you “failed” at managing diabetes, which is completely untrue¹.

GLP-1 Medications Can Trigger Stigma, Too

• GLP-1 medications (like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro) are prescribed for people with diabetes to help manage blood sugar and reduce health risks. Yet, despite their medical use, these meds are often misunderstood as “just weight-loss drugs,” which can land hard. This is because comments like these are laced with diabetes and weight stigma. 
• When people say things like, “Isn’t that just for weight loss?” or “Aren’t you taking the easy way out?” It sucks because they create pressure to explain, defend, or hide your medication use, even when it’s helping you stay healthy.
• You might also feel self-doubt if your weight doesn’t change. It is easy to forget that that there is no one-size-fits-all in diabetes care, especially when talking about GLP-1s.  
• Research shows that this kind of stigma can discourage you from taking needed medications or make you feel like you don’t deserve care³. 

Pills Can Feel Stigmatized Too

• Even oral medications can cause discomfort, especially if you’re asked about them, need to take them at meals, or feel like you’re constantly explaining yourself³.

Visible Devices Increase Stigma

• CGMs, insulin pumps, alarms, and tubing can draw attention, questions, or judgment, especially in public spaces, classrooms, or on dates.
• Alarms, checking your phone, or using a visible patch can lead others to think you’re distracted or dramatic, but really, you’re managing your health⁴.

Stigma Impacts Your Blood Sugar and Safety

• Feeling ashamed or judged is linked to higher A1c levels in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes¹.
• In type 1, stigma is also tied to serious complications, like DKA, severe lows, and even long-term issues like retinopathy and kidney disease¹.
• In type 2, stigma (especially while using insulin) is linked to diabetes-related complications, including retinopathy¹.

Stigma Can Lead to Skipping Meds

• Many young adults skip doses or delay using devices because they don’t want to be judged⁵.
• Some avoid eating or using low treatments in public, even when it’s risky⁴.
• Some stop bringing supplies or downplay their diabetes needs to avoid feeling “extra” or “too much” ⁵,⁶.

It Affects Your Mental Health, Too

• Stigma can make you feel isolated, anxious, or “like a failure.”
• It can lead to lower self-esteem, decreased motivation, and increased burnout ⁶.

What Helps

• Talk about it, whether it’s with a trusted friend, peer group, therapist, or provider. Naming stigma is a first step in taking away its power.
• Keep your care visible. It’s not your job to educate everyone, but being real about what you need can be powerful.
• Remember who gets it. Surround yourself (IRL or online) with others who live this way. You’re not the only one.
• Let go of the shame story. You didn’t fail. You’re adapting, surviving, and showing up for yourself.

What To Know (and Remember)

• You didn’t cause this. Diabetes isn’t a moral failure, and treatment isn’t shameful.
• You’re not too much for needing alarms, snacks, bags, apps, pills, or insulin.
• You don’t have to hide to be accepted, and hiding won’t make diabetes any easier.

Research Cited

1. Eitel, Kelsey B., Alissa J. Roberts, Ralph D’Agostino Jr., Catherine E. Barrett, Ronny A. Bell, Anna Bellatorre, et al. “Diabetes Stigma and Clinical Outcomes in Adolescents and Young Adults: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.” Diabetes Care 46, no. 4 (2023): 811–818. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc22-1749.

2. Febrey, Sophie, Nathan Walumba, Anurag Khanna, Michelle St. Clair Russell, Helen Stokes-Lampard, and Thomas P. White. “What Are the Experiences, Views and Perceptions of Patients, Carers and Clinicians of Antipsychotic Medication in Psychosis? A Co-Produced Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.” Health Expectations 28, no. 2 (2025): 365–377. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13880.

3. Heitmann, Berit L. “Weight-Loss Medication and Weight-Loss Stigma.” Current Obesity Reports 14 (2025): 18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-025-00611-5.

4. Kansra, Sonika, Shannon M. Christofferson, and Ruchi S. Gupta. “Medication Adherence and Asthma Control in Urban Adolescents: The Role of Self-Stigma.” Breathe 17, no. 2 (2021): 210002. https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.0002-2021.

5. Kamaradova, Dana, Klara Latalova, Jan Prasko, Radim Kubinek, Kristyna Vrbova, Barbora Mainerova, et al. “Connection between Self-Stigma, Adherence to Treatment, and Discontinuation of Medication.” Patient Preference and Adherence 10 (2016): 1289–1298. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S99136.

6. Liu, Nancy F., Adam S. Brown, Alexandra E. Folias, Michael F. Younge, Susan J. Guzman, Kelly L. Close, and Richard Wood. “Stigma in People With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes.” Clinical Diabetes 35, no. 1 (2017): 27–34. https://doi.org/10.2337/cd16-0020.

7. Roberts, Alissa J., Catherine E. Barrett, Kelsey B. Eitel, and Catherine Pihoker. “Diabetes Stigma and Clinical Outcomes: An International Review.” Journal of the Endocrine Society (2024). https://doi.org/10.1210/js.2023-00357.