For teenager Adam Renteria, obesity was a lifelong struggle that was affecting his independence.
"I would get tired easily. I wouldn't want to go out because I didn't like the way I looked," Adam told "Good Morning America" in an interview that aired Tuesday.
Adam's mom Robin was also concerned about his physical health.
"We were worried about where his head was and how he was doing," she said. "Adam's blood pressure was incredibly high, which is dangerous for anybody at any age."
Since Adam wasn't seeing results with diets and exercise at age 15, Robin said it was her idea to see if he was eligible to take a GLP-1 drug. Currently, Wegovy, the brand name for semaglutide, is the only weekly GLP-1 medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat obesity in children over 12 years old.
An estimated 20% of U.S. children are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Wegovy prescriptions for kids remain low as well, but a study from NYU Langone Health found that they rose 310% from 2019 to 2026.
Dr. Emily Breidbart, a pediatric endocrinologist who treats Adam at the Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, said medications aren’t for every overweight child. She prescribed Wegovy to Adam, a patient in the Adolescent Healthy Weight Program at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital.
"He did not have diabetes. His metabolic parameters looked fine," Breidbart said. "They had really had a very healthy household in terms of food choice and eating. He was already pretty active. He was in gymnastics at that point, although it was becoming harder to do it."
After Adam started taking Wegovy, Robin said she noticed her son's behaviors changed.
"I noticed there were less trips through the kitchen looking for snacks, less asking when the next meal was. The amount he was eating at each meal dropped," Robin said.
Over the course of two years, Robin and Adam said his body mass index (BMI) dropped from 36 to 22.8. Adam, now 17, also joined a cheer team.
"I think seeing my physical capabilities and then performing them has helped my confidence skyrocket drastically," Adam said.
"Losing the weight and feeling comfortable in his body has made such a difference in his daily life," Robin added.
For families considering a GLP-1 drug for kids, experts say they need to consider healthy eating and exercising habits, side effects and also think about the potential for these drugs to become a long-term treatment option.
"Any medication can come with risk and this is why it's really important for them to see someone who is experienced in prescribing and I think the encouragement of a really supportive family who's sort of in the trenches with you is really the most important," Breidbart said.
Overall, doctors say GLP-1 medications aren’t a quick fix and kids, like adults, may have to stay on these medications for years. Researchers are still studying the long-term effects of GLP-1 use in children, including what happens when children stop taking these drugs.