Some new medications in development are also trying to solve for a persistent side effect of existing drugs: Patients who lose fat also tend to lose muscle. This can be particularly dangerous for older adults because it makes them more likely to fall and can worsen osteoporosis.

“Our findings show liraglutide may be effective for treating stubborn, high-frequency migraines in patients with obesity, and that this effect is independent of weight loss,” the researchers concluded in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.

Alternatives to weekly injections of weight-loss drugs may be on the way. A monthly dose of a new drug called MariTide helped participants in a phase 2 clinical trial shed about 20% of their body weight over a year,