Full Breakdown
Teddi Mellencamp’s GLP-1 Request Denied Amid Stage 4 Melanoma Treatment
4/25/2026, 11:05:34 AM
GLP-1 Request Denied
On the April 23 episode of “Two Ts in a Pod,” Teddi Mellencamp said she asked her oncologist for a GLP-1 weight-loss prescription after steroid treatment for stage 4 melanoma caused weight gain. The doctor replied, “No!” and refused the medication.
Cancer History and Treatment
Mellencamp, 44, was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in 2022. By 2025 the disease had spread to her brain and lungs, leading to more than a dozen surgeries, including emergency brain tumor removal, and ongoing immunotherapy. Steroid drugs used in her regimen contributed to recent weight gain. She is a mother of three and a health and wellness coach. Sources note she has undergone 17 surgeries for the invasive skin cancer.
Why It Matters
GLP-1 drugs are popular for weight loss. Their use by cancer patients to counter steroid-induced weight gain prompts debate over physician discretion, patient autonomy, and safety in active malignancy. The discussion highlights the intersection of treatment side effects and weight-management strategies.
Official Statements & Responses
Mellencamp framed the request as a personal health need, describing herself as a “health and wellness coach who’s dying of cancer” and noting the steroids made her “bigger.” She reported the doctor’s refusal and called it “so rude.” Co-host Dolores Catania expressed sympathy, recalled being denied GLP-1s herself, suggested Mellencamp could obtain the medication elsewhere, and urged her to “tell your doctor to shut up.”
Criticism & Opposition
Catania’s remarks encouraged Mellencamp to bypass the doctor’s decision, implying the refusal was overly cautious rather than medically required.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Some sources say doctors found “no detectable cancer” in October 2025 but note she is not yet in remission; other reports claim the cancer was “gone.” No medical explanation for the GLP-1 denial is provided.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I am a health and wellness coach who's dying of cancer. And because I gained weight from the steroids, because I'm getting bigger from the steroids, I asked my doctor if I could please have GLP-1s.” — Teddi Mellencamp
- “I’m so sorry someone told you no, but I don’t know that I’d listen!” — Dolores Catania
- “tell your doctor to shut up!” — Dolores Catania
- “I have friends that do it.” — Teddi Mellencamp
What’s Next
Mellencamp will keep receiving immunotherapy and monitoring while the conversation about GLP-1 use in cancer care continues on her podcast.
