Recent research published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism indicates that once patients stop using semaglutide drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic any weight they’ve lost is likely to return.
According to Dr. Ibiye Owei, Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, semaglutide is a glucagon-like-peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1 agonist) which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat diabetes and obesity or overweight.
“It works by making people feel full sooner and suppressing the appetite so people do not feel as hungry,” she explained. “One of the ways it does this is by slowing emptying of the stomach so there is a feeling of satiety.”
Owei added that anyone with obesity defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and above or a BMI of 27 and above who is experiencing weight-related complications such as hypertension or type 2 diabetes would be a good candidate to use this medication.
According to Dr. Kathleen Dungan, an endocrinologist in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, there are several potential benefits to using semaglutide.
“It is one of the most effective treatments available for either condition, outside of bariatric surgery,” said Dungan. “Moreover, there is evidence that the use of semaglutide may reduce the risk for developing diabetes and may be particularly useful in individuals who have prediabetes.”
While drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic might seem like a miracle to those with diabetes and obesity, the truth is the effects only last while you are taking the medication.
A study published in April 2022 which sought to examine changes in body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors upon the termination of the drug, found that after a year people had regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost.
The positive changes they had seen in cardiometabolic risk factors like blood pressure, blood lipids, HbA1c, and C-reactive protein had similarly reversed.
According to the study authors, these findings reinforce the need to continue treatment in order to maintain the benefits of the medication.
According to Dungan, weight rebound occurs quite simply because the drug does not cure the underlying issues that led to weight gain in the first place.
Owei further explained that metabolic adaptation occurs while patients are losing weight and this can contribute to weight gain when the medication is ended.
She said that this effect isn’t unique to semaglutide. “This happens regardless of what weight loss method is employed,” she said, pointing out a study showing that contestants of the TV show “The Biggest Loser” had experienced a decrease in resting metabolic rate that still persisted 6 years after the competition had ended.
Dungan said the optimal duration of use for semaglutide is not known. However, since you may regain weight if you stop the drug, it is important to make changes in your lifestyle as well.
“Semaglutide is not a substitute for diet and exercise,” she said, “but can be a very effective treatment.”
Owei added that studies have shown that obesity is a chronic disease, so long-term medication would be necessary in order to prevent weight regain.
“However, I would always weigh the risk of using a medication against the benefits in making any decision for long-term use,” she said.
There are some potentially serious side effects that can occur with this medication, she noted, including pancreatitis, kidney failure, and medullary thyroid cancer. There is also the possibility of risk to a developing fetus.
Exercise can also be helpful in weight maintenance after losing weight on semaglutide, she said, explaining that the contestants mentioned previously were aided in their maintenance efforts by increasing physical activity.
“As we know,” she said, “all studies have strengths and weaknesses and most are not reproducible but these lifestyle changes are crucial to both weight loss and maintenance in addition to medication use.”
Owei added that it is important to check in with your healthcare provider or a physician certified in obesity management prior to using weight loss medication.
“Like any other chronic disease, it requires long-term management,” she concluded.
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
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Dec 15, 2022
Written By
Nancy Schimelpfening
Edited By
Jase Peeples
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Semaglutide for Weight Loss: Why People Regain Weight After Stopping – Healthline
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Dec 16, 2022