What Actually Happens When You Stop GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs
GLP-1 weight loss medications have helped millions of people lose weight, but new research suggests the benefits may not last if treatment is stopped. A review published in the British Medical Journal analyzed 37 studies involving more than 9,300 people. The research found that around half of those who started GLP-1 medications stopped taking them within a year. On average, participants returned to their starting weight within about 1.7 years after discontinuing treatment. Researchers also found that weight regain wasn’t the only concern. Improvements in blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and cardiovascular health often disappeared after patients stopped taking the medication.
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Last November, a patient of mine — 19 years old and established in our primary care clinic in Massachusetts — came in for her annual physical. She’d done everything we’d asked for her chronic obesity. She’d traded the bus for a mile-long walk to school, every day, both ways.
