Stopping or Switching Weight Loss Injections: What Happens After You Discontinue?
Millions of people around the world achieved their weight loss goals using various weight-suppressant medications. However, people may regain lost weight once they are discontinued, which raises concerns about their effectiveness in the long term. Dr. Venugopal Pareek, one of the best weight loss surgeons in Hyderabad, has expressed disappointment with the increasing rumors that weight loss injections like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro can help to lose weight permanently.
Experts say that obesity isn’t an infection to treat with a course of medication, which often provides a complete cure. It is like a chronic disease that requires constant care and long-term medication. In recent years, a new class of weight loss treatments has been introduced in which the drugs (GLP-1 agonists) behave like the natural hormone GLP-1 that controls hunger. Discovering these weight loss injections has revolutionized the weight-loss field.
In June 2021, the FDA approved Wegovy, a GLP-1-based drug (semaglutide), for long-term weight management. A few years later, in 2023, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) was released, and now more research is going on to develop even more effective and safe drugs for weight.
Weight loss injections: How do they work?
- The drugs used in weight loss injections come under GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s).
- They behave like the GLP-1 hormone, the natural gut hormone released in the body after eating.
- These hormones are responsible for appetite regulation, in which the GLP-1 receptor agonist signals the brain, making you feel less hungry, which supports weight loss.
- Slowing down the gastric emptying is one of the factors of GLP-1, which means the food you consume stays longer in the stomach.
- The drugs also control blood sugar levels and food cravings by stimulating the pancreas to release insulin.
- Mimicking the actions of the natural GLP-1 hormone, weight loss injections achieve appetite control, which reduces food consumption, which eventually promotes weight loss.
- According to some clinical trials organized in 2021, patients who took semaglutide (Wegovy) weight loss injection lost around 15% of their body weight in 15 months.
- In the first 3 months, patients tend to lose around 7% of their body weight; after 6 months, on average, they lose around 12%.
What happens when you stop using weight loss injections?
You may observe several changes in the body if you stop taking weight loss injections. Regaining lost weight is one of the common changes. You may not regain the whole weight you lost during the treatment, but gaining a small amount of weight is normal when you stop treatment.
In one of the studies conducted on people who are taking semaglutide (Wegovy), researchers observed that patients gained 2/3 of their lost weight within a year shortly after discontinuing treatment. They continued to gain weight so that after a period of time, nearly half of the participants were not able to keep off 5% or more of their initial weight.
Many other studies conducted on people taking semaglutide also exhibited a similar pattern. In one study with nearly 800 participants, they lost 11% of their body weight with weekly injections in four months. However, some participants switched to another weight loss medication—placebo, and they gained back around 7% of their lost weight.
Not only semaglutide, but the risk of weight regain is the same across all weight loss injections. When patients taking Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for weight loss switched to another option, like placebo, they regained around 14% of their lost weight. Similarly, the same scenario was observed in the liraglutide (Saxenda). Many studies reported patients gaining weight back after discontinuation of weight loss treatment through injections.
The reason for weight regain after discontinuing GLP-1s
There are many factors that lead to weight regain after discontinuing weight loss (GLP-1) injections:
Increased appetite—appetite control (suppressing hunger) is the main advantage of weight loss injections. This effect no longer works when you discontinue taking the injections. Eventually, your appetite increases, which results in more food consumption and weight gain.
Metabolic changes—controlling blood sugar level is another advantage of weight loss injections. However, discontinuing these injections, your metabolism might restore to its previous state, and you lose control of your metabolism.
Blood sugar control—blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetic people and overweight people with diabetes can be controlled with GLP-1 injections. Discontinuing these medications might restore improvements to the previous state, which results in weight gain.
Surprisingly, some researchers say that weight regain is observed rapidly after discontinuing semaglutide injections, especially in those who lost 20% or more weight. Similarly, the GLP-1 agonist liraglutide also exhibited the same characteristics. It is observed that the more you lose, the more likely you are to gain weight after stopping or switching the treatment.
It is recommended to stay on the suggested weight loss medication for up to 24 months. There is no choice but to stop or switch or delay use of weight loss injections as recommended by the doctor in case of severe side effects. Some people discontinue the medication due to the cost of injections, as they may become a financial burden. But some people are eager to discontinue the medication, believing that they have reached their weight loss goals.
It is not recommended to stop or switch weight loss injections unless your doctor recommends it. Clinical reports say that many people returned to their regular weight after discontinuing the treatment within a year. However, the majority of the people who were committed to doctors’ recommendations continued to lose weight, and others were able to maintain the lost weight. Remember, lifestyle factors play a key role in the amount of weight you regain after discontinuing injections.
If you are on weight loss injections and want to know the best lifestyle choices that can prevent weight gain after discontinuing weight loss injections, consult Dr. Venugopal Pareek, one of the weight loss experts in Hyderabad with more than 18 years of experience.
