What Happens When You Stop GLP-1 Weight Loss Medications?

Introduction

GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) like semaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepatide have become popular for helping people lose weight, especially those with type 2 diabetes or obesity. These medications mimic a hormone in our body that helps control blood sugar and appetite. While they are effective at helping people lose weight, there’s a big question many are asking: what happens when you stop taking them?

A new review helps answer that question by looking at what really happens to body weight, waist size, and BMI after people stop GLP-1 treatment.

GLP-1 Medications Work—But Only While You’re on Them

This review studied 8 clinical trials involving over 2,300 people who were overweight or had obesity. Everyone had been taking a GLP-1RA and then stopped the medication. The findings were clear: most people regained some or all of the weight they had lost.

• People who stopped semaglutide or tirzepatide gained back about 9.7 kg on average.

• People who stopped liraglutide regained about 2.2 kg.

These numbers show that the amount of weight regained is often related to how much weight was lost in the first place.

Waist Size and BMI Also Go Up

Weight wasn’t the only thing that increased. Waist size and BMI also went up after stopping GLP-1 medications:

• Waist size increased by about 5.8 cm for semaglutide/tirzepatide users.

• Waist size increased by about 1.4 cm for those who stopped liraglutide.

• BMI went up by 3.6 units with semaglutide/tirzepatide and 0.7 units with liraglutide.

Even when people continued with healthy lifestyle habits like eating well and exercising, they still regained weight. This suggests that stopping the medication can change the body’s ability to keep the weight off.

Why Does This Happen?

GLP-1 medications help reduce appetite and make people feel full faster. Once the drug is stopped, hunger and cravings may return, making it harder to stick to a low-calorie diet. Even if someone is exercising, maintaining weight loss without the medication becomes more difficult.

Another reason is that these drugs may help change where fat is stored. After stopping them, fat might come back in more harmful forms like visceral fat (fat around the organs), which is more dangerous than fat stored under the skin.

Should GLP-1s Be a Long-Term Treatment?

Based on these findings, GLP-1 medications might need to be taken long-term, like medicines for blood pressure or diabetes. Just like stopping blood pressure pills can cause your numbers to rise again, stopping GLP-1s often causes weight to come back.

But there are challenges. These medications are expensive, not always covered by insurance, and usually need to be injected. There are efforts underway to make oral versions, but even those may still cause side effects like nausea.

Conclusion

GLP-1 drugs are powerful tools for weight loss, but the benefits often disappear once the medication is stopped. For many people, these medicines might need to be used long-term to maintain results. If you're considering or currently using a GLP-1 medication, it's important to talk to your doctor about a plan for staying on track, both during and after treatment.

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