So you lost weight with Wegovy. Does that mean you can stop taking it?

Millions of Americans who have shed pounds and improved their health using popular weight loss drugs like Wegovy are facing a new problem: What happens if they stop taking them?

Many worry that they will gain weight again and go back to their old habits. In studies, people who stopped using the drug relapsed the amount of weight they lost.

But others are betting on a strategy to get you off the drug and stay slim by stretching the dosages, taking the medication every now and then or stopping and starting again as needed.

Over 3 million orders for new medicines are run monthly in the US, according to 2023 data from health technology company IQVIA. They include semaglutide, a drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, a drug in Mounjaro and Zepbound.

But most people don’t stick to it. Another study published in the journal Obesity found just that 40% of patients who filled a prescription for Wegovy in 2021 or 2022 they were still taking it a year later.

Here’s what you need to know about relaxing these new medications:

HOW ARE DRUGS USED?

Doctors dealing with obesity stress that this disease is a chronic condition that needs to be managed indefinitely, like heart disease or high blood pressure. New injectable drugs work by mimicking hormones in the gut and brain to control appetite and feelings of fullness. They were designed – and tested – for regular use, experts said.

“I don’t think they should be used for a certain period of time. It is not approved for that. They don’t work like that,” said Dr. Andres Acosta, an obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

WHY DO PEOPLE WANT TO QUIT DRUGS?

Some people who have achieved their health and weight goals with drugs want to offframp, said Dr. Amy Rothberg, who directs the weight management and diabetes program at the University of Michigan.

He said: “Many of them want to go down or lower their budget.” And they want to stop using medicine.

Some patients do not like side effects such as nausea and constipation. Others want to stop for holidays or special events — or simply because they don’t want to take weekly shots indefinitely, said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company Intellihealth.

“For me, it’s a help, it’s a help,” said Donna Cooper of Front Royal, Virginia, who lost about 40 pounds (18 kilograms) in nine months using Wegovy along with diet and exercise. exercise. “Sometimes you have to get out of them. I don’t want to be on them forever.”

Some people are forced to give up or stop doses because the drugs are expensive — $1,000 to $1,300 a month — and insurance coverage varies or because demand is so high, Rothberg noted.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY STOP?

Drugs work by changing the way the body works and conserves energy. When people stop taking it, many regain the weight they lost, and more. And many report the return of obesity symptoms such as so-called food cravings or intrusive thoughts of food, intense hunger and decreased feelings of satiety when eating.

Some people who stop the drug and start again have severe gastrointestinal side effects. Some find that the drugs don’t work as well as they used to. There is no data on the long-term effects of intermittent use, Saunders said.

“I don’t think it’s a strategy that will work for most people, but it could be an option for select patients,” he said.

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