Many patients maintain weight loss a year after stopping semaglutide, liraglutide
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Key takeaways:
- Overall, 56.2% patients who took semaglutide maintained their weight 1 year after discontinuing its use.
- Health care providers should discuss the possibility of weight regain with patients, a researcher said.
Over half of patients who stopped taking liraglutide or semaglutide were able to maintain their weight for a year, according to a recent study from Epic Research.
“What stood out the most was that a majority of patients, both on semaglutide and liraglutide, were able to maintain their weight or even continue losing weight after discontinuing the medication,” Kersten Bartelt, RN, a clinician at Epic Research, told Healio. “This suggests that these drugs may have a lasting impact on weight management, even after cessation.”
The findings contrast with those from a previous clinical trial that showed that two-thirds of patients on once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy, Novo Nordisk) regained their weight 1 year after having stopped the medication.
In the most recent analysis, Bartelt and colleagues studied 17,733 patients prescribed liraglutide (Saxenda, Novo Nordisk) and 20,274 patients prescribed semaglutide, all of whom lost at least 5 pounds while on the medications.
They found that 18.7% of liraglutide users and 17.7% of semaglutide users regained all the weight they had lost or more after 1 year of discontinuation.
However, 56.2% of patients who took semaglutide and 55.7% of patients who took liraglutide remained around the same weight they were at during the time of medication stoppage or even continued to lose additional weight.
According to Bartelt, the reasons for discontinuing GLP-1 receptor agonists can vary among patients.
“Some may discontinue due to side effects, while others may stop due to the cost of the medication or a perceived lack of effectiveness,” she explained. “It's also possible that some patients may have achieved their weight loss goals and felt they no longer needed the medication. Our study did not specifically investigate the reasons for discontinuation, so further research would be needed to answer this question definitively.”
Bartelt added that health care providers “should discuss the potential for weight regain after discontinuation with their patients and reiterate the importance of incorporating other weight management strategies, such as diet and exercise.”
“Future research could focus on understanding the reasons for weight regain after discontinuation of these drugs and explore the long-term effects these drugs have on weight management and other side effects,” she said.
References:
- Many patients maintain weight loss a year after stopping semaglutide and liraglutide. https://epicresearch.org/articles/many-patients-maintain-weight-loss-a-year-after-stopping-semaglutide-and-liraglutide. Published Jan. 23, 2024. Accessed Jan. 31, 2024.
- Wilding J, et al. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2022;doi:10.1111/dom.14725.
Perspective
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Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, MBA, MACP, FAAP, FAHA, FAMWA, FTOS
This study speaks to the heterogeneity of patients on GLP-1s after discontinuation. Although some patients do regain weight after discontinuation of these medications, not all patients do. Some patients who take the GLP-1s have a more profound impact on the brain that is sustained, which leads to different impacts in patients on weight regulation. As such, we should evaluate each patient individually. Each person will behave differently.
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Many patients maintain weight loss a year after stopping semaglutide and liraglutide. https://epicresearch.org/articles/many-patients-maintain-weight-loss-a-year-after-stopping-semaglutide-and-liraglutide. Published Jan. 23, 2023. Accessed Jan. 31, 2023.
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