Overview
- An analysis of 37 studies involving roughly 9,300 adults found weight regain averaging about 0.4 kg per month after discontinuing weight-loss medications.
- Projections indicate most people return to baseline weight in roughly 1.5–1.7 years after stopping GLP-1 therapy, with blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol reverting in about 1.4 years.
- Newer agents such as semaglutide and tirzepatide produced nearly 15 kg weight loss during treatment, followed by about 10 kg regained within one year after stopping.
- Regain after ceasing medication was about four times faster than after structured diet-and-exercise programs, which show slower, longer-term rebound.
- Researchers urged combining pharmacotherapy with sustained behavioral support and pressed NICE and the NHS to reassess duration limits and cost-effectiveness, noting many patients discontinue within 12 months.