There are many medications like Ozempic. effective For helping most individuals shed weight. Semaglutide (marketed as Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide (marketed as Zepbound and Mounjaro) are the most well-liked in a category of medication that mimic hormones to cut back hunger. .
But does the burden come back if you stop using it?
The short answer is yes. Stopping tirzepatide And semaglutide In most individuals it leads to weight regain.
So are these drugs just one other (expensive) type of yo-yo weight-reduction plan? Let's see what the evidence shows to date.
This is a long-term treatment, not a brief course.
If you’ve gotten a bacterial infection, antibiotics will help your body fight the germs which are causing your illness. You take the complete course of medication, and the infection goes away.
For obesity, taking tirzepatide or semaglutide may also help your body eliminate fat. However, it doesn't fix the the reason why you gained weight because obesity is a chronic, complex condition. When you stop the medication, the burden comes back.
Perhaps a more useful comparison is with hypertension, also often called hypertension. Treatment for hypertension is lifelong. It's the identical with obesity. Medicines work, but only while you’re taking them. (Obesity is more complicated than hypertension, nonetheless, because many alternative aspects cause and maintain it.)
KK Stock/Shutterstock
Therefore, multiple coordination methods are needed; Taking medication may be a very important a part of effective management, but by itself, it is usually insufficient. And in an unwanted knock-on effect, stopping medications can undermine other weight-loss strategies, similar to eating less.
Why do people stop?
Research trials appear out of nowhere. 6% To 13.5% Some of the participants stopped taking these drugs, mainly for this reason Adverse effects.
But these studies don't account for people who find themselves forced to stop due to cost or price. Widespread supply issues. We don't know the way many individuals have needed to stop this drug over the past few years for these reasons.
Understanding how stopping affects the body.
So what happens if you stop?
After you stop using terceptide or semaglutide, it might take several days (and even a couple of weeks) for Log out of your system.. As this happens, several things occur:
- You get hungry again, because each Your brain and your gut The medicine isn’t any longer working to make you are feeling full.
Stock-Asso/Shutterstock
-
Blood sugar rises, because the drugs isn’t any longer working on the pancreas to assist control it. If you’ve gotten diabetes in addition to obesity, you might have to take other medications to maintain them inside a suitable range. Whether you’ve gotten diabetes or not, you might have to eat foods with a Low glycemic index To stabilize your blood sugar
-
Over the long run, most individuals experience withdrawal. Previous blood pressure and cholesterol levelsAs the burden returns.
-
Weight gain will likely be mostly in the shape of fat, as it can be gained faster than skeletal muscle.
You could have lost it when you were taking the drugs. Proportionally less skeletal muscle than fatMuscle loss is inevitable if you shed weight, whether you utilize medication or not. The problem is that if you stop the drug, your body preferentially holds on to fat.
Is stopping and starting medications an issue?
People whose weight fluctuates with tirezapatide or semaglutide may experience some negative effects. Yo yo diet.
When you go on and off diets, it's like a roller coaster ride on your body. Every time you regain weight, your body has to dealing with Blood pressure, heart rate, and the way your body handles sugar and fat. This may be done Stress Your heart and cardiovascular system as an entire, because it has to reply to more fluctuations than usual.
Interestingly, the danger to the body from weight fluctuations is larger for individuals who are Not fat. This ought to be a caution for individuals who usually are not obese but are still using tirzepatide or semaglutide to attempt to lose unwanted weight.
How are you able to avoid gaining weight if you stop?
The fear of weight regain when stopping these medications is valid, and wishes to be addressed directly. Because obesity has many causes and aspects, many evidence-based approaches to weight reduction are needed. This may include:
-
Achieving quality to sleep
-
Exercising in a way that builds and maintains muscle. During the medication, you’ll Possibly lost muscle mass As well as fat, although this shouldn’t be inevitable, especially in the event you Regular exercise While taking it
EvMedvedeva/Shutterstock
-
Addressing the emotional and cultural elements of life that contribute to overeating and/or eating unhealthy foods, and the way you view your body. Stigma and shame around body shape and size shouldn’t be cured by taking this medicine. Even if you’ve gotten a healthy relationship with food, we live in a culture that’s. Fat phobia and discrimination Against people in large institutions
-
Eating healthily, hopefully continuing the habits that were formed while on medication. Eating foods which are high in nutrients and fiber, for instance, and overall smaller portion sizes.
Many people will stop taking tirzepatide or semaglutide sooner or later, since it is dear and in brief supply. When you do, it's vital to know what’s going to occur and what you’ll be able to do to avoid the implications. Regular reviews together with your GP are also vital.