If you’re taking, or think about taking Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) or Ozempic (Semaglutide) for weight loss, chances are you’re wondering what will happen if and when you stop the treatment. This article is going to give you the unvarnished truth about stopping these meds and even help you consider whether stopping them makes sense at all.
In terms of weight loss, both Mounjaro and Ozempic work by making us feel less hungry and more full. They send signals to the brain to tell us we’re not hungry anymore, and they slow down the emptying of the stomach to keep us full for longer. They do not make any kind of permanent change in our DNA or brain chemistry. They work as long as we’re taking them! So what happens when we’ve lost all the weight we want to lose, and we finally hit our goal? If we stop taking the medicine, will we gain the weight back? The answer is… It depends.
In clinical trials, patients who took Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) lost an average of 20% of their body weight over 36 weeks. Those who stopped the drug at that point regained an average of 14% of their body weight over the next year, while patients who stayed on Tirzepatide lost an additional 5% of their body weight on average. What this tells us is that most people who stop the medications will regain a significant portion of their weight over the following year. But this isn’t necessarily true for everyone.
Remember, these medicines work by helping us eat less food. So, if you are very conscious of the amount of food and drinks you consume while taking the medications, it is possible to build healthy eating habits that you can continue for the rest of your life. If you maintain the same calorie intake after stopping Mounjaro or Ozempic that you had while you were taking it, you should not gain any weight back. In order to gain weight, we must consume more calories than we burn. So, assuming your physical activity and metabolism stay the same, if your calorie consumption doesn’t increase after stopping the medications, you cannot gain the weight back.
Now, maintaining the same calorie intake once you stop Mounjaro or Ozempic is much easier said than done. To be real with you, it can be extremely difficult, and that is why most patients regain their weight after they stop the drugs. But the good news is this- If it is affordable, and you tolerate it well, there is usually no reason to stop the medication at all. We’ve seen numerous benefits of taking these drugs. These days, it seems like a new benefit is discovered every month. Mounjaro and Ozempic have been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk, better blood sugar control, better control of fatty liver disease, and more. So it is likely that your health will be improved over the long term by staying on one of these drugs.
If you do feel like staying on your medicine is a good solution for you, there are several ways to go about it while maintaining your healthy weight and reaping the other benefits these drugs offer.
You could continue with the same dosage that got you to your goal weight. If you’re tolerating it well and not overshooting your weight loss goal, you could just let it ride and continue doing exactly what you’ve been doing.
You could reduce your dose. For many of our patients who reach their goal weight, we simply reduce their weekly dosage back to a maintenance dose, which can allow them to maintain their weight at a lower cost for those using compound Semaglutide or Tirzepatide.
You could space your dosing schedule out. This is another strategy we use frequently for our patients. Many people find that the appetite suppression effects of Mounjaro and Ozempic last more than just a week, so we might space dosing out to every 2 weeks once we reach a goal weight. Again, this can be a big cost saver for patients on either brand name or compound Tirzepatide or Semaglutide.
These are just some of the strategies we use to help our patients achieve lasting success after they’ve reached a healthy goal weight with Mounjaro or Ozempic. It’s always a great conversation to have with your doctor and care team, who should be able to help you figure out the best solution for you. If you’re ready to get started on your weight loss journey using brand name or compounded Semaglutide or Tirzepatide with a solid team who is here to support you and your individual needs, click here to join our program today. We can’t wait to meet you!
Dr. Kyle Adams, MD
CEO and Medical Director
New Leaf Online
This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. You should always consult your doctor before starting or changing any medications or to discuss any health concerns you may have.
