A new study reveals that after discontinuation of popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, the body may respond in a dramatic and unexpected way – and it’s a heavy twist that most users never saw coming.
Ozempic and Wegovy have exploded in popularity as go-to options for rapid weight loss, with numerous celebrities openly admitting to using them.
These injectable medications – used to treat type 2 diabetes by training the brain to curb satiety – have skyrocketed in popularity for their off-label use in rapid weight loss with stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Tracy Morgan, and Rebel Wilson publicly sharing their experiences with these so-called miracle drugs.
But despite the hype, only Wegovy is FDA-approved for weight management, while Ozempic is approved solely for managing Type 2 diabetes.
Surprising effects
While these drugs have become a go-to solution for swift weight loss, their long-term sustainability is now under scrutiny.
Although designed for ongoing use, a recent analysis found that the majority of users stop taking them within two years and experience “significant weight” gain.
A 2025 study from Han Wu and Wenjia Yang at Peking University People’s Hospital in China has raised serious concerns about what happens after the injections stop.
The study – that aimed to determine the “trajectory of weight change after discontinuation” of anti-obesity medications (AOMs) – analyzed 11 clinical trials involving 2,466 participants who had been on medications – like Ozempic and Wegovy – for at least four weeks, followed by another four to five months of post-treatment observation.
What researchers found was striking:
- After stopping the medication, participants initially maintained some weight loss, but only for a few weeks.
- By week eight, after “treatment discontinuation,” “weight had significantly regained” in those who had taken the drugs compared to those who had never used them.
- After three to five months, weight gain had not only continued but worsened. The largest rebound was seen in patients who had used these medications.
Withdrawal led to weight regain
But this wasn’t the first study to offer damning evidence to weight gain after cessation.
In fact, a 2022 study published in the National Library of Medicine revealed similar findings.
The clinical trial tracked around 200 participants who had taken semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic) for over a year, losing an impressive 17% of their body weight on average.
But when a group of them stopped the medication, the results took a dramatic turn – they regained about 12% of their weight within just one year.
While they maintained a net 5% weight loss– a figure still considered clinically meaningful – the findings raise serious concerns about the long-term sustainability of weight loss with semaglutide.
The study concluded that “among adults with overweight/obesity, after a substantial reduction in body weight” with semaglutide plus lifestyle intervention, “subsequent treatment withdrawal led to most of the weight loss being regained within one year.”
Weight regain always possible
“This is the result of your appetite returning to pretreatment levels. By adding other lifestyle changes to your Ozempic treatment, you can effectively manage your weight after the treatment ends. However, even with a healthy lifestyle, there is still a chance you may regain some weight after stopping Ozempic treatment,” Medical News Today warns, adding that when treatment is discontinued, a person can gain up to “two-thirds of their prior weight loss on average.”
While these drugs can be life-changing for those with medical conditions like diabetes or severe obesity, the findings suggest they may not be a long-term solution for weight loss alone – especially for people hoping to shed pounds quickly and stop treatment.
Ozempic and similar drugs might melt the pounds away – but once you stop, they could come right back.
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