A new study shows that people who take medication to lose weight often gain back some of the weight after they stop using the drugs.
The study was a meta-analysis, which means researchers looked at the results from 11 different studies.
These studies involved over 1,500 people who took weight loss drugs and about 900 people who did not.
There are six weight loss drugs approved in the U.S., including orlistat, phentermine-topiramate, and semaglutide. Another type, called GLP-1, was first used to treat diabetes but is now also used for weight loss. The researchers looked at how people’s weight changed after they stopped taking these medications.
They found that most people began gaining weight again about 8 weeks after stopping the medication. On average, the weight gain continued for about 20 weeks before it leveled off. How much weight people regained depended on several things, like which medication they were taking and whether they kept up with healthy habits like eating well and exercising.
For example, people who were on a drug called tirzepatide for 36 weeks gained back nearly half of the weight they had lost once they stopped taking the drug. The researchers said this is similar to what happens with other weight loss methods like surgery—people often gain some weight back later.
The study did not compare these results with people who lost weight through lifestyle changes or surgery, so we can’t say for sure how the results compare. But it’s clear that stopping weight loss drugs can lead to weight gain again.
This study reminds us that losing weight and keeping it off is often a long-term challenge. Even if a medication helps, people still need healthy habits to maintain their weight over time.
If you care about obesity, please read studies about Scientists find two big contributors to obesity and findings of Higher dose of this diabetes med could improve blood sugar and weight loss.
For more about obesity, please read studies about Scientists find new key cause of obesity and findings of Double whammy: diabetes drug also knocks out obesity.
The study is published in BMC Medicine.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
