• Posted January 9, 2026

Weight Often Returns After Stopping Ozempic, Wegovy, Study Finds

People who stop taking popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are likely to gain the weight back, and sooner than many expect, a new study finds.

Researchers reviewed dozens of earlier studies and found that most people returned to their starting weight within about 18 months after stopping GLP-1 drugs. 

Those medications include semaglutide and tirzepatide, sold under brand names such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound.

The analysis also showed that people who stopped weight loss drugs regained weight about four times faster than people who lost weight through diet or exercise alone.

The study was published Jan. 7 in the British Medical Journal and reviewed 37 studies involving about 9,300 people who had used 13 weight-loss medications.

People taking the most common GLP-1 drugs lost an average of 33 pounds while on treatment, but gained back about 22 pounds within a year of stopping, study co-author Sam West told The Washington Post. He's a physiology researcher at Oxford University in the U.K.

“What was particularly striking in our data was just how fast it was regained,” he said.

Earlier research suggested weight would return after two to three years. This new analysis shortens that timeline to about a year and a half.

The review also showed that health benefits tied to weight loss, such as lower blood pressure and cholesterol, decreased over time. 

On average, people returned to pre-treatment levels of these markers about 17 months after stopping the meds.

Some experts said the findings are not surprising.

"Like most drugs, with the exception of vaccines, they typically only work when you’re on them,” said Giles Yeo, a genetics professor at the University of Cambridge who reviewed the findings.

Yeo compared GLP-1 drugs to blood pressure medicine.

“When your blood pressure is normalized, no one ever says, ‘Gee, I’m going to now stop taking my pill,’ " he told The Post. "Because what happens if you stop is, almost immediately, your blood pressure will become abnormal again. Now, clearly it takes longer to regain weight, but the same is going to be true for these weight loss drugs.”

The study does have limitations, though.

In all, six of the 37 studies focused on semaglutide or tirzepatide, and most trial data followed patients for less than one year, meaning longer-term results are estimates.

Still, researchers say the findings highlight an important issue as millions of Americans use GLP-1 drugs. 

Studies suggest up to half of users stop within a year, often because of cost, side effects or access issues.

West said the body naturally pushes back against weight loss by increasing hunger and lowering calorie burn. GLP-1 drugs help control those urges, but once the drugs are stopped, cravings often return.

That’s why experts say long-term success depends on building healthy habits while taking the medication.

A 2024 study found that people who exercised while using weight loss drugs kept off more weight after stopping than those who didn’t work out.

“I’m not saying this is easy, but you now have a set of tools, recipes, habits, a new bicycle route to work, that you can just call upon when the going gets tough," Yeo said.

More information

VCU Health has more on how to maintain weight loss from a GLP-1.

SOURCE: The Washington Post, Jan. 8, 2026