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Weight management medications, especially the newer generation of incretin mimetics (primarily glucagon-like peptide-1 [GLP-1]–receptor agonists), can be highly effective, but evidence to date suggests that patients who stop these medications regain weight. In this meta-analysis, researchers evaluated 37 trials of obesity medications that involved 9000 participants with an average follow-up of 32 weeks after medication cessation.
Average weight loss during treatment was ≈8 kg. After discontinuation, weight regain occurred at a mean of 0.4 kg monthly, with a projected return to baseline weight at around 2 years (see ).
When looking only at studies of semaglutide and tirzepatide, the average weight loss was greater (≈15 kg), but weight regain was faster, and projected time to return to baseline weight was similar.
Intensity of behavioral support during or after treatment didn’t alter rates of weight regain.
West S, et al. Weight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: Systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2026 Jan 7; 392:e085304. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2025-085304.
Comment
Patients and clinicians alike have been thrilled with the effects of the newer-generation obesity treatments, but these results remind us that obesity is a chronic and relapsing condition. Weight regain is both very common and discouragingly rapid after stopping these medications. When a patient asks me for a GLP-1 prescription, one thing I discuss is the need for long-term treatment to sustain benefit.