Many people now pay out of pocket for medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro in the hope of achieving lasting weight loss.
The treatment can deliver clear results while it is ongoing. The question is what happens afterward.
New research provides a more muted answer than many patients may be hoping for.
What happens after stopping?
According to the British newspaper The Mirror, researchers from the University of Oxford have analyzed data from more than 9,000 people who have used weight-loss medication.
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The study shows that weight often increases again shortly after treatment stops.
On average, participants regained a large proportion of the weight they had lost within the first 20 months.
For people who used Wegovy and Mounjaro, both the weight loss and the subsequent weight gain were greater than for others.
For patients, this means that the medication works as long as it is used, but does not necessarily deliver a lasting result.
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Health benefits disappear
The study is published in the British Medical Journal. It also shows that the treatment improves blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure while it is ongoing.
When weight increases again, these improvements disappear.
Overall, the researchers conclude that the effects are, on average, gone after about one and a half years without medication.
New concerns
Research from the University of Cambridge and University College London also suggests that some patients lack dietary guidance.
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This can lead to malnutrition and loss of muscle mass when patients do not receive proper guidance during and after treatment.
Sources: Nyheder 24, The Mirror, and British Medical Journal.
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