Patients who come off Wegovy pile the pounds back on in MONTHS trends now

Patients who come off Wegovy pile the pounds back on in MONTHS trends now
Patients who come off Wegovy pile the pounds back on in MONTHS trends now

Patients who come off Wegovy pile the pounds back on in MONTHS trends now

A get-thin-quick drug flying off pharmacy shelves needs to be taken for life and most people will pile the pounds back on when they stop taking it, experts warn.

Semaglutide - sold under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic - have been so popular in recent years that they are both facing a shortage. Everyone from average Americans to celebrities like Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian are reportedly using it. 

They initially earned rave reviews after initial clinical trials showed users could drop 15 percent of their body weight in 68 weeks. 

But a study finds that patients gained around two-thirds of weight lost using the drugs back after shelving them for a year.

Dr Christopher McGowan, a North Carolina-based weight loss expert, told DailyMail.com that using the drug for weight loss is a lifelong 'commitment' - making it a golden ticket for massive pharmaceutical companies looking to cash it on America's obesity crisis.

A UK study found that people who used Wegovy experienced rapid weight loss, dropping 18% of their weight over 68 weeks. They regained two-thirds of that weight after dropping the drug for a year, though

A UK study found that people who used Wegovy experienced rapid weight loss, dropping 18% of their weight over 68 weeks. They regained two-thirds of that weight after dropping the drug for a year, though

Dr Christopher McGowan, a weight loss specialist, told DailyMail.com that Wegovy is a 'lifelong commitment'

Dr Christopher McGowan, a weight loss specialist, told DailyMail.com that Wegovy is a 'lifelong commitment'

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug that mimics the effects of the hormone that is naturally produced in a person's stomach and pancreas.

These hormones signal to the brain that it does not need to eat. This reduces a person's appetite and reduces food cravings.

It also slows down the emptying of the stomach and increases the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas.

This can help a person manage diabetes - its initial purpose with Ozempic - and rapidly lose weight.

Experts warn that a person will regain weight after stopping the drug because their appetite and food cravings will return to previous levels.

It is taken via a weekly injection. The dose of the injection starts at 0.25mg, and increases each month. At month five, a person reaches the maintenance dose of 2.4mg. 

In many cases, a prescription will cover Wegovy for weight loss. Some who have tried to use the diabetes drug Ozempic solely to lose weight have had to pay upwards of $1,000 per month out-of-pocket as insurance may not cover the drug, though.

Dr McGowan told DailyMail.com: 'starting Wegovy is really a commitment to staying on it,' he said.

'As soon as you stop that medication your body will start trying to promote weight regain once again. It's a relentless process.

'It's very similar to how we treat other diseases like high blood pressure or high cholesterol. If you start a medication, if your cholesterol and your cholesterol improves, you don't stop the medication. You stay on it.'

A study by the University of Liverpool, in the UK, published in April found patients who used the weight loss 'game changer' drug dropped 18 percent of their body weight after using it for 68 weeks.

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