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Do you gain weight after stopping Ozempic?

Recent research published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism indicates that once patients stop using semaglutide drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic any weight they've lost is likely to return.

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Share on Pinterest Taking semaglutide medication like Wegovy and Ozempic can help people lose weight, but they often regain lost pounds once they stop. Sergey Mironov/Getty Images Research has found that when people stop using semaglutide, weight rebound occurs. Experts say this is because the drug is not a cure and it does not prevent the metabolic adaptation that occurs during weight loss. Long-term changes in diet and activity are an important part of maintaining weight loss. It is also important to consult with a physician before using weight loss medications. Recent research published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism indicates that once patients stop using semaglutide drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic any weight they’ve lost is likely to return. According to Dr. Ibiye Owei, Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, semaglutide is a glucagon-like-peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1 agonist) which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat diabetes and obesity or overweight. “It works by making people feel full sooner and suppressing the appetite so people do not feel as hungry,” she explained. “One of the ways it does this is by slowing emptying of the stomach so there is a feeling of satiety.” Owei added that anyone with obesity defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and above or a BMI of 27 and above who is experiencing weight-related complications such as hypertension or type 2 diabetes would be a good candidate to use this medication. Semaglutide is one of the most effective treatments for obesity According to Dr. Kathleen Dungan, an endocrinologist in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, there are several potential benefits to using semaglutide. “It is one of the most effective treatments available for either condition, outside of bariatric surgery,” said Dungan. “Moreover, there is evidence that the use of semaglutide may reduce the risk for developing diabetes and may be particularly useful in individuals who have prediabetes.” What happens when you quit taking semaglutide While drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic might seem like a miracle to those with diabetes and obesity, the truth is the effects only last while you are taking the medication. A study published in April 2022 which sought to examine changes in body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors upon the termination of the drug, found that after a year people had regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost. The positive changes they had seen in cardiometabolic risk factors like blood pressure, blood lipids, HbA1c, and C-reactive protein had similarly reversed. According to the study authors, these findings reinforce the need to continue treatment in order to maintain the benefits of the medication. Why rebound weight gain occurs According to Dungan, weight rebound occurs quite simply because the drug does not cure the underlying issues that led to weight gain in the first place. Owei further explained that metabolic adaptation occurs while patients are losing weight and this can contribute to weight gain when the medication is ended. She said that this effect isn’t unique to semaglutide. “This happens regardless of what weight loss method is employed,” she said, pointing out a study showing that contestants of the TV show “The Biggest Loser” had experienced a decrease in resting metabolic rate that still persisted 6 years after the competition had ended.

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Do I need a prescription for Ozempic in the UK?

As it's a prescription-only medicine, it has to be prescribed to you by a medical professional who will be able to make the best judgement on whether or not Semaglutide is the right treatment for you.

Ozempic and Wegovy are both brand names for Semaglutide injections.

It’s manufactured by Novo Nordisk, which is the company that invented the medication. For several years, Ozempic was the only form of Semaglutide that was available. However, in 2020, Novo Nordisk launched Rybelsus – a tablet version of Semaglutide that’s taken daily. Now, patients can request their preferred treatment for consideration during a consultation with a qualified prescriber, whether they’d like to take a weekly injection or a daily tablet. Ozempic is still the most common form of Semaglutide used as a diabetes treatment, as most people that currently take it have been used to using the injections. Ozempic is the version of Semaglutide that is officially approved and licensed for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and it can only be used for this purpose. However, the FDA in the USA have approved Semaglutide for chronic weight management and the UK is swiftly following them, licensing this treatment under the name Wegovy. The maximum strength of Ozempic available is the 1.0mg pen as this is the dose that gives optimal results in controlling people’s Type 2 diabetes. However, Wegovy will be released with a therapeutic dose of 2.4mg for the purposes of weight management, meaning that the dose of Semaglutide is higher in Wegovy than it is in Ozempic. The difference, therefore between the two medications is their licenses – Ozempic is licensed to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus, whereas Wegovy is licensed for weight management, despite both containing the same active drug. A few weight loss and diabetes medications follow the same licensing and naming conditions. Here’s an example of some of the most popular treatments that have different names when used for diabetes and weight management.

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