Study Finds Rapid Weight Regain After Ozempic and Wegovy

A new scientific review is raising important questions about the long-term effectiveness of popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.

While these medications have become famous for helping people shed large amounts of weight quickly, researchers found that many users regain that weight soon after they stop taking the drugs.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, reviewed 37 clinical trials involving more than 9,000 participants. These included people taking GLP-1 medications — drugs that mimic natural hormones to suppress appetite — as well as other weight-loss treatments. On average, people stayed on the medications for about 10 months, followed by eight months of monitoring after stopping.

The findings showed that people using GLP-1 drugs lost significantly more weight than those using older methods. But they also regained weight much faster. Within a year of stopping, most had regained about two-thirds of what they had lost, and many returned to their original weight within 18 months.

Researchers say this rapid rebound may happen because the drugs do much of the appetite control work for users, making it harder to manage hunger once treatment ends. The study suggests that long-term treatment or better post-drug support may be needed to maintain results.