Study finds patients quickly regain weight after coming off Ozempic
The results were clear: patients lost significant weight during treatment, but most began regaining it as early as eight weeks after stopping. The rebound typically continued for around 20 weeks before stabilising.
As the popularity of weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) continues to rise, a new global analysis has highlighted a significant drawback: many patients regain lost weight within weeks of stopping treatment.
Published in BMC Medicine, the meta-analysis reviewed data from 11 randomised clinical trials, tracking over 2,400 patients prescribed various anti-obesity medicines (AOMs) approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
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The results were clear: patients lost significant weight during treatment, but most began regaining it as early as eight weeks after stopping. The rebound typically continued for around 20 weeks before stabilising.
The weight loss medicines work by suppressing appetite and altering metabolic processes. Once discontinued, patients often experience a return of hunger alongside physiological changes that encourage weight gain.
In one notable trial, participants who had completed a 36-week course of tirzepatide regained nearly half the weight they had lost after being switched to a placebo. Even with lifestyle support, similar trends emerged, suggesting that the drug itself plays a crucial role in maintaining reduced weight.
Researchers found that weight regain varied according to the type of medication used, the duration of treatment, whether the patient had diabetes and lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise.
The findings support a growing view among clinicians: obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition that cannot be ‘fixed’ with short-term drug therapy. As with conditions such as hypertension or type 2 diabetes, long-term or even indefinite treatment may be necessary to sustain benefits.
The study did not compare drug therapy with lifestyle programmes or bariatric surgery. However, weight regain is not unique to medication; similar patterns have been observed after procedures such as gastric bypass and banded gastroplasty.
Hair loss
Another study, published in the National Library of Medicine, examined a possible link between Ozempic and hair loss. Researchers compared users of Ozempic with those prescribed another weight-loss medicine, bupropion–naltrexone (marketed as Contrave).
Reviewing health insurance data from over 3,200 people, they found that women taking Ozempic were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with hair loss compared with those on bupropion–naltrexone.
While the study did not prove direct causation, the authors suggest rapid weight loss may be the main factor. Ozempic significantly suppresses appetite, often reducing food intake. Combined with gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and vomiting, this can lead to nutritional deficiencies, especially in protein, iron, and other nutrients vital for hair health. Rapid weight loss can also trigger telogen effluvium, a temporary shedding of hair.
Though not life-threatening, such side effects can affect self-esteem and influence a patient’s decision to continue treatment. Clinicians are advised to monitor patients closely, offer nutritional guidance, and set realistic expectations.
Misuse of Ozempic
The Kenyan government is intensifying efforts to tackle the growing misuse of Ozempic.
Although developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, Ozempic has gained popularity for off-label weight management, raising public health concerns. Reports of counterfeit versions circulating in the market have further heightened the risk to consumers.
Ozempic’s popularity is fuelled largely by social media influencers, shifting the conversation away from its original purpose.
Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni, confirmed that stricter regulatory measures are being introduced to protect the public.
She urged Kenyans to obtain medicines only from licensed healthcare providers and warned against purchasing from unauthorised outlets such as supermarkets or unregulated pharmacies.
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