- New semaglutide drugs Ozempic and Wegovy help people lose weight by mimicking key hunger hormones.
- However, much of what was lost is often regained when the drug is stopped.
- Medication doctors are trying a “maintenance dose” approach in hopes of avoiding problems.
This is a candid essay based on a conversation with a 41-year-old doctor who works in the Midwest. Insiders have confirmed his identity, medical license, and weight loss. Edited for length and clarity.
One of the biggest criticisms I’ve heard of Ozempic and Wegovy is the extremely popular diabetes and weight loss drug. on TikTok And in Hollywood – it’s about what happens after you’re done taking them.
People who take these new drugs, commonly called semaglutide, tend to lose a significant amount of weight. found the hard way When they stop taking the drug, their appetite returns.
I am doing a self-experiment to solve this problem.
I am a doctor who has been on semaglutide for about a year. I’ve lost about 25 pounds so far and I’m pretty happy with my progress. I don’t necessarily want to lose more weight, but I don’t want to “rebound” so I won’t be off the meds any time soon either. Did.
This is only theory for now, but I think with these types of treatments people’s bodies take time to adjust to their new size and metabolism. I can’t.
Tapering works for antidepressants and steroids, why not Ozempic?
Doctors do this sort of thing all the time with other drugs. For example, it is common to prescribe antidepressants to treat acute mental health problems.but Evidence-Based Recommendations We then suggest a very slow and deliberate weaning period to discontinue these drugs as the patient’s symptoms improve. This is because it can lead to serious withdrawal problems.
the same applies some steroids like prednisonePatients with inflammatory conditions may use steroids during flare-ups and need time to taper off later or take risks withdrawal symptoms Fatigue, body aches, nausea, etc. Like semaglutide, prednisone mimics a hormone that humans naturally produce, so it makes sense intuitively that it will take some time for the body to get back on its feet again.
Ozempic new medicine, so there are still no established best practices on how to get out of it. The drug doesn’t necessarily come with dangerous withdrawal symptoms if the patient suddenly stops taking it, but that doesn’t mean weight loss is a bad idea.
Semaglutide works by mimicking GLP-1, a hormone that regulates how the liver metabolizes food. It slows down digestion and sends a satiety signal to the brain, telling it to feel full with less food.
of 1 large trialPatients regained more than 60% of their weight loss after discontinuing semaglutide for one year. However, these patients quickly switched from a weekly dose of 2.4 milligrams of the drug to 0 milligrams.
When I started taking semaglutide, I slowly increased the dosage as recommended. I worked up to 0.5mg but the weight loss continued. However, when I doubled that dose to 1 mg, I felt tired and weight loss seemed to stop progressing.
I switched to another similar drug called Mounjaro for a while. This helped him lose another 10 pounds, but the more he dosed, the worse he felt: he wasn’t getting enough calories to function well. I decided to take a few weeks off the weight loss injections, and like clockwork, my old appetite returned. I put back a few pounds, but I also felt energized and rejuvenated.
Over the past few months, I have gone back to a lower 0.5 milligram dose of semaglutide. There is one smaller injection dose of 0.25 that can be lowered at some point if desired.
Giving your body time to adjust will hopefully prevent weight regain.
I plan to continue this low dose for at least the next 6 months to allow my body to get used to the new normal before discontinuing semaglutide altogether. I might lose another 10-20 pounds, but I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far.
I don’t really have a protocol to suggest that what I’m doing will work, but I’m not the only doctor trying this strategy.
Dr. Alexandra Sowa, an expert in obesity medicine in New York, recently wall street journal Both taper and addition of other weight management medications (such as Qsymia) can help patients avoid the problem of rapid rebound with GLP-1.
It would be great if there was a larger trial to more legally test this idea. But until then, I want to keep the weight off slowly. To date, she has lost over 40% of her dangerous visceral fat around her belly. This can put you at risk for all sorts of health problems as you age, including heart disease and cancer.
So if my experiment proves to work, and if I can get my body used to my new weight, new waistline, and new metabolism by slowly reducing my semaglutide dosage, then the extra money I’m spending on weight loss now. It’s worth spending time on.
Watch Now: Top Insider Inc. Videos
Now loading…
