How to Not Gain Weight After Stopping Ozempic: The Plan
Agree a plan with your prescriber before you stop Ozempic. What you are trying to keep: in STEP 1, people on semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly lost 14.9% on average over 68 weeks.
- Average loss, top dose
- 14.9%
- On placebo
- 2.4%
- Trial length
- 68 weeks
- Trial
- STEP 1
Ozempic in brief
Its half-life is about 1 week. After 7 d, half is gone, and about 3% remains after five half-lives (35 days).
In SUSTAIN 1, people with type 2 diabetes lost 4.7 kg of weight over 30 weeks, compared with 1.2 kg on placebo.
In US dollars, the monthly figures are the list price and self-pay offers. Each one comes from the maker's price page.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), healthsystemtracker.org, prnewswire.com 1 2.
Stopping Ozempic: the numbers first
Testing Ozempic focused mainly on blood sugar. Here, the weight trials use Wegovy, the same medicine at a higher dose.
| Trial | Dose group | Average weight lost | Placebo or comparison | Weeks | Who was in it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEP 1 | Semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly | 14.9% | 2.4% | 68 | Adults with obesity or overweight, without diabetes |
| OASIS 4 | Wegovy pill 25 mg daily | 13.6% | 2.4% | 64 | Adults with obesity or overweight, without diabetes |
| STEP 2 | Semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly | 9.6% | 3.4% | 68 | Adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity or overweight |
The information comes from STEP 1 (FDA label (DailyMed)) and STEP 2 (PubMed).
Keeping the weight off
- Your plan should include follow-up visits and any other medicines, so talk with your prescriber first.
- Stay with the eating patterns you formed while taking the drug: protein with every meal, smaller portions, fewer sugary drinks.
- Keep moving. Strength training helps you keep the muscle you already have.
- Beforehand, agree on what change means you call your prescriber. Weigh yourself at set times.
- If you take this for diabetes, ask how blood sugar will be managed once you stop.
How many trial participants stopped?
Sources: STEP 1 (FDA label (DailyMed)), STEP 1 (PubMed).