Stopping Wegovy: Weight, Appetite, Side Effects (Trial Data)
Agree a plan with your prescriber before you stop Wegovy. 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
Wegovy in brief
Its half-life is about 1 week. After 7 d, half is gone, and after five half-lives (35 d), about 3% remains.
In STEP 1 over 68 weeks, body weight loss was 14.9%, compared with 2.4% for placebo.
Listed monthly prices in US dollars include the list price and self-pay offers, with each taken from the maker's price page.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), healthsystemtracker.org, prnewswire.com 1 2.
Stopping Wegovy: the numbers first
| 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 |
| SURMOUNT-5 | Semaglutide 1.7 or 2.4 mg weekly (Wegovy) | 13.7% | semaglutide (Wegovy) | 72 | Adults with obesity, without type 2 diabetes |
| STEP 2 | Semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly | 9.6% | 3.4% | 68 | Adults who had type 2 diabetes, plus obesity or overweight |
Sources: STEP 1 (FDA label (DailyMed)), SURMOUNT-5 (PubMed), STEP 2 (PubMed).
Keeping the weight off
- Before taking any other step, speak with your prescriber so the plan covers follow-up visits and any other medicines.
- Keep the eating habits you developed while taking the drug, including protein at each meal, smaller portions, and fewer sugary drinks.
- Keep moving. Strength training helps preserve the muscle you already have.
- Use the same weighing schedule each time, and decide in advance which weight change should lead you to call your prescriber.
- For diabetes, ask what the plan is for your blood sugar once you stop taking it.
How many people in the trials quit?
Sources: STEP 1 (FDA label (DailyMed)), STEP 1 (PubMed).