Scientists at Oxford University studied what happens when people stop taking weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. They looked at 37 different studies that included over 9,000 people.
They found that after stopping the drugs, people gained back weight pretty quickly — about 0.9 pounds every month. At that rate, they would be back to their starting weight in less than 2 years. This was almost 4 times faster than when people stopped diet and exercise programs.
It wasn't just weight that came back. Health improvements like better blood sugar and lower blood pressure also went away within about a year and a half.
The researchers said that while these drugs work well while you take them, they might not be enough on their own for keeping weight off long-term. But the study has some gaps — most studies only tracked people for about 8 months after stopping, so the longer-term numbers are estimates.