How To Get Off Ozempic

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So you’re thinking about stopping your GLP-1 medication. If you’re taking Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound, the idea of coming off these drugs can feel overwhelming. You’re not alone. Many people reach a point where they start asking whether it’s time to stop. Before making that decision, it helps to understand why people come off GLP-1 medications and what to expect when they do.

Reasons For Stopping GLP-1 Meds

One of the most common reasons people stop GLP-1 drugs comes down to cost. These medications are expensive, and without insurance coverage, paying out of pocket simply isn’t sustainable for many families. Assistance programs like Novo Care or Lilly Direct can help lower the price, but even with discounts, the cost may still feel out of reach.

There may be some relief ahead. The White House has announced agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that could significantly reduce prices for medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro through a new TrumpRx platform. While this is promising, access and timing remain uncertain for many patients right now.

Side effects are another major reason people pause or stop GLP-1 therapy. Gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation are the most common. For some, these issues are mild and manageable. For others, they can become severe and disruptive. I’ve seen patients struggle with constant nausea or develop complications like hernias from straining due to constipation. When side effects start to interfere with daily life, continuing the medication may no longer make sense—even though newer treatments are being developed to help reduce these problems when used alongside GLP-1 drugs.

Changes in medical status can also prompt stopping GLP-1 medications. Pregnancy is a key example. These drugs are not recommended during pregnancy because we don’t yet have enough safety data to know how they affect a developing baby. Weight loss itself is also discouraged during pregnancy. While limited human data haven’t shown a clear increase in major birth defects with early exposure, animal studies suggest potential risks, and the evidence simply isn’t strong enough to confirm safety. If you’re planning to become pregnant, most experts recommend stopping GLP-1 medications one to two months beforehand so the drug can fully clear from your system.

Other medical changes may lead to discontinuation as well, such as a new cancer diagnosis or starting a medication that could interact with your GLP-1 drug. In many of these cases, stopping isn’t because we know there will be a problem, but because there isn’t enough data to be confident that continuing is safe.

Some people choose to stop GLP-1 medications for more personal reasons. You might want to see if you can maintain your weight loss on your own, or you may feel that the medication has stopped working. Typically, GLP-1 drugs produce the most significant weight loss during the first 30 to 40 weeks. After that, progress often slows. Between weeks 40 and 56, many people hit a plateau, and by around week 56, weight regain can begin—even without a change in dose. Over time, that gradual regain can feel discouraging and may lead you to question whether staying on the medication is still worth it.

Risks of Stopping GLP-1 Meds

So what actually happens when you stop a GLP-1 drug? Research gives us some clear insight. In the STEP 4 trial, participants took Wegovy for 20 weeks and lost weight as expected. After that, some continued the medication, while others were switched to a placebo, which effectively mimicked stopping treatment.

Once Wegovy was discontinued, weight regain started almost immediately. The regain continued steadily through week 68, with no sign of slowing down. By the end of the study, people who stopped Wegovy had regained about 65% of the weight they initially lost during the first 20 weeks. This pattern highlights an important reality: coming off GLP-1 medications often means your body works hard to return to its previous weight, especially if no other long-term strategies are in place.

How to Stop GLP-1 Meds

If you’ve decided it’s time to stop your GLP-1 medication, the most important first step is simple: talk with your doctor. This isn’t something you want to navigate alone. Your clinician knows your medical history, understands how your body has responded to treatment, and can help you come off the medication in a safe, structured way rather than abruptly stopping and hoping for the best.

Lower and Slower

In most cases, the smartest approach is to go lower and slower. That means tapering your GLP-1 medication instead of quitting cold turkey. Think back to how you started the drug. You didn’t jump straight to the highest dose—you gradually worked your way up. Coming off the medication works the same way, just in reverse.

As you taper down, you reduce the dose step by step and pause at each level. During those pauses, you pay attention to how your body responds. Are you suddenly much hungrier? Is your weight starting to creep up? If so, that’s your signal to address those issues before lowering the dose again. The goal is to stabilize at each step so hunger stays manageable and weight regain stays minimal.

Another tapering strategy is to space out your doses. Instead of taking the medication weekly, you might move to every other week, then every few weeks, and eventually stop altogether. At each stage, you check in with your appetite, your weight, and how you’re feeling overall. Patience matters here. Slow changes give your body time to adapt without triggering a strong rebound.

Consider Switching Medications

Stopping a GLP-1 doesn’t mean you’re out of options. In some cases, it makes sense to talk with your doctor about switching to a different weight loss medication. There are several effective non–GLP-1 drugs available, many of which are more affordable because generic versions exist. These medications work through different pathways, and each comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. The key takeaway is that coming off a GLP-1 drug doesn’t mean you’re starting from zero.

Expect Some Weight Regain

It’s also important to set realistic expectations. Some degree of weight regain is common—and honestly expected—when stopping GLP-1 medications. This doesn’t mean you’ve failed or that something has gone wrong. If you regain 5 or even 10 percent of your weight but still maintain most of your loss, you’re still far ahead of where you began.

The purpose of tapering slowly is to avoid a slippery slope, where small changes snowball into rapid regain. Emotionally, even minor increases on the scale can feel discouraging. That reaction is completely normal. Try to zoom out and look at the bigger picture. Weight loss is like climbing a mountain. You’ve already put in the work to climb a long way up. Taking a small step down to regain your footing doesn’t erase the progress you’ve made—it simply reflects your body adjusting now that one tool has been removed.

Don’t Change the Habits That Worked

Once you accept that some regain may happen, the next rule is straightforward: don’t change your lifestyle. Stopping the medication doesn’t mean stopping the habits that helped you succeed. Keep eating structured meals and following the nutrition approach that worked for you, whether that involves calorie tracking, lower-carb eating, or another plan you can sustain.

Stay consistent with movement, too. Keep up both cardio and strength training, even if your motivation dips after stopping the medication. And don’t lose touch with your support system. Whether it’s a coach, a program, or a community that helped keep you accountable, that connection still matters.

What you want to avoid is replacing the medication with unhealthy coping habits, like increasing alcohol use or turning to marijuana to manage stress or appetite. Those patterns can quietly undo a lot of hard-earned progress.

At the end of the day, GLP-1 medications are just one tool—not the entire toolbox. They don’t define your success. Stopping them isn’t the end of your weight loss journey; it’s simply a transition. The medication may have helped open the door, but you’re the one who walked through it. And even if continuing the drug isn’t an option, your habits, your progress, and your momentum moving forward are still very much in your control.

Learn more about

• When Does Ozempic Stop Working?
• Comparing Weight Loss Drugs in 2024
• What Forms of Semaglutide are Available?
• Comparing other GLP-1 Agonists for Weight Loss
• Other weight loss supplements

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