GLP-1 users face 6 rebound risks after stopping the weight-loss drugs

While GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound have reshaped weight management and diabetes control, research shows that many patients stop taking them within a year.Research has found that cycling off these medications can bring potential rebound risks, ranging from rapid weight regain to the loss of cardiovascular protection.Dr.Frank Dumont, internal medicine physician and executive medical director at Virta Health in San Francisco, spoke with Fox News Digital about why patients stop taking GLP-1s, the potential risks and how to maintain progress afterward.Some patients may stop taking GLP-1 medications because of medical concerns or side effects, while others prefer not to remain on long-term medication, Dumont said.Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea.“Those types of things can become troublesome enough that people actually have a hard time eating enough food to get good nourishment,” he told Fox News Digital.

“Working with your physician to make a decision about whether it’s right for you to stay on the medicine or not is important.”Other serious side effects, like acute pancreatitis, would prompt immediate discontinuation of the drug.“We know that’s fairly rare, but if the pancreas becomes involved, that is not a good thing,” Dumont said.“It can be very serious.

It can even be life-threatening.”Certain GLP-1 medications carry a warning about thyroid tumors based on animal studies, though the risk in humans remains unknown.These medications should not be used by people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or a condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).Dumont outlined six potential risks patients may face after stopping a GLP-1.The most immediate side effect patients notice after stopping a GLP-1 is the return of intense cravings and a sharp spike in appetite, often referred to as “food noise,” according to Dumont.Many patients assume t...