GLP-1 Stop: Slower Weight Regain Seen in Real World Data
- Patients discontinuing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for obesity treatment may not experience the rapid weight regain seen in clinical trials, according to Cleveland Clinic researcher Dr.
- Gasoyan's team studied patients in Ohio and Florida who stopped taking semaglutide or tirzepatide. Surprisingly, many did not regain meaningful weight in the following months, a contrast to...
- The study suggests that real-world data indicates more stable weight trajectories.
Real-world data reveals a nuanced picture of GLP-1 weight loss treatment compared to clinical trials: Patients discontinuing GLP-1 receptor agonists may experience slower weight regain than previously anticipated. Research from Cleveland Clinic, highlighted in this update, examines the experiences of patients in Ohio and Florida. Their weight trajectories after stopping semaglutide or tirzepatide showcase a more stable pattern.
Several factors contribute to this divergence, including the smaller initial weight loss and the continued use of other weight management strategies after the primary medication is stopped. This suggests continued efforts impact long-term weight maintenance. Moreover, people find support in other tools to battle obesity. News Directory 3 provides extensive coverage. Understand the broader context of GLP-1 weight loss treatment. Discover what’s next …
Real-World GLP-1 Weight Loss: Results Differ From Clinical Trials
Updated June 23, 2025
Patients discontinuing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for obesity treatment may not experience the rapid weight regain seen in clinical trials, according to Cleveland Clinic researcher Dr. Hamlet Gasoyan. His research indicates a divergence between trial outcomes and real-world experiences with GLP-1s and obesity treatment.
Gasoyan’s team studied patients in Ohio and Florida who stopped taking semaglutide or tirzepatide. Surprisingly, many did not regain meaningful weight in the following months, a contrast to results from the STEP 1 and SURMOUNT-4 trials, which showed substantial weight regain after stopping these medications. These clinical trials demonstrated that individuals typically regained most of the weight lost during the treatment period.
The study suggests that real-world data indicates more stable weight trajectories. Gasoyan offered a couple of explanations for this difference. First, patients in clinical trials frequently enough experience more significant initial weight loss due to longer treatment durations, leading to a more pronounced rebound affect upon discontinuation. In contrast, the Cleveland Clinic patients had smaller initial weight losses, making maintenance easier. Second, unlike the abrupt cessation in trials, real-world patients often continue managing their weight through other methods.
These methods can include switching to older antiobesity medications, pausing and resuming GLP-1 therapy, or adopting lifestyle changes such as dietary adjustments. This ongoing effort to manage weight contributes to the more stable outcomes observed outside of clinical trials.
“Even after discontinuation of GLP-1s for 3 months or so, patients’ journeys in treating their obesity does not stop, which is an encouraging thing to us, and also gives us a task to produce evidence-based recommendations for them in terms of what’s next,” Gasoyan said.
What’s next
Future research should focus on developing evidence-based recommendations for patients who discontinue GLP-1 therapy, ensuring they have effective strategies to continue managing their weight and overall health.