adverse effects of stopping GLP medications, as evidence suggests risks are associated with Weight cycling

[Good-Heart6425]

Opinion | I No Longer Think GLP-1s Are the Answer

The drugs 'work' but may be working against us long-term

www.medpagetoday.com

 

[Laxfinity]

Opinion | I No Longer Think GLP-1s Are the Answer

The drugs 'work' but may be working against us long-term

www.medpagetoday.com

I hate to say it... I agree. After being on sema, and stacking others, I had to stop for 8 weeks as I had scheduled surgeries.. one that got pushed back two weeks. I had stopped a few other times but for only a week or two due to surgeries and colonoscopies.

I was at my absolute lowest since I started this peptide journey. The noise came back full force. I was ravenous. I ate like I had not in 4 years. The holidays and having junk in the house has not helped. Thankfully I have only gained about 7 lbs but... I absolutely hate this. I "thought" I had my shit in check. I eat healthy, walk a lot, do some strength training.. but I don't deprive myself when I want something sweet.. I just eat a "normal" portion. Now? Once I start eating junk I just want more...

I have restarted what I was taking but low and slow. I do not want to get sick because I am eating like an asshole. I still think they are the answer but I am convinced I will be pinning something until the day I die...

 

[Mr.Tired]

Thanks for sharing. It's good to hear other perspectives, but I don't find this guy particularly persuasive.

He cites is own personal anecdotal evidence and a study from several years ago that had been superceded by more recent and comprehensive research. This isnt to say that people don't come off of glps and gain back all their weight. That obviously happens, and I am sure it is unbelievably frustrating for those folks. But he asserts that as the norm, and it doesn't look like that is factually correct.

 

[tubby]

Was that doctor truly unaware of the muscle loss concerns prior to January of 2025 (date of the article)? And he also failed to understand that pharma viewed these drugs as a subscription plan rather than a cure? I'm not big on hurling insults around, but perhaps if he's been this hopelessly naive in the past, he should recognize his shortcomings and let others with better critical thinking skills author the contrarian articles of this sort. LOL

The article raises valid concerns. If one were paying full retail price ($1000+ per month in prior years), I can see where it might feel like extortion to have to keep paying that to maintain a stalled out weight loss and avoid regain, but I suspect many here aren't too worried about the financial aspect. The muscle-loss concerns are rather controversial as well with different studies showing different results in regards to body composition results and that likely varying across different formulations.

I think those who view GLP1's as first-line weight loss methods (while failing to address underlying food addiction issues or investigate their own relationship with food) may be disappointed, but like any other tool, these drugs have strong use cases for many people.

 

[byefatlicia]

My big takeaway from this article is that name brand prices aren't realistic for the long term for the average person.
Grey is the way. I may never stop and I'm okay with that.

 

[cygnus]

Stopping an exercise also comes with the risk of losing the positive benefits associated with exercise. Stopping a nutrition plan (drug aided or not) comes with the risk of worsening outcomes. Cutting back on sleep hygiene comes with risks associated with worsened sleep...

The GLPs and whatever drugs come next are incredible tools in the toolbox; sensationalist articles always seem to want to create a strawman fallacy of them being all-or-nothing in order to knock them down.

Until something better than reta comes along, I'll be pinning once a week. If the GGG III ends up being an oral reta analog that comes close and is easy to use in maintenance, cool. If something like some crazy GLP/GIP/Glucacon/Myostation/Activin/IGF mega awesome med comes along with minimal side effects, then yeah, I'm checking that out.

 

[Grogu]

All types of issues with the article, but I guess for me, I always thought that long-term use of a glp-1 was going to be required. In my mind, glp-1 medications treat an underlying metabolic disease and none of the glp-1s are cure for that disease. For me, I think if I stopped taking the medication, I would fully expect my symptoms (ravenous hunger, weight, joint pain, etc.) to return with a raging vengance. And even this go around with weight loss I've done nutrition counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and adjusted my behaviors, I honestly don't think that's going to "cure" bad physiology.

 

[cygnus]

All types of issues with the article, but I guess for me, I always thought that long-term use of a glp-1 was going to be required. In my mind, glp-1 medications treat an underlying metabolic disease and none of the glp-1s are cure for that disease. For me, I think if I stopped taking the medication, I would fully expect my symptoms (ravenous hunger, weight, joint pain, etc.) to return with a raging vengance. And even this go around with weight loss I've done nutrition counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and adjusted my behaviors, I honestly don't think that's going to "cure" bad physiology.

Blood pressure meds, cholesterol meds, blood sugar control meds are also long-term use. Reta offers the potential ability for many to just consolidate that into a singular med.

 

[CNCCurrency]

I read recently that cholesterol meds, ie statins reduce glp1 efficacy.

 

[cygnus]

What I was referring to is the tri-agonist GLPs showed drastic improvements across triglycerides, blood pressure, blood sugar and A1C, in addition to the actual weight loss. Those types of meds tend to be "for life" until something drastic changes...reta offers that drastic change.

The contraindications as I understood had to do more on the other direction, where GLP-1 agonism slows digestion and thus oral meds aren't absorbed on schedule.

 

[cookieguggleman]

As much as I am benefiting from these drugs, I could never do it without overeaters anonymous. I have been in that program for 16 years, and it changed my life. Even before the drugs, food noise was hugely diminished, and I had been at a stable weight for 14 years. Never perfect and it required constant spiritual work, but it changed my life. I started taking GLP because of menopause and an auto immune disorder that made my metabolism come to a screeching halt. I think most people who try to stop who had chronic issues with food addiction will definitely have trouble keeping the weight off.

 

[tubby]

I read recently that cholesterol meds, ie statins reduce glp1 efficacy.

Statins were found to significantly decrease naturally occurring GLP-1 levels (in addition to previously having been found to increase diabetes risk and increase plaque calcification). Not sure how that would affect GLP-1RA efficacy, unless you're saying they'd make it harder for someone to maintain a weight loss after going off GLP1 drugs.