Topic
What happens if you stop or switch GLP-1s?
Weight regain evidence, maintenance dosing research, and how switching between GLP-1 drugs works.
Coming Off Compounded Semaglutide: What to Do When Your Program EndsThe FDA resolved the semaglutide shortage on February 21, 2025, and the shortage-based window that let pharmacies compound copies closed by May 22, 2025. Here is what that means for your program ending and how to move to an FDA-approved drug.Do You Have to Take Wegovy Forever? What the Evidence ShowsWegovy's label sets no stop date and obesity guidance strongly recommends continuing medication during weight maintenance. In withdrawal trials, people who stopped regained most of their lost weight within a year, while those who continued kept it off.GLP-1 Maintenance Dose: What the Research Says About Lowering ItYes, labels allow lower maintenance doses, and a 112-week trial found tirzepatide 5 mg kept weight loss at -16.6% versus -9.9% on placebo. Spacing doses out has weaker evidence: one 30-person case series and computer models.Switching From Ozempic to Mounjaro: Dose, Blood Sugar, and SafetyThe Mounjaro label gives one starting dose for every adult: 2.5 mg once weekly, with no exception for prior Ozempic use. Conversion charts exist but say they do not replace clinical judgment, and gaps between prescriptions can raise blood sugar fast.Switching From Wegovy to Zepbound: Doses, Timing, and What to ExpectThere is no official Wegovy-to-Zepbound conversion. The Zepbound label says every patient starts at 2.5 mg weekly for 4 weeks, with no exception for people coming from another GLP-1, and neither label specifies a washout — timing is your prescriber's call.What Happens When You Stop Taking a GLP-1?Stopping a GLP-1 usually leads to substantial weight regain within a year. In a pooled analysis of 8,993 adults across 6 studies, the difference in percent body-weight change between people who stopped and people who continued averaged 17.90%.