Researchers found that discontinuing popular weight loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy can quickly erase their protective cardiovascular benefits, potentially increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke and death.
The study conducted by Washington University in St. Louis, published in BMJ Medicine, followed more than 330,000 US veterans with type 2 diabetes over three years.
The results suggest that patients who consistently took GLP-1 medication observed an 18% reduction in major cardiovascular events.
But those who stopped treatment for just six months experienced a 4-8% increased risk compared to continuous users.
Gaps of one to two years pushed this risk up by 14% to 22%.
The findings coincide with separate research from the Cleveland Clinic published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, which provided a more hopeful perspective on weight regain after stopping GLP-1.
The study had a sample size of 8,000 patients and found that those who discontinued the medication regained only 0.5% of their weight loss on average after one year, largely because 27% switched to alternative obesity medications and 20% eventually resumed their original treatment.
About half of GLP-1 users stop using the drugs within a year, often because of the high cost, which can top $1,000 a month without insurance, side effects such as nausea or a lack of supplies.
Manufacturers are trying to ease the problem, with Novo Nordisk announcing price cuts of up to 50%.
Experts have emphasized the need for patients to seek advice from a healthcare professional in planning a transition strategy, which may include alternative treatments and lifestyle changes to achieve weight and cardiovascular health.
