Photo:Sandy Huffaker for The Washington Post via GettyInjectable weight-loss drugs likeOzempicandMounjaroare being seen as a quick-fix for minor weight loss — even if they’re supposed to be prescribed for those with obesity and diabetes. “I didn’t even know I was on it,”Chelsea Handlersaid about Ozempic, adding that her doctor told her ”‘If you ever want to drop five lbs., this is good.'“Although all of these medications are injectables, they contain different active ingredients:Ozempic(an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes) andWegovy(which is approved for those with obesity) contain semaglutide, which work in the brain to impact satiety.The drugMounjarocontainstirzepatide,which reduces food intake and appetite, and improves how the body breaks down sugar and fat. It’s also approved for people with diabetes — not obesity — but like Ozempic, many are prescribed it off-label for weight loss.A study in theJournal of Pharmacology and Therapeuticsfound that a majorityof people who take semaglutidegain most of the weight back within a year of stopping the medication, which can be difficult to control.And now, a new study about the effects of stoppingtirzepatidesays that those who went off the medication gained weight.“In participants with obesity/overweight, withdrawing tirzepatide led to substantial regain of lost weight,” said the study, published in theJournal of the American Medical Association.“Those switched to placebo experienced a 14% weight regain.“So are these medications meant to be taken, well, forever? Or is there a way to safely lose weight on injectables — and keep the weight off once you’ve stopped taking them?Dr. Evelina Grayver, director for the Women’s Heart Program at the Katz Institute for Women for the Northwell Health Central Region shared her thoughts with PEOPLE.MounjaroWhy do people gain weight after they stop using these medications?“There’s no miracle drug. This is lifestyle. People think that they take a couple of shots, a couple of months of injections and they’re good to go for the rest of their life. Continuing doing exactly what they’ve been doing in reference to eating poorly, not staying active, smoking, sleeping no more than two-to-three hours a day. that’s not going to help them out in the long term,” Dr. Grayver tells PEOPLE.“Long-term is lifestyle modification — that’s really the foundation,” she says. “Ozempic, Mounjaro, all of that are just like sprinkles on top of it that can help them to get to their goal. But in order to maintain their goal, they have to have that fundamental lifestyle in place to begin with.”How can you avoid the weight gain after stopping?“Number one, as soon as you start doing any one of these drugs, make sure you’re on a well-balanced diet. In addition to that, consider introducing intermittent fasting,” she suggests, referencing the time-restricted approach to eating thatcan also limit caloric intake. But, she cautions, “During those eight hours, it’s not like you’re parking yourself in front of the refrigerator and eating everything inside.“Dr. Grayver continues, “Make sure you are exercising at least 30 minutes a day, at least five days out of the week. And the more weight endurance that you add, and the more high-intensity interval training that you can add to your regimen, the greater long-term benefit because you’re subsequently building muscle mass that increases your basal metabolic rate. So, when you’re actually are coming off of these drugs, you’re able to maintain that metabolic rate due to the muscle that you’ve been able to build already at that time.”GettyIs there anyone who benefits from staying on these injectables long-term?“Those patients that actually are diabetic patients — they actually benefit from them long-term. We’re going to have a significant data to show the fact that there’s a significant cardiovascular benefit for a lot of these patients, because we know the fact that from entire cardio-metabolic standpoint, these drugs are doing phenomenally: They’re able to control blood pressure, and cholesterol, and diabetes. So I think that there’s gonna be certain patients that actually do need to stay on them,” Dr. Grayver says, stressing, “At this point, diabetic patients are the only ones.”What about people who go on these injectables for short-term weight-loss?“Dropping a dress size requires a lifestyle modification,” Dr. Grayver tells PEOPLE. “You want to be cautious with regard to what you’re eating, and how you’re eating, and when you’re eating, and you want to make sure that you’re getting your exercise in and sleep.”“But when you want to do something like Ozempic or Mounjaro or Wegovy or any of these drugs that are out there, just for dress size, I think you might be actually getting yourself in actually more trouble than anything else,” Dr. Grayver tells PEOPLE.“Because when you actually are abruptly stopping these medications, it can lead to the uncontrolled environment afterwards, like the uncontrolled blood sugar levels, which can subsequently have adverse effects on your overall health.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Photo:Sandy Huffaker for The Washington Post via Getty
Sandy Huffaker for The Washington Post via Getty
Injectable weight-loss drugs likeOzempicandMounjaroare being seen as a quick-fix for minor weight loss — even if they’re supposed to be prescribed for those with obesity and diabetes. “I didn’t even know I was on it,”Chelsea Handlersaid about Ozempic, adding that her doctor told her ”‘If you ever want to drop five lbs., this is good.'“Although all of these medications are injectables, they contain different active ingredients:Ozempic(an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes) andWegovy(which is approved for those with obesity) contain semaglutide, which work in the brain to impact satiety.The drugMounjarocontainstirzepatide,which reduces food intake and appetite, and improves how the body breaks down sugar and fat. It’s also approved for people with diabetes — not obesity — but like Ozempic, many are prescribed it off-label for weight loss.A study in theJournal of Pharmacology and Therapeuticsfound that a majorityof people who take semaglutidegain most of the weight back within a year of stopping the medication, which can be difficult to control.And now, a new study about the effects of stoppingtirzepatidesays that those who went off the medication gained weight.“In participants with obesity/overweight, withdrawing tirzepatide led to substantial regain of lost weight,” said the study, published in theJournal of the American Medical Association.“Those switched to placebo experienced a 14% weight regain.“So are these medications meant to be taken, well, forever? Or is there a way to safely lose weight on injectables — and keep the weight off once you’ve stopped taking them?Dr. Evelina Grayver, director for the Women’s Heart Program at the Katz Institute for Women for the Northwell Health Central Region shared her thoughts with PEOPLE.MounjaroWhy do people gain weight after they stop using these medications?“There’s no miracle drug. This is lifestyle. People think that they take a couple of shots, a couple of months of injections and they’re good to go for the rest of their life. Continuing doing exactly what they’ve been doing in reference to eating poorly, not staying active, smoking, sleeping no more than two-to-three hours a day. that’s not going to help them out in the long term,” Dr. Grayver tells PEOPLE.“Long-term is lifestyle modification — that’s really the foundation,” she says. “Ozempic, Mounjaro, all of that are just like sprinkles on top of it that can help them to get to their goal. But in order to maintain their goal, they have to have that fundamental lifestyle in place to begin with.”How can you avoid the weight gain after stopping?“Number one, as soon as you start doing any one of these drugs, make sure you’re on a well-balanced diet. In addition to that, consider introducing intermittent fasting,” she suggests, referencing the time-restricted approach to eating thatcan also limit caloric intake. But, she cautions, “During those eight hours, it’s not like you’re parking yourself in front of the refrigerator and eating everything inside.“Dr. Grayver continues, “Make sure you are exercising at least 30 minutes a day, at least five days out of the week. And the more weight endurance that you add, and the more high-intensity interval training that you can add to your regimen, the greater long-term benefit because you’re subsequently building muscle mass that increases your basal metabolic rate. So, when you’re actually are coming off of these drugs, you’re able to maintain that metabolic rate due to the muscle that you’ve been able to build already at that time.”GettyIs there anyone who benefits from staying on these injectables long-term?“Those patients that actually are diabetic patients — they actually benefit from them long-term. We’re going to have a significant data to show the fact that there’s a significant cardiovascular benefit for a lot of these patients, because we know the fact that from entire cardio-metabolic standpoint, these drugs are doing phenomenally: They’re able to control blood pressure, and cholesterol, and diabetes. So I think that there’s gonna be certain patients that actually do need to stay on them,” Dr. Grayver says, stressing, “At this point, diabetic patients are the only ones.”What about people who go on these injectables for short-term weight-loss?“Dropping a dress size requires a lifestyle modification,” Dr. Grayver tells PEOPLE. “You want to be cautious with regard to what you’re eating, and how you’re eating, and when you’re eating, and you want to make sure that you’re getting your exercise in and sleep.”“But when you want to do something like Ozempic or Mounjaro or Wegovy or any of these drugs that are out there, just for dress size, I think you might be actually getting yourself in actually more trouble than anything else,” Dr. Grayver tells PEOPLE.“Because when you actually are abruptly stopping these medications, it can lead to the uncontrolled environment afterwards, like the uncontrolled blood sugar levels, which can subsequently have adverse effects on your overall health.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Injectable weight-loss drugs likeOzempicandMounjaroare being seen as a quick-fix for minor weight loss — even if they’re supposed to be prescribed for those with obesity and diabetes. “I didn’t even know I was on it,”Chelsea Handlersaid about Ozempic, adding that her doctor told her ”‘If you ever want to drop five lbs., this is good.'”
Although all of these medications are injectables, they contain different active ingredients:Ozempic(an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes) andWegovy(which is approved for those with obesity) contain semaglutide, which work in the brain to impact satiety.
The drugMounjarocontainstirzepatide,which reduces food intake and appetite, and improves how the body breaks down sugar and fat. It’s also approved for people with diabetes — not obesity — but like Ozempic, many are prescribed it off-label for weight loss.
A study in theJournal of Pharmacology and Therapeuticsfound that a majorityof people who take semaglutidegain most of the weight back within a year of stopping the medication, which can be difficult to control.
And now, a new study about the effects of stoppingtirzepatidesays that those who went off the medication gained weight.
“In participants with obesity/overweight, withdrawing tirzepatide led to substantial regain of lost weight,” said the study, published in theJournal of the American Medical Association.
“Those switched to placebo experienced a 14% weight regain.”
So are these medications meant to be taken, well, forever? Or is there a way to safely lose weight on injectables — and keep the weight off once you’ve stopped taking them?
Dr. Evelina Grayver, director for the Women’s Heart Program at the Katz Institute for Women for the Northwell Health Central Region shared her thoughts with PEOPLE.
Mounjaro
Why do people gain weight after they stop using these medications?
“There’s no miracle drug. This is lifestyle. People think that they take a couple of shots, a couple of months of injections and they’re good to go for the rest of their life. Continuing doing exactly what they’ve been doing in reference to eating poorly, not staying active, smoking, sleeping no more than two-to-three hours a day. that’s not going to help them out in the long term,” Dr. Grayver tells PEOPLE.
“Long-term is lifestyle modification — that’s really the foundation,” she says. “Ozempic, Mounjaro, all of that are just like sprinkles on top of it that can help them to get to their goal. But in order to maintain their goal, they have to have that fundamental lifestyle in place to begin with.”
How can you avoid the weight gain after stopping?
“Number one, as soon as you start doing any one of these drugs, make sure you’re on a well-balanced diet. In addition to that, consider introducing intermittent fasting,” she suggests, referencing the time-restricted approach to eating thatcan also limit caloric intake. But, she cautions, “During those eight hours, it’s not like you’re parking yourself in front of the refrigerator and eating everything inside.”
Dr. Grayver continues, “Make sure you are exercising at least 30 minutes a day, at least five days out of the week. And the more weight endurance that you add, and the more high-intensity interval training that you can add to your regimen, the greater long-term benefit because you’re subsequently building muscle mass that increases your basal metabolic rate. So, when you’re actually are coming off of these drugs, you’re able to maintain that metabolic rate due to the muscle that you’ve been able to build already at that time.”
Getty
Is there anyone who benefits from staying on these injectables long-term?
“Those patients that actually are diabetic patients — they actually benefit from them long-term. We’re going to have a significant data to show the fact that there’s a significant cardiovascular benefit for a lot of these patients, because we know the fact that from entire cardio-metabolic standpoint, these drugs are doing phenomenally: They’re able to control blood pressure, and cholesterol, and diabetes. So I think that there’s gonna be certain patients that actually do need to stay on them,” Dr. Grayver says, stressing, “At this point, diabetic patients are the only ones.”
What about people who go on these injectables for short-term weight-loss?
“Dropping a dress size requires a lifestyle modification,” Dr. Grayver tells PEOPLE. “You want to be cautious with regard to what you’re eating, and how you’re eating, and when you’re eating, and you want to make sure that you’re getting your exercise in and sleep.”
“But when you want to do something like Ozempic or Mounjaro or Wegovy or any of these drugs that are out there, just for dress size, I think you might be actually getting yourself in actually more trouble than anything else,” Dr. Grayver tells PEOPLE.
“Because when you actually are abruptly stopping these medications, it can lead to the uncontrolled environment afterwards, like the uncontrolled blood sugar levels, which can subsequently have adverse effects on your overall health.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
source: people.com
