WeightControl.com Interview with:
Hamlet Gasoyan, DS, PhD, MPH
Staff, Internal Medicine
Investigator, Center for Value-Based Care Research
Assistant Professor of Medicine,
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve
Cleveland, OH
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Despite the popularity of semaglutide and tirzepatide for obesity, discontinuation rates of these medications at 1-year range from 47% to 65%. Limited data are available about what additional weight management efforts patients pursue in real-world settings after discontinuing semaglutide or tirzepatide, and whether long-term weight changes after discontinuation follow the patterns reported in randomized clinical trials.
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Despite the popularity of semaglutide and tirzepatide for obesity, discontinuation rates of these medications at 1-year range from 47% to 65%. Limited data are available about what additional weight management efforts patients pursue in real-world settings after discontinuing semaglutide or tirzepatide, and whether long-term weight changes after discontinuation follow the patterns reported in randomized clinical trials.
WeightControl.com: What are the main findings?
Response: In this large observational study of patients who discontinued semaglutide or tirzepatide, reinitiation of the original medication or receipt of alternative obesity treatment was common, which may explain why they regained less weight than patients in randomized trials.
Specifically, during 1-year post-discontinuation, 20% restarted the initial medication and 35% received an alternative obesity treatment, including starting another medication (27%), lifestyle modification visit with a healthcare professional (14%) and bariatric surgery (0.6%). The average weight change from discontinuation to 1 year later was 0.5% when treating obesity and −1.3% when treating type 2 diabetes. There was also considerable individual-level variability in weight change following discontinuation. Among patients who started the treatment for obesity, 45% either had additional weight reduction or no change in weight, while 55% gained weight in the year after discontinuation. Among patients who started the treatment for type 2 diabetes, 56% either had additional weight reduction or no change in weight, while 44% gained weight.
WeightControl.com: Is there any difference in outcomes between the two drugs?
Response: While this study was not designed to compare the weight trajectories by initial medication, we observed a difference in the average weight loss before discontinuation by medication. Among patients who started the treatment for obesity, the average weight change from baseline to discontinuation was -7.1% with semaglutide and -12.2 with tirzepatide.
WeightControl.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: For patients who need to stop their GLP-1 RA medication, there are several alternative obesity treatments available. They may want to discuss the available options with their clinician. We are glad to see that many patients who discontinue their initial medication do not give up on their obesity treatment journey.
WeightControl.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?
Response: Future studies should examine the comparative effectiveness of treatments for obesity in patients who discontinue their novel GLP-1 RA or dual receptor agonist medication. To this end, we are already working on the next study where we examine the comparative effectiveness of alternative treatment options for obesity in patients who discontinue semaglutide or tirzepatide, to help patients and their clinicians make informed decisions.
Citation: Gasoyan H, Schulte R, Boyer CB, Casacchia NJ, Butsch WS, Le P, Aminian A, Griebeler ML, Burguera B, Rothberg MB. Obesity Treatments and Weight Changes in Clinical Practice After Discontinuation of Semaglutide or Tirzepatide. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2026 Mar 12. doi: 10.1111/dom.70660. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41816857.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41816857/
This study was funded by Cleveland Clinic—Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Accelerator Grants, Grant Number: MAG0030. Dr. Hamlet Gasoyan reported receiving grant funding from the National Cancer Institute outside the submitted work.
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Last Updated on March 17, 2026 by weightcontrol