By using medicines like Wegovy Weight loss Millions of people are faced with a new problem: what if they stop taking the medicine?
Many people are concerned that if they medicine If they stop taking it, they will again obesity will fall prey to and return to old habits. Doctors have warned that people should not treat themselves like an ‘injection shop’, meaning they should not rely solely on drugs to lose weight.
But people are using personal strategies to reduce drug dependence and increase drug use intervals to stay slim. They take the medicine intermittently or start taking it again after a break. This process is a gamble. In clinical trials, most of the people who stopped taking these drugs regained their weight.
Donna Cooper, 62, of Front Royal, Virginia, who lost about 40 pounds through diet and exercise while using Vigovi, says, ‘It (the drug) has been a help for me. There is a support. At some point you will have to stop using the drug. I don’t always want to use medicine.’
According to the latest data from health technology company IQVIA, more than 3 million prescriptions for new drugs are issued in the US every month. Two of these drugs are found in Ozemic and Vigovi semaglutide, while terzeptide is found in Monjaro and Zipbound.
But many people do not continue to use them. A recent study published in the journal ‘Obesity’ found that in 2021 or 2022, only 40 percent of patients using Vigovi are still taking it one year after starting use.
Doctors who treat obesity say that obesity, like heart disease and high blood pressure, is a chronic condition that must be managed indefinitely. New injectable drugs work by mimicking hormones in the stomach and brain to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Experts say they are designed and tested for continuous use.
Dr. Andres Acosta, a medical consultant and obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic, said: ‘Injections alone are not our cure.’
He added: ‘I don’t think they should be used intermittently. They are not for that purpose. They don’t work like that.’
Dr. Amy Rothberg, an endocrinologist at the University of Michigan who directs the Weight Management and Diabetes Treatment Program, said that despite this guidance, some patients who achieved their health and weight goals with medication did not. , they want to use them.
He said, ‘Many of these people want to stop using the drug immediately or reduce its dosage. These people want to go ahead and finally give up the use of medicine.’
Dr. Kathryn Saunders, an obesity specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company IntelliHealth, says the reasons for a break in medication use can vary. Some patients do not like the side effects of the drug like nausea and constipation. Others may want to stop using the medication on holidays or special occasions, or they may not want to get vaccinated every week indefinitely.
One of Saunders’ patients, a 53-year-old man from New York, lost 70 pounds last year using Monjaro. He told Saunders he wanted to take a ‘breather’ while taking a break from the drug to see how his body reacted. On doctor’s advice, he has been injecting once every 10 days or every two weeks since December instead of weekly.
Rothberg said other patients have been forced to reduce or stop taking the drug because the drugs are expensive. A monthly expense of $1,000 to $1,300. Furthermore, there would be a difference in insurance coverage or that demand is greater than supply.
According to Rothberg: ‘It is being imposed on them. It is important for them to stop taking the drug and find alternative sources.’
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But to expect the benefits of the drugs to last even after you stop using them is to ignore the biology of obesity, experts say. The disease affects the body’s ability to function and the way it stores energy, leading to weight gain. Newer drugs alter this process, and when patients stop taking them, the disease often returns with greater severity.
Many people who quit the medication report a sharp increase in obesity-related symptoms. These symptoms include constantly thinking about food and intense hunger and a decreased feeling of satiety after eating.
According to Rothberg: ‘These drugs strongly suppress these symptoms and we should hope that this will happen.’
Tara Ruthenhofer, 48, of Trinity, Florida, lost more than 200 pounds after starting a Monjaro trial nearly four years ago. Now she takes the lowest dose of medicine every four to eight weeks, but she worries when her weight fluctuates by a few pounds.
She said that ‘I get scared after seeing the increase in weight.’
Acosta said some patients who restart after stopping the medication find they can’t tolerate the medication, causing severe gastrointestinal side effects.
Saunders added that other people find that it doesn’t work on repeated use of the drug, but there are no data on the long-term effects of intermittent use of the drug.
According to Saunders: ‘I don’t think this strategy will work for most people but it might be a way for a select few.’
Donna Cooper has heard that people gain weight when they stop taking medication, but she hopes she’s the exception. She is using her last box of Vigovi injections. Cooper said that once the shots are finished, she will be strictly eating and exercising.
Cooper, who went from a dress size 16 to a size 10, said: ‘I just needed a crutch to fix everything and I’m delighted with the success.’
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2024-07-27 00:49:52
