Whether we need to use Semaglutide lifetime to lose weight

Semaglutide is a long-term drug that requires lifetime use to maintain weight loss.

Weight rebound in Semaglutide trials

In the semaglutide trial, after 68 weeks of subcutaneous injection of Semaglutide 2.4mg or placebo combined with a lifestyle intervention, the Semaglutide group lost an average of 17.3% of body weight and the placebo group lost an average of 2% of body weight.

After week 68, stop the Semaglutide intake and lifestyle intervention. Then assess the representative participants for one-year discontinuation after completing 68 weeks of treatment. By week 120, the Semaglutide group had regained 11.6 percent of their body weight and the placebo group 1.9 percent.

In this trial, one year after stopping Semaglutide 2.4mg and the lifestyle intervention, participants regained two-thirds of their previous weight loss. What this study demonstrates is that obesity is a long-term disease that requires long-term treatment to maintain weight loss. Therefore, Semaglutide is needed for lifetime use to maintain weight loss.

Semaglutide plateau

However, the drugs have tolerance, and after long-term weight loss with Semaglutide, weight will plateau in about a year, and then it will be more difficult to continue to lose weight. If your weight is still not at the target weight at this point, in this case, you have to increase the dose to help pass the plateau. But if you are already on the highest dose, then you cannot increase the dose. At this time, you can change a new weight loss drug to help you continue to lose weight, and wait until your body has metabolized all of the semaglutide, and return to Semaglutide again.

Therefore, Semaglutide, although a long-term drug that for lifetime, still has to deal with the problem of weight loss plateau.

Low doses of Semaglutide maintain weight

If you have reached your goal weight and do not need to continue to lose weight and only need to maintain your current weight, you can choose a low dose of Semaglutide to maintain weight. After losing weight, someone tried lowering the dose of Semaglutide to 1mg and giving it only once a month, which helped her maintain her weight.

Semaglutide is a long-term drug that is safe for long-term use. If low doses of Semaglutide are able to maintain your target weight gain, long-term use should not be a problem. But everyone’s constitution is different, and what works for some people may not work for others, which depends on the actual use effect of the individual. If you have other metabolic conditions, low doses of Semaglutide may not help you maintain weight.