The hidden danger of quitting weight-loss injections: Less weight lost, more risk gained

When employed in clinics instead of clinical trials, injectable GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide also produce less sensational outcomes. According to a big Cleveland Clinic study that included close to 8,000 adults undergoing obesity treatment, more than 50% dropped out within one year, depriving many of the benefits realized within the trial environment.

This is what the loss of discontinuation did to outcomes:

Early dropouts (in 3 months) lost only 3.6% of their body weight.

Those who dropped out later lost 6.8%, whereas patients who remained on therapy for a year maintained a mean of 11.9% loss of weight.

Increased maintenance doses boosted outcomes—patients on maximum doses of semaglutide lost as much as 13.7%, and those on tirzepatide lost as much as 18.0%.

Women, tirzepatide patients, and those with higher doses were more likely to lose at least 10% weight—a cutoff associated with major health wins.

Among those with prediabetes, remaining on treatment was truly life-changing: 67.9% of them achieved normal blood glucose levels, compared to only 33–41% of those who dropped out. The early dropout group had the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Short version: it does matter to stick with it—keeping up the meds and taking the correct dosage has a significant boost to weight loss and metabolic effect over dropping treatment early.

Interested in learning how this translates to the everyday practice of obesity care, and how sticking to it can pay off? Read more here.