(NewsNation) — The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is calling on health care services to offer structured advice and support for people discontinuing GLP-1 weight loss drugs.
The U.K.-based, government-funded organization released new guidance this month highlighting the mental and physical ramifications patients can face when they stop using drugs like Mounjaro or Wegovy. The group recommended health care teams monitor patients for at least a year after they complete treatment to maintain their progress.
“The evidence is clear that advice and support for maintaining weight after stopping medicines or completing behavioral interventions can help prevent weight regain and enable people to experience lasting benefits,” said institute chair Dr. Rebecca Payne.
Studies found that patients taking drugs like Ozempic for weight loss will, on average, gain back two-thirds of the weight they lose once they stop taking the medication.
According to a study by FAIR Health, more than 2% of Americans were taking weight loss drugs, such as GLP-1, in 2024.
“From 2019 to 2024, the percentage of adult patients with a diagnosis of overweight or obesity increased 50.7 percent, and the percentage of adult patients prescribed any type of GLP-1 drug increased 363.7 percent,” FAIR Health’s analysis found.