So you’ve lost weight with Wegovy. Does this mean you can stop taking it?

Millions of Americans who have shed pounds and boosted their health with popular obesity drugs like Wegovy face a new dilemma: What happens if they stop taking them?

Many worry that they will gain the weight back and return to their old habits. In studies, people who paused their medications went back on them most of the weight they lost.

But others are opting for a do-it-yourself strategy to ease off the drugs and stay lean by stretching out doses, taking the medication intermittently, or stopping and starting again only if necessary.

Over 3 million recipes for the new medicines are dispensed every month in the US, according to 2023 data from health technology company IQVIA. They include semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, the drug in Mounjaro and Zepbound.

But many people do not adhere to it. A study published in the journal Obesity found that 40% of patients who filled a Wegovy prescription in 2021 or 2022 they were still taking it a year later.

Here’s what you need to know about taking a break from these new medications:

HOW ARE MEDICINES DESIGNED TO PRESENT?

Doctors who treat obesity stress that the disease is a chronic condition that must be managed indefinitely, like heart disease or high blood pressure. The new injection drugs work by mimicking hormones in the gut and brain to regulate appetite and satiety. They were designed and tested to be used continuously, experts said.

I don’t think they should be used intermittently. It is not approved for this. They don’t work that way, said Dr. Andrés Acosta, an obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

WHY DO PEOPLE WANT TO STOP DRUGS?

Some people who reached their health and weight goals with the drugs are looking for an offframp, said Dr. Amy Rothberg, who directs a weight management and diabetes treatment program at the University of Michigan.

Many of them want to quit or reduce their dose, he said. And they also want to stop the medication.

Some patients do not like side effects such as nausea and constipation. Others want to stop for holidays or special occasions or simply because they don’t want to do the weekly injections indefinitely, said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company Intellihealth.

For me, it’s a help, it’s a help, said Donna Cooper of Front Royal, Virginia, who lost nearly 40 pounds (18 kilograms) in nine months using Wegovy along with diet and exercise. At some point you have to get rid of them. I don’t want to be with them forever.

Others have been forced to ration or stop doses because the drugs cost $1,000 to $1,300 a month and insurance coverage varies or because demand has far outstripped supply, Rothberg noted.

WHAT IF THEY STOP?

The drugs work by changing the way the body processes and stores energy. When people stop taking it, many regain the weight they lost, and more. And many report a return of obesity symptoms, such as so-called food cravings or intrusive thoughts of eating, raging hunger and decreased feelings of fullness when eating.

Some people who stop medications and start again have serious stomach side effects. Others find that the drugs don’t work as well as they used to. There is no data on the long-term effects of intermittent use, Saunders said.

I don’t think it’s a strategy that works for most people, but it could be an option for select patients, he said.

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The Associated Press Department of Health and Science is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Educational and Scientific Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.