How long can you stay on Wegovy (semaglutide)?

Wegovy® is an FDA-approved medication for weight loss, and the timeframe for how long to stay on Wegovy for best results is  long-term. It is not recommended to stop taking your Wegovy prescription once you have lost weight or reached your goal weight, as studies show that patients are very likely to regain the weight that was lost. One study looked at patients who had been taking Wegovy for over a year and had successfully lost on average 17% of their body weight. They then stopped the medication, and over the next year, patients regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost.

The reality is there are compensatory changes that occur when we lose weight that lead to a slowing of our metabolism and an increase in hunger hormones that ultimately promote weight regain. It can be helpful to think of these medications not just as “weight loss” medications but as “weight maintenance” as well. Another way to think about this is to consider what would happen ifyou were diagnosed with high blood pressure and started a medication to lower your blood pressure. When you returned for a follow-up appointment and your blood pressure was normal after being on the medication, would your doctor stop the medication? No! That’s because your blood pressure  would go back to where it was without medication. It’s the same way with how long to stay on Wegovy for weight loss. You can stay on Wegovy long-term without negative effects while improving your ability to maintain your desired weight.