Weight Regain Observed In Patients After Ending Obesity Drug Treatment

Patients prescribed narcotics to thief them suffer weight whitethorn acquisition a rebound successful weight summation aft halting their prescription, finds a meta-analysis published in BMC Medicine. The study, which analyses information for patients receiving weight nonaccomplishment narcotics crossed 11 randomised trials, suggests that while nan magnitude of weight regain varies depending connected nan circumstantial drug, location is simply a wide inclination successful associated weight regain aft nan people of medicine concluded.

Six anti-obesity medications (AOMs) person been approved by nan US FDA for usage successful assisting pinch weight loss, including orlistat, phentermine-topiramate, and semaglutide. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) - a therapeutic developed to assistance pinch glucosuria - has besides progressively been prescribed to thief patients suffer weight. However, caller studies person suggested that patients prescribed AOMs whitethorn regain weight successful nan months aft stopping taking these medications.

Xiaoling Cai, Linong Ji, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 11 studies from astir nan world investigating weight alteration successful patients aft they stopped taking AOMs. Overall, nan authors analysed information from 1,574 participants successful curen groups and 893 successful power groups. Weight alteration was measured by changes successful assemblage weight and BMI aft stopping medication. Of nan 11 studies included successful nan meta-analysis: six focused connected GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs); 1 focused connected GLP-1 and GLP dual Ras; 1 study focused connected orlistat; 2 studies connected phentermine-topiramate; and 1 study connected naltexone-bupriopion.

The authors controlled for different contributing factors, including medicine type, nan beingness of diabetes, and nan beingness aliases absence of manner changes for illustration fare aliases exercise. Their study recovered that AOMs were associated pinch important weight nonaccomplishment while being used, followed by weight regain starting 8 weeks aft AOM discontinuation, pinch weight regain past continuing for an mean of 20 weeks earlier plateauing. Weight regain varied pinch follow-up, pinch study participants experiencing important periods of weight regain astatine eight, 12, and 20 weeks aft AOM discontinuation. The magnitude of weight regained depended connected respective factors, including nan type of medicine taken by participants and nan consistency of their manner change. For example, participants who completed a 36-week curen of tirzepatide, a commercially disposable GLP-1 RA, regained almost half nan weight antecedently mislaid aft switching to a placebo. 

The authors statement nan meta-analysis did not see studies of manner interventions and bariatric surgery, reducing nan grade to which different weight nonaccomplishment approaches could beryllium compared wrong nan discourse of nan study. They besides statement that weight regain has been reported pinch different weight nonaccomplishment methods, specified arsenic gastric bypass and vertical banded gastroplasty.