What happens when weight-loss jabs are stopped? Two UK women describe the rollercoaster

Weight-loss injections that mimic the hunger-regulating hormone GLP-1 have helped many people slim down, but the question of what happens when people stop taking them is still unfolding. In the United Kingdom, an estimated 1.5 million people are paying privately for GLP-1 therapies, raising questions about long-term access and ongoing support. Two women describe very different experiences with stopping the injections, both pursuing the same goal: keep the weight off.

Tanya Hall, a 39-year-old sales manager for a large fitness company, began Wegovy to prove a point about her perceived legitimacy in an industry built on appearance. Early on she experienced hair loss, sleep disruption, nausea and headaches, but she still saw meaningful weight loss. She recalls: "It's like something opened up in my mind and said: 'Eat everything, go on, you deserve it because you haven't eaten anything for so long'." Within months she had shed about three and a half stone. Now, more than 18 months on, she has lost about six stone (38kg).

Tanya has tried to stop Wegovy several times. Each attempt has been followed by an immediate, powerful urge to eat, and she has feared the rapid rebound. "For the first 38 years of my life, I was overweight - now I'm six stone (38kg) lighter," she says. Yet the impulse to resume the medication has grown stronger with each failed taper. She underscores the emotional pull: the fear of returning to old habits and the sense of losing control when the medication is withdrawn.

Wegovy’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, says treatment decisions should be made with a healthcare provider and that side effects should be weighed in the context of ongoing care. Health professionals who see patients stopping GLP-1s describe the moment of withdrawal as potentially destabilizing. Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, a lifestyle medicine GP, compares stopping to "jumping off a cliff" and notes that many patients experience hunger and cravings that resume the moment the drug is paused. He says the evidence to date suggests that weight regain occurs in a substantial share of people within one to three years after stopping, estimating that 60% to 80% of the weight lost may return.

Ellen Ogley, 41, took a different path. Facing a life-threatening risk from obesity and having reached a turning point, she started on Mounjaro after weighing the options with her clinicians. She describes the medication as a key to changing her relationship with food: "I was an emotional binge eater. If I was happy, I would binge. If I was sad, I was bingeing. It didn’t really matter, I had no filter whatsoever." The drug helped quiet those impulses. She was on it for 16 weeks before beginning a taper over six weeks and lost 3st 7lb (22kg).

As weight dropped, Ellen found she could exercise more and, when feeling low, she chose a run over raiding the cupboards. But stopping the injections brought new challenges. She says weight began to creep back after the taper and stopping, a cycle that tangled with how she saw herself. Still, she has continued to pursue healthful changes and, in total, has shed more than eight stone (51kg).

The United Kingdom’s medicines watchdog, Nice, has recommended that patients receive at least a year of ongoing advice and tailored action plans after stopping treatment, to help them maintain weight loss and stay healthy. This post-treatment support, however, is not always guaranteed for those paying privately outside the NHS.

The long-term question remains whether GLP-1 therapies should be continued indefinitely for some patients or whether a structured exit strategy can help sustain gains without the drugs. Dr Al-Zubaidi notes that a successful transition requires more than a taper; it requires changes to lifestyle, environment and access to support services. "The environment that people live in needs to be one that promotes health, not weight gain," he says. "Obesity is not a GLP-1 deficiency."

Tanya has chosen to remain on the medication, aware of the benefits and the side effects, including ongoing concerns about long-term health and quality of life. Ellen, by contrast, emphasizes the potential for life after GLP-1s to be sustainable with proper supports. She remains committed to nutrition education and regular physical activity as part of her ongoing care.

Both women highlight the complex trade-offs involved in long-term weight management. For those who fund their therapy privately, the lack of universal access to comprehensive post-treatment support can leave individuals navigating a difficult transition alone. The shared takeaway from their experiences is that stopping GLP-1s is not simply a medical decision but a life-management one, underscored by emotional, social and environmental factors.

As doctors, patients and policymakers weigh the future of weight-loss medications, the core message is clear: any decision to stop should be accompanied by a concrete exit plan, robust ongoing support, and strategies to reshape the environment around weight and health. In the meantime, the range of patient experiences continues to widen, underscoring the need for clear guidance on who might benefit from extended therapy and how best to support those who choose to step away from the injections.