A pharmacist is advising patients on what they should do following a new study
A pharmacist has issued an important warning to anyone thinking about discontinuing weight-loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy. The caution follows research involving more than 330,000 patients, which discovered that the heart-protective benefits of these medications can start to diminish within months of stopping treatment.
The study, published in BMJ Medicine and featured by ScienceDaily this week, revealed that people who remained on the medicines experienced an 18 per cent reduced risk of heart attack, stroke or death. In contrast, those who discontinued them for two years lost nearly all of that protection, ultimately facing a risk up to 22 per cent higher than those who continued treatment. Even a six-month interruption before resuming left the risk elevated by four to eight per cent, reports the Mirror.
A summary of the study reads: “A large study suggests the cardiovascular benefits of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound can disappear surprisingly quickly when treatment stops. After two years off the medications, patients had a 22% higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and death compared with those who stayed on them.”
Palvinder Deol, superintendent pharmacist at Happy Pharmacy, a UK online pharmacy, described the findings as encouraging news for those using the injections, albeit with one significant caveat. He said: “This study is really a reminder of how much these medicines do beyond the number on the scales.”
“Blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation all improve, and that is what protects the heart. The catch is that those benefits fade when treatment stops, and they fade long before the weight comes back, so you cannot see it happening.
“Nobody has to stay on a jab forever. Plenty of our patients reach their target and come off it well. The difference is that they do it as a plan with their pharmacist or prescriber, rather than letting the pen run out and hoping for the best.”
The British Heart Foundation says: “The weight-loss injection Mounjaro (tirzepatide) leads to greater weight loss than Wegovy (semaglutide)… Both medicines are used in NHS specialist weight-loss clinics in combination with diet and exercise to aid weight loss.”
What does the research from the study show?
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis tracked 333,687 US military veterans with type 2 diabetes over three years. Of these, 132,551 had been prescribed GLP-1 medications, including semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), while 201,136 were taking sulfonylureas, an older class of diabetes medications.
Participants who remained on the GLP-1 medication for the entire three years had an 18 per cent reduced risk of a major cardiovascular event compared to the control group. This equated to roughly four fewer heart attacks, strokes, or deaths per 100 people.
Those who discontinued for a year without resuming had a 14 per cent increased risk compared to people who continued, climbing to 22 per cent after two years off. Anyone who stopped before 18 months demonstrated no meaningful cardiac advantage over the older tablets by the study’s conclusion.
Restarting proved beneficial, recovering some of the protection, though not completely. Senior author Dr Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at WashU Medicine, said: “There is enormous exuberance about starting GLP-1 drugs, but not nearly enough attention to what happens when people stop. Many quit after a few months because of cost, side effects or shortages.
“When they stop, it’s not just weight that comes back; they experience a resurgence in inflammation, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Weight regain is visible; the metabolic reversal is not.”
If you have any questions or concerns, speak to your GP. Never stop taking prescribed medication without speaking to a doctor first.
How does this affect people in the UK?
Approximately 1.6 million adults across the UK have used weight-loss medications over the past year, according to University College London (UCL) research. The UCL study, published in BMC Medicine, revealed that usage was twice as prevalent among women as among men, with middle-aged adults representing the largest user group.
According to the latest stats, Glasgow is the UK city where people use weight-loss shots most. About 30% of people in Glasgow who are actively trying to lose weight say they use GLP-1 medicines such as Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic. Manchester comes in second with 28%, Belfast is third with 26%, and Liverpool is fourth with 25%.
This week’s new research examined people living with type 2 diabetes, meaning the precise findings may not directly translate to those using the injections solely for weight management. However, the medications are identical, and Mr Deol emphasised the core message remains unchanged: discontinuing treatment represents a phase of therapy, not its conclusion.
He said: “The medicine takes four to five weeks to clear, so nothing changes overnight. Appetite usually starts creeping back around week three or four, and by then our patients already have their eating, activity and follow-up plan in place.
“If cost is the reason someone is thinking of stopping, tell your pharmacist. There are usually better options than stretching out doses, and this research shows why even a few months off matters. And if you have type 2 diabetes or take other medicines for blood sugar, never stop without medical advice, because your levels can rise quickly.”
Mr Deol’s message for the vast number of people currently on the injections was an encouraging one: “You are doing more for your heart than you can see. Keep it that way by making the decision to stop a planned one, with the same care that went into starting.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.dailyrecord.co.uk
