--- title: "Scientists Just Found Something Rather Grim That Happens When You Stop Taking GLP-1s" description: "The health benefits that GLP-1s provide quickly vanish when you stop taking them —and resuming treatment may not get all those benefits back." date: "2026-03-22" modified: "2026-03-22" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/scientists-what-happens-stop-taking-glp1s" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Treatments" --- # Scientists Just Found Something Rather Grim That Happens When You Stop Taking GLP-1s ![Hands holding a blue injection pen with the cap removed, showing the dosage window set to 0.4 mg. The person is wearing a light pink long-sleeve shirt, and the background features a red circle with a grid pattern overlay.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images* Much has been said about how [GLP-1s]() are "miracle" drugs, providing myriad health benefits beyond weight loss or treating diabetes, lowering the risk of everything from [heart disease]() to [cognitive disorders](). They even show [promise as a treatment for addiction](). But new research exploring [what happens when you stop taking them]() paints a grim picture of how quickly these benefits can rebound, raising urgent questions as many patients end up quitting the drugs due to their costs, availability, and side effects. In the [study](), published in the journal *BMJ Medicine*, researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine tracked the health records of over 333,000 adults with diabetes over three years, roughly a third of whom took the GLP-1 drug Ozempic, the active ingredient of which is semaglutide. The good news: they found that the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients who consistently took GLP-1s over three years fell by 18 percent, backing up a wealth of research demonstrating its health benefits beyond simply losing weight. And now for the bad: quitting GLP-s for as short a period as six months, the study found, spiked their risk of a major cardiovascular event by as much as 8 percent. And those who stopped taking them for one or two years saw their risk shoot up by 22 percent, wiping out the protection the drug offered. Study author Ziyad Al-Aly, a WashU Medicine epidemiologist, described the effect as a "metabolic whiplash." "It takes years to build cardiovascular protection, and takes half as much as much to undo that," he [told *CNBC* in an interview](). The most obvious effect for many people who stop taking GLP-1 drugs is [weight regain](), as an appetite that once subsided comes roaring back with intensity. But Al-Aly said in a [statement]() that there's also a "resurgence in inflammation, blood pressure, and cholesterol." Adding to the concern, Al-Aly said that the findings showed interruptions to treatment leave a "lasting scar," because patients don't regain all of the drug's protection. This is particularly worrying with GLP-1s, as many either quit or intermittently stop taking them. During the study period, 26 percent of the GLP-1 users stopped taking the drug, and 23 percent had an interruption of six months or longer before resuming treatment. GLP-1s can have gruelling side effects like nausea, affecting some 50 percent of patients who start the medication, according to one [survey](). Less common, but still notable, are vomiting and diarrhea. The drugs can also be pricy, with or without insurance. On top of that, rabid demand and lagging manufacturing has led to frequent shortages. Keeping patients on these drugs "shouldn't be an afterthought," Al-Aly said. "People need to realize that there's a price of stopping." **More on GLP-1s:** [*Novo Nordisk Furious at $49 Knockoff Ozempic Pill*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()