What happens when you stop Mounjaro or Wegovy, and how do you keep the weight off?
Weight regain in the trials, why it happens, exercise and lower doses, what UAE rules say about stopping, and how to stop safely.
Written for the United Arab Emirates. Other country versions are coming.
Most people regain much of the weight. A year after stopping semaglutide (Wegovy) in its main trial, about two-thirds of the loss had come back. Exercise helps a little, and a lower Mounjaro dose kept most of the loss in one trial. Plan any stop with your doctor, especially if you have diabetes.
Key takeaways
- In the STEP 1 extension, people lost 17.3% of their weight on Wegovy, then regained about two-thirds of it in the year after stopping.1
- A 2026 BMJ review of 37 studies found weight came back at about 0.8 kg a month after stopping semaglutide or tirzepatide.2
- Abu Dhabi's obesity standard says GLP-1 treatment should continue past 6 months only if at least 5% of starting weight has been lost.3
- The same standard tells doctors that people who have lost weight may need 60 to 90 minutes of activity a day to avoid regaining it.3
- Thiqa's obesity policy keeps covering a maintenance dose even if a patient's BMI falls to 24.9 or below.4
On this page
What happens to your weight when you stop?
Most people regain much of it within a year, though on average not all of it. In the STEP 1 extension, two-thirds of the weight lost on Wegovy came back.1
- GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in the UAE. They should only be used under medical supervision, with a prescription from a doctor licensed in the UAE.5
- Label facts here come from the EU label (EMA), the UK label or the US label (FDA), named each time. We could not find the UAE pack leaflets online, so check the leaflet in your own pack.
- Every risk of these medicines is in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
- This post describes labels, rules and trials. It is not a plan for your treatment, and no dose or brand guarantees any result.
| Trial | Weight lost on the medicine | A year after stopping or switching |
|---|---|---|
| STEP 1 extensionsemaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy), 327 people | −17.3% after 68 weeks1 | −5.6% below the start: about two-thirds of the loss came back1 |
| SURMOUNT-4tirzepatide (Mounjaro), switched to a dummy injection | −20.9% after 36 weeks6 | −9.9% below the start; those who stayed on it lost a further 5.5%6 |
Averages from the trial papers. Lilly funded SURMOUNT-4; Novo Nordisk funded STEP 1.
For a 90 kg (198 lb) person in STEP 1, that means losing about 16 kg, then regaining about 10 kg. About half the group (48%) were still at least 5% lighter than at the start.1
A 2026 BMJ review pooled 37 studies and 9,341 people. Weight came back at about 0.8 kg a month after semaglutide or tirzepatide, reaching the starting weight in about 1.5 years on its projection.2
Why does the weight come back?
The medicine was holding your appetite down. When it wears off, hunger returns. Experts now treat obesity as a long-term condition.7,1
The WHO calls obesity “a chronic, relapsing disease requiring lifelong care”.7 The BMJ review found weight returned faster after medicines than after diet programmes.2 Regain is not a personal failure.
In Khaleej Times in 2025, the founder of a UAE telehealth company described tapering the medicine while adding coaching, to soften the return of hunger.9 That approach has not been tested in a trial.
What helps keep the weight off?
Exercise, kept up after the medicine stops, and support with eating habits. Nothing tested so far fully replaces the medicine.10,7
- Exercise. In a Danish trial, people who exercised alongside liraglutide regained about 2.5 kg less after stopping than those on the medicine alone. The gap was small enough to be chance; 109 people were followed.10
- More activity than you think. Abu Dhabi’s standard tells doctors that people who have lost weight may need 60 to 90 minutes of activity a day to keep it off.3
- Support with eating. The WHO’s 2025 guideline advises structured behavioural support alongside GLP‑1 medicines.7
- Protect muscle. Strength training and enough protein; see Mounjaro, muscle and protein.
In the UAE, heat is part of the plan. Abu Dhabi’s standard lists high outdoor temperatures among the things that limit activity here.3
Guide 9: weight regain, blood sugar, lower doses and the long-term cost in dirhams.
Can you take a lower dose instead of stopping?
For Mounjaro, one trial says a 5 mg dose kept most of the weight off. For semaglutide, the WHO says long-term evidence on maintenance and stopping is limited.11,7
In SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN, 378 adults who had lost weight on Mounjaro 10 or 15 mg were split for a year. Half or more of the loss came back in 8 in 100 people on the full dose. On 5 mg it was 25 in 100, and on a dummy injection 67 in 100.11 Lilly funded it.11
Staying on also means staying with the side effects and the cost. Thiqa’s policy keeps covering a maintenance dose even when BMI falls to 24.9 or below.4
What do UAE rules say about stopping?
Abu Dhabi’s obesity standard sets a 6-month check: continue only with at least 5% of starting weight lost. It also tells doctors that maintenance usually starts after 6 to 9 months.3
- Thiqa programme. Patients who keep missing the weight and activity targets are treated as having opted out. They can re-enrol, but start from the beginning.4
- Diabetes cover. Daman reviews GLP‑1s for diabetes after 12 months, and continues only with a fall in HbA1c of at least 1 point or better related conditions.8
The details are in Abu Dhabi’s rules and Thiqa’s obesity programme.
How do you stop safely?
With your doctor, and with a plan for the months after. Weight, blood sugar and blood pressure need watching.1
If you have type 2 diabetes, stopping can raise your blood sugar. A review found HbA1c rose by 0.65 points on average after people with type 2 diabetes stopped GLP‑1 medicines in trials.12 Your doctor may need to change another diabetes medicine.
Planning a pregnancy is a common reason to stop. The EU Wegovy label says stop at least 2 months before trying.13 The guide Stopping a GLP‑1 covers every reason, and the long-term cost.
- Staying on means living with common stomach effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation.14,13
- Pancreatitis and gallbladder problems are uncommon (1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000) on the EU Mounjaro label.14
- Stopping brings back weight, and with it blood sugar and blood pressure tend to rise again.1,12
- Restarting after a gap: the EU Wegovy label says to consider a lower starting dose if several doses were missed.13
Questions people ask
Will I regain weight after stopping Mounjaro?
Most people regain much of it. In SURMOUNT-4, people switched to a dummy injection ended a year later 9.9% below their starting weight, after losing 20.9%.6
How fast does weight come back after Ozempic or Wegovy?
A 2026 BMJ review found about 0.8 kg a month after stopping semaglutide or tirzepatide.2
Can I stop Mounjaro suddenly?
Talk to your doctor first. If you have diabetes, blood sugar may rise; a review found HbA1c up 0.65 points on average after people with type 2 diabetes stopped GLP-1s in trials.12
Does Thiqa keep paying once I reach a healthy weight?
Yes, for a maintenance dose, while you stay in the programme and meet its conditions. The policy says cover continues even if BMI falls to 24.9 or below.4
What helps most to keep weight off?
Keeping up exercise, plenty of activity and support with eating habits. Abu Dhabi’s standard says 60 to 90 minutes of activity a day may be needed.3,10
How we researched this
On 12 Oct 2026 we read Abu Dhabi's obesity standard, its Thiqa policy, Daman's GLP-1 rules and the EU labels. The trials and reviews (STEP 1 extension, SURMOUNT-4, SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN, the BMJ and diabetes reviews, the Danish exercise trial and the WHO guideline) were already checked for our other GLP Guidebook stopping pages.
The tapering approach in the news report comes from a telehealth company founder, not from a trial; we name no company or clinic.
Before you move on
- Expect much of the weight back within a year of stopping.
- Keep exercising: 60 to 90 minutes of activity a day may be needed.
- A lower Mounjaro dose kept most weight off in one trial.
- Plan any stop with your doctor, especially with diabetes.
More from the UAE blog
The monthly UAE update
An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don't sell medicines, take drug-company money or earn clinic commissions. Once a month: UAE approvals, official price changes, insurance rules and safety alerts. How we write
Sources
- Wilding JPH et al. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: the STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obes Metab 2022;24:1553–64. doi:10.1111/dom.14725 doi.org
- West S et al. Weight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 7 January 2026. doi:10.1136/bmj-2025-085304 doi.org
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard for Non-Surgical Management of Obesity, DOH/ST/HPS/Non-Surgical-MO/V1/2025, published February 2025. Sections 3.3–3.4, 4.1 and Appendix 4. PDF doh.gov.ae
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Thiqa reimbursement policy for obesity medications, DoH/Policy/TRP-OMM/HPS/V1/2025, published and effective 11 June 2025. PDF doh.gov.ae
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 48/2026, 16 March 2026: alert on fake GLP‑1 products. GLP‑1 medicines "are prescription-only medicines and should only be used under medical supervision"; unregistered products are sold online and on social media; reports to the DoH pharmacovigilance team at [email protected]. Summarised, not reproduced, as the circular asks. PDF doh.gov.ae
- Aronne LJ et al. Continued treatment with tirzepatide for maintenance of weight reduction in adults with obesity (SURMOUNT-4). JAMA 2024;331:38–48. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.24945 doi.org
- Celletti F, Farrar J, De Regil L. World Health Organization guideline on the use and indications of GLP‑1 therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults (December 2025). JAMA 2026. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.24288 doi.org
- Daman (National Health Insurance Company). Adjudication guideline: GLP‑1 receptor agonists, version 5, effective 15 January 2023, revised 19 April 2026. PDF damaninsurance.ae
- Khaleej Times. UAE doctors warn of health risks as residents turn to new weight loss drugs. 19 September 2025. khaleejtimes.com
- Jensen SBK et al. Healthy weight loss maintenance with exercise, GLP‑1 receptor agonist, or both combined followed by one year without treatment. eClinicalMedicine 2024;69:102475. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102475 doi.org
- Horn DB et al. Tirzepatide for maintenance of body weight reduction (SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN). Lancet 2026. Funded by Eli Lilly. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00656-2 doi.org
- Tzang CC et al. Metabolic rebound after GLP‑1 receptor agonist discontinuation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. eClinicalMedicine 2025;90:103680. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103680 doi.org
- European Medicines Agency. Wegovy (semaglutide injection and tablets): EU summary of product characteristics and package leaflet, sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.8, 5.1, 6.3, 6.4. PDF ema.europa.eu
- European Medicines Agency. Mounjaro (tirzepatide): EU summary of product characteristics and package leaflet (EU label), sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.8, 5.1, 6.3, 6.4. PDF ema.europa.eu
- Department of Digital Ajman. Handling emergencies: 999 police, 998 ambulance, 997 civil defence; Ministry of Health and Prevention hotline 80011111 for fake or harmful medicines. Checked 12 October 2026. ajman.ae
Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Oct 2027 · Report an error
How this post was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write