EN
Home/United Kingdom/Blog/What happens when you stop Mounjaro or Wegovy?
UKUnited Kingdom Medicines

What happens when you stop Mounjaro or Wegovy?

Weight regain, the NHS stopping points, tapering, and short breaks: tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Wegovy) in the UK.

GLP Guidebook teamPublished 12 Oct 202611 min read24 sourcesWritten from published sources

Written for the UK. Reading from India? India version

The short answer

Weight, blood sugar and blood pressure usually drift back up. In one tirzepatide (Mounjaro) trial, people switched to a dummy injection regained about half their lost weight within a year. The UK labels describe no withdrawal reaction and no taper plan. NICE limits NHS Wegovy to 2 years.

Key takeaways

  • Weight usually comes back after stopping: in SURMOUNT-4, people switched from tirzepatide 10–15 mg to a dummy injection gained back 14% of their body weight in a year.1
  • The UK Wegovy label reports the STEP 1 extension, where weight ended 5.6% below the start a year after stopping semaglutide 2.4 mg, against 0.1% for placebo.2
  • NICE recommends NHS Wegovy for a maximum of 2 years and sets review points at 6 months for both Wegovy and Mounjaro, based on losing at least 5% of starting weight.3,4
  • The UK labels for Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro give no taper schedule, and only Wegovy’s says to consider a lower restart dose after several missed doses.2,5,6
  • Stomach side effects were 2 to 5 times less common after switching to a dummy, in SURMOUNT-4: 3 in 100 who switched to a dummy injection felt sick, against 8 in 100 who kept taking tirzepatide.1
On this page
  1. How much weight comes back after stopping?
  2. When does the NHS stop a weight-loss jab?
  3. What happens to your body when you stop?
  4. Is there a withdrawal, or a need to taper?
  5. What about a short break, such as a holiday?
  6. What helps keep weight off after stopping?
  7. Questions people ask
  8. How we researched this

How much weight comes back after stopping Mounjaro or Wegovy?

In the trials, about half to two-thirds of the lost weight came back within a year. On average, people stayed somewhat below where they started.1,7

Before you go further
  • GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in the UK. On the NHS or privately, a healthcare professional has to assess you before a prescription is issued.8
  • The label facts here come from the UK product information (the SmPC, the official label each maker publishes on the electronic Medicines Compendium). Where we use a US or EU label instead, we say so.
  • NHS stopping points differ by medicine and by nation. Ask whoever prescribes yours which rule applies to you.
  • Every risk of these medicines is in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
  • This post describes labels, guidance and trials. It is not a plan for your treatment, and no dose or brand guarantees any result.

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro). In SURMOUNT‑4, 783 adults without diabetes took tirzepatide for 36 weeks, building up to 10 or 15 mg.6 The 670 still in the trial had lost 20.9% of their weight. Then half switched to a dummy injection (placebo) for a year.1

SURMOUNT-4Tirzepatide 10 or 15 mg, then keep going or stop

The 670 adults still in the trial at 36 weeks. Half then switched to a dummy injection for a year. Eli Lilly paid for the trial.1

Weight lost, compared with the start

Week 36, everyone on tirzepatide20.9%
Week 88, kept taking it25.3%
Week 88, switched to dummy9.9%

After switching, people gained back 14.0% of their body weight in a year.

That is about half the loss back: 9.9% net against 20.9% lost (our arithmetic). The UK Mounjaro label gives the starting weight as 107.0 kg and the weight at the switch as 85.2 kg.6 A 14% gain takes 85 kg to about 97 kg (15 st 4 lb), by our arithmetic.

Results varied a lot. Of 308 people who had lost at least 10% before the switch, 83% regained at least a quarter of their loss. About 1 in 6 regained less than a quarter.9

Semaglutide (Wegovy). The STEP 1 extension followed 327 people for a year after they stopped semaglutide 2.4 mg or a dummy injection. The UK Wegovy label reports the result: weight stayed 5.6% below the start, against 0.1% for the dummy group.2 The trial authors call that two-thirds of the loss regained.7

The paper reports a 17.3% loss, then an 11.6-point regain.7 For a 90 kg (14 st 2 lb) person, that is roughly 16 kg (2 st 7 lb) lost, then about 10 kg (1 st 8 lb) back, by our arithmetic.

How fast? A 2026 BMJ review by Oxford researchers pooled 37 studies of 9,341 people. After semaglutide or tirzepatide, weight came back at about 0.8 kg a month.10 It projected a return to starting weight about 1.5 years after stopping. No study of these two medicines followed people for longer than a year, so that is an estimate.10

When does the NHS stop a weight-loss jab?

NICE sets review points, not a set end date for everyone. Wegovy on the NHS has a 2-year limit; Mounjaro has none in NICE's guidance.3,4

  • Wegovy (semaglutide). NICE recommends it for "a maximum of 2 years", within a specialist weight management service. It says to consider stopping if less than 5% of the starting weight is lost after 6 months.3
  • Mounjaro (tirzepatide). If less than 5% is lost after 6 months on the highest dose you can tolerate, NICE says to decide whether to continue. That decision weighs the benefits and risks for the person.4 NICE sets no maximum length.4
  • Saxenda and other liraglutide. NICE's obesity guideline says stop after 12 weeks on the 3.0 mg daily dose if at least 5% has not been lost.11

For a 90 kg person, 5% is 4.5 kg (about 10 lb). The UK labels carry the same 5% check: after 6 months for Wegovy, and 6 months after reaching the highest tolerated dose for Mounjaro.2,6 More on how this works is in the NICE 5% rule.

NICE's obesity guideline also says to offer support to help keep weight off for people stopping weight medicines.11 In the tirzepatide appraisal, a patient expert said some people turn down semaglutide because it must stop after 2 years. Their worry was regaining weight, and the psychological impact of that.12

What happens to your body when you stop?

Stomach side effects become less common. Blood sugar and blood pressure drift back up, roughly in step with the weight that returns.1,9,13

The medicine leaves slowly. The UK Wegovy label says semaglutide 2.4 mg stays in the blood for about 7 weeks after the last dose.2 For Ozempic's diabetes doses it says about 5 weeks.5 Tirzepatide's half-life (the time for half of it to leave the blood) is about 5 days.6

Side effect after the switchSTEP 4: kept Wegovy 2.4 mgSTEP 4: switched to dummySURMOUNT-4: kept tirzepatideSURMOUNT-4: switched to dummy
Feeling sick (nausea)14%5%8%3%
Vomiting10%3%6%1%
Diarrhoea14%7%11%5%

New events after the switch, rounded. STEP 4: semaglutide 2.4 mg, 48 weeks after a 20-week start, 803 people.13 SURMOUNT-4: tirzepatide 10 or 15 mg, 52 weeks after a 36-week start, 670 people.1 Both trials excluded people with diabetes.

Blood pressure. In the STEP 1 extension, the top (systolic) reading averaged 129 at the start, 121 on semaglutide, and 131 a year after stopping.7 The dummy group also ended above its start, so not all of the rise came from stopping.7 In SURMOUNT-4, among people who stopped, it rose 7 to 10 points, depending on how much weight came back.9

Blood sugar. HbA1c is a blood test of your average sugar over about 3 months. In the STEP 1 extension it went from 5.7% at the start to 5.2% on semaglutide, then back to 5.6%.7 With type 2 diabetes, a 2025 review found HbA1c rose 0.65 points after stopping. That came from 4 small trials of 219 people on older medicines, not Ozempic or Mounjaro.14

If you have diabetes, stopping changes your sugar plan. NICE says to stop a GLP‑1 or tirzepatide for diabetes if it isn’t helping you reach your sugar target and isn’t being taken for the heart.15 Any change goes through your diabetes team. The type 2 diabetes path covers HbA1c and other medicines.

Is there a withdrawal, or a need to taper?

The UK labels for Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro describe no withdrawal reaction and no taper plan. In the big stopping trials, people stopped all at once.1,2,5,6,13

We searched each UK label for withdrawal, tapering and stopping, and found neither a withdrawal reaction nor a step-down schedule.2,5,6 The WHO's December 2025 guideline found the evidence on stopping "insufficient to inform a clear recommendation".16

A lower dose of tirzepatide. SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN followed 378 US adults who had lost weight on tirzepatide 10 or 15 mg. For a year they took their full dose, 5 mg, or a dummy injection.17 By 112 weeks they were 21.9%, 16.6% and 9.9% below their starting weight. Eli Lilly paid for the trial.17

Free toolQuestions to ask before you stop

Builds a printable question list for your GP, nurse or pharmacist. No sign-up.

Open the question list

What about a short break, such as a holiday?

The UK labels cover missed doses, not planned breaks. After several missed Wegovy doses, the label says to consider restarting at a lower dose.2

  • Wegovy and Ozempic: take a missed dose within 5 days. After 5 days, skip it and take the next one on the usual day.2,5 For Wegovy, if more doses are missed, "reducing the starting dose for re-initiation should be considered".2
  • Mounjaro: take a missed dose within 4 days. After 4 days, skip it.6 We found no long-gap restart rule on the UK Mounjaro label.6
  • Saxenda: a daily dose missed by more than 12 hours is skipped, not doubled.18

A 2026 article for UK pharmacists says any pause and restart "should be planned". It warns that going straight back to the old dose after a break "may also bring back stronger side effects".19 The MHRA says to talk to a healthcare professional before switching between GLP‑1 medicines or brands.8

Carrying pens abroad is covered in travelling with weight-loss pens. Fasting breaks are in Ramadan on Mounjaro or Wegovy.

What helps keep weight off after stopping?

Staying on the medicine kept weight off best in trials, with its side effects and cost. Evidence for exercise after stopping comes from one small trial of an older medicine.1,13,20

Exercise. A Danish trial gave a year of supervised exercise, liraglutide 3 mg, both, or neither, then everything stopped.20 Over the next year, liraglutide alone was followed by 2.5 kg more regain than liraglutide plus exercise, a gap too small to rule out chance.20 Only 109 people came back for that follow-up.20

Support. NICE says people stopping weight medicines should be offered support to keep weight off.11 WHO pairs long-term GLP‑1 treatment with intensive behavioural therapy, structured help with eating and habits.16

Staying on it. Those who kept taking the medicine kept losing weight, but had more stomach effects, as the table shows.1,13 The BMJ review found regain was faster after medicines than after diet programmes, by 0.3 kg a month.10 Switching from private to NHS Mounjaro covers the NHS route if cost is the reason for stopping.

RisksThe risks, in brief
  • Stomach effects (feeling sick, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation) are very common, more than 1 in 10 people, on the UK Wegovy and Mounjaro labels.2,6
  • Pancreatitis is uncommon (1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000) on the UK Wegovy and Mounjaro labels. The MHRA warning sign is severe stomach pain that won’t go away and may spread to the back.2,6,21
  • Gallstones are common (1 in 10 to 1 in 100) on the UK Wegovy label and in Mounjaro’s weight trials.2,6
  • Dehydration from vomiting or diarrhoea can harm the kidneys, the UK labels warn.5,6
  • Not in pregnancy. The UK labels say stop semaglutide at least 2 months, and tirzepatide at least 1 month, before a planned pregnancy.2,6
Full detail in Guide 5: Side effects and risks →
Get help now: call 999 for a life-threatening emergency.22 Call for severe stomach pain that won’t go away, especially if it spreads to your back. The MHRA lists it as a warning sign of pancreatitis.21 Semaglutide stays in the blood for weeks after the last dose,2 so in our reading this sign still matters after stopping. For urgent advice that is not an emergency, use NHS 111 in England, Scotland and Wales, online or by phone.23 Northern Ireland has no 111 service: call your GP practice or the GP out-of-hours service.24

Questions people ask

Will I put all the weight back on after stopping Mounjaro?

Not always all of it. In SURMOUNT-4, people who stopped tirzepatide regained about half their loss in a year and ended 9.9% below their start.1 About 1 in 6 regained less than a quarter.9

Can I stop Mounjaro or Wegovy suddenly?

In the trials, people stopped all at once, and the UK labels give no taper plan.1,2,6,13 If you have diabetes, stopping can raise your blood sugar, so any change goes through your diabetes team.15

How long does Wegovy stay in your body after stopping?

About 7 weeks after a 2.4 mg dose, says the UK Wegovy label. For Ozempic’s diabetes doses it is about 5 weeks.2,5

Does the NHS stop Wegovy after 2 years?

NICE recommends NHS Wegovy for a maximum of 2 years, within a specialist weight management service. Its Mounjaro guidance sets no maximum length.3,4

Can I take a break from Mounjaro for a holiday?

The UK label covers missed doses: take one within 4 days, otherwise skip it.6 It gives no rule for planned breaks. A UK pharmacy article says any pause and restart should be planned with your prescriber.19

Shorter answers: Can I get Mounjaro on the NHS?

How we researched this

On 12 Oct 2026 we read the UK labels (SmPCs) for Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro and Saxenda on the electronic Medicines Compendium. We searched each for withdrawal, tapering, stopping and missed doses. We read NICE TA875, TA1026 and NG246 for the NHS stopping points.

Trial figures come from the published papers, cross-checked against the UK labels where they report the same trial. Trial money came mostly from the makers: Novo Nordisk for STEP, Eli Lilly for SURMOUNT.1,7 We left out claims that a slow taper prevents regain, because we found no trial showing it.

Before you move on

  • About half to two-thirds of the lost weight came back within a year in the trials.
  • NICE limits NHS Wegovy to 2 years and reviews both medicines at 6 months.
  • The UK labels give no taper plan; Wegovy’s suggests a lower restart dose after several missed doses.
  • With diabetes, stopping changes your sugar plan.
Side effects and risksI'm already on itDoctor questions tool

More from the UK blog

UKUnited KingdomThe NICE 5% rule: when the NHS stops your jab UKUnited KingdomSwitching from private to NHS Mounjaro UKUnited KingdomMounjaro side effects, and reporting them
About GLP Guidebook

The monthly UK update

An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don't sell medicines, take drug-company money or earn clinic commissions. Once a month: NHS access changes, approvals, safety notices and recalls. How we write

Was this post easy to understand?

Sources

  1. Aronne LJ, Sattar N, Horn DB et al. Continued treatment with tirzepatide for maintenance of weight reduction in adults with obesity: the SURMOUNT-4 randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2024;331(1):38–48. Funded by Eli Lilly. DOI · PMC10714284
  2. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy FlexTouch (semaglutide) pens: UK summary of product characteristics (SmPC), date of revision 09/2026. Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.8, 5.1, 5.2, 6.3, 6.4. emc
  3. NICE. Semaglutide for managing overweight and obesity (TA875), recommendations 1.1 and 1.2. Published 8 March 2023, last updated 4 September 2023. nice.org.uk
  4. NICE. Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity (TA1026), recommendations 1.1 and 1.2. Published 23 December 2024, last updated 1 September 2025. nice.org.uk
  5. Novo Nordisk. Ozempic (semaglutide) pens: UK SmPC, date of revision 07/2026. Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.6, 4.8, 5.1, 5.2. emc
  6. Eli Lilly. Mounjaro KwikPen (tirzepatide): UK summary of product characteristics (SmPC, the UK label), date of revision 29 August 2026. Sections 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.8, 5.2, 6.4. emc
  7. Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Davies M et al. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: the STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obes Metab 2022;24(8):1553–64. Funded by Novo Nordisk. DOI · PMC9542252
  8. MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency). GLP‑1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know. First published 5 June 2025, updated 5 February 2026. gov.uk
  9. Horn DB, Linetzky B, Davies MJ et al. Cardiometabolic parameter change by weight regain on tirzepatide withdrawal in adults with obesity: a post hoc analysis of the SURMOUNT-4 trial. JAMA Intern Med 2026;186(2):157–67. DOI · PMC12645400
  10. West S, Scragg J, Aveyard P et al. Weight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2026;392:e085304. University of Oxford authors. DOI · PMC12776922
  11. NICE. Overweight and obesity management (NG246), section 1.17 (medicines: table 1 and recommendation 1.17.5). Published 14 January 2025, last updated 8 January 2026. nice.org.uk
  12. NICE. Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity (TA1026), section 3: committee discussion (patient expert on stopping semaglutide after 2 years). nice.org.uk
  13. Rubino D, Abrahamsson N, Davies M et al. Effect of continued weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs placebo on weight loss maintenance in adults with overweight or obesity: the STEP 4 randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2021;325(14):1414–25. Funded by Novo Nordisk. DOI · PMC7988425
  14. Tzang CC, Wu PH, Luo CA et al. Metabolic rebound after GLP‑1 receptor agonist discontinuation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. eClinicalMedicine 2025;90:103680. No funding (paper’s own declaration). Table 2. DOI · PMC12702299
  15. NICE. Type 2 diabetes in adults: management (NG28). Published 2 December 2015, last updated 18 February 2026. Recommendations 1.5.7 and 1.13 to 1.29. Blood glucose management · Initial medicines · Further medication · Reviewing medicines · Terms
  16. World Health Organization. WHO guideline on the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP‑1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults, version 1.0, 1 December 2025. PDF
  17. Horn DB, Aronne LJ, Wharton S et al. Tirzepatide for maintenance of bodyweight reduction in people with obesity in the USA (SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2026;407:2305–18. Funded by Eli Lilly. DOI · PMID 42119587
  18. Novo Nordisk. Saxenda (liraglutide) 6 mg/ml pen: UK SmPC, date of revision 11/2025. Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.6, 4.8, 5.1, 5.2, 6.3, 6.4. emc
  19. Carvalho A. Fasting and weight-loss medications: what to advise your patients. The Pharmacist, 29 July 2026 (a trade journal for pharmacists; the author is an NHS Lothian dietitian and declares GLP‑1 trial work). thepharmacist.co.uk
  20. Jensen SBK, Blond MB, Sandsdal RM 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. Funded by Helsefonden and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. DOI · PMC10965408
  21. MHRA. Drug Safety Update: GLP‑1 receptor agonists and dual GLP‑1/GIP receptor agonists: strengthened warnings on acute pancreatitis, including necrotising and fatal cases. Volume 19, issue 6, 29 January 2026. gov.uk
  22. NHS. When to call 999. Page last reviewed 3 February 2023. nhs.uk
  23. NHS. When to use NHS 111 online or call 111. Opened 12 October 2026. nhs.uk
  24. nidirect (Northern Ireland government). GP out of hours service. Opened 12 October 2026. nidirect.gov.uk

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Apr 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, nurse or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write