What is the Origin of Semaglutide Cessation?

This clinical observation emerged from the extension phases of major randomized controlled trials, such as the STEP 1 trial, which followed participants for a period after the active medication was withdrawn. The data revealed that patients typically regained a significant portion of their lost weight within one year of stopping the drug. This established the concept of weight rebound as an expected physiological response to discontinuing a potent appetite-regulating agent.

What is the Mechanism of Semaglutide Cessation?

The weight regain mechanism is largely driven by the immediate reversal of the drug's primary pharmacological effects. Semaglutide mimics the gut hormone GLP-1, which suppresses appetite via central nervous system pathways and slows gastric emptying to enhance satiety. Upon cessation, the natural hunger signals return, often with increased intensity, and gastric emptying normalizes. This is compounded by underlying metabolic adaptations to weight loss, such as reduced energy expenditure, which collectively drive a powerful physiological imperative for the body to regain lost weight.

Semaglutide Cessation

Meaning

Semaglutide cessation refers to the discontinuation of treatment with the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide, a medication primarily used for managing type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management. The clinical reality following cessation is a high probability of weight regain and the reversal of many cardiometabolic benefits achieved during therapy. This outcome reinforces the medical understanding of obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease requiring long-term management.