Most users of blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Wegovy quit after three months- as users report debilitating symptoms and high costs

A third of people who use successful weight-loss drugs like Wegovy give them up within the first month, and almost 60 percent stop after three months.

This is evident from a new one analysis of weight-loss drug prescriptions for 170,000 obese and overweight adults, written between 2014 and early 2024 by The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Experts expressed concern about the figures, saying a person must take the drugs for at least 12 weeks to achieve “clinically meaningful” weight loss – or lose at least five percent of body weight.

The researchers did not investigate why so many quit early, but this may be due to the wide range of unpleasant side effects that some users report, such as indigestion, nausea and suicidal thoughts, as well as the cost of the drugs or problems filling prescriptions. due to frequent shortages.

The analysis searched databases for prescriptions for Saxenda – or liraglutide – and Wegovy – or semaglutide – written between 2014, when Saxenda first became available, and December 2023, the latest available date.

Researchers noted an explosion in use, with just 5,717 new prescriptions for weight-loss drugs in 2020 compared to 120,763 in 2023 – an increase of 2,000 percent.

The drugs were initially approved for type 2 diabetics, but the FDA has now approved many for weight loss as well — meaning they can be covered by insurance.

Some of the medications are also prescribed off-label for this purpose.

The study did not include prescriptions for tirzepatide – known as Zepbound – because it was only approved for weight loss last November.

It also did not include Ozempic prescriptions because this drug is not approved for weight loss but is used off-label for it.

This graph shows how 30 percent of weight loss drug users quit within a month, while 58 percent quit after three months

The above graph shows how the number of prescriptions for weight-loss drugs in the US has skyrocketed

All prescriptions were for users who had private health insurance, while those on Medicaid or Medicare were excluded. Patients were followed for up to 180 days.

Overall, the patients receiving the prescriptions averaged 45 years old and 79 percent were women.

The analysis found that users under the age of 35 who had received a prescription from a primary care provider were the most likely to quit.

People younger than 35 years old were 41 percent less likely to continue taking the medications than people between 35 and 54 years old. They were also 48 percent less likely to continue taking the medications than those in the 55 to 64 age group.

Researchers also found that patients with three or more comorbidities – such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease – were 14 percent less likely to continue doing so for at least 12 weeks than those without underlying conditions.

Razia Hashmi, vice president of clinical affairs at the association, said: “When patients take medications, we want them to be safe and effective.

‘This study shows that most people are unlikely to see lasting benefits. Unfortunately, weight loss isn’t as easy as filling a prescription.”

There is no specific time frame for how long someone should take the drugs, although in clinical trials obese patients took the drug for 68 weeks.

Medical spa employees say people who use the drug can lose as much as 1 pound per week until they reach their goal weight.

But to maintain their weight, many encourage people to use the drugs in addition to diet and lifestyle changes, such as more exercise and healthy eating.

And separate studies show that many patients who come off the drugs quickly regain all the weight they have lost.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association researchers didn’t say why people might stop taking the drugs, but it could be because of the unpleasant side effects users report.

Clinical studies showed that 43 percent of users of semaglutide – the drug in Wegovy – experienced nausea, while 30 percent experienced diarrhea.

In more worrying cases, patients have also reported losing their hair and experiencing abdominal pain worse than childbirth while taking the drugs, caused by pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas.

At the same time, the drugs are expensive – with a month’s supply of Ozempic costing $936 in the US itself – 1,300 percent more than in countries such as Britain and France, where the prescription costs up to $93.

Most major insurance companies cover Wegovy weight loss prescriptions, but patients may still have to foot the bill for copays.

Weight loss medications have also been repeatedly hit by shortages — with the FDA database currently showing that three out of five Wegovy doses are not widely available.