Doctor: Most will gain weight back when off popular weight loss drugs
"Well, two out of three people will regain all the weight. One third won't," says Dr. Neil Floch, the head of bariatric surgery at Greenwich Hospital.
More Stories
As injectable weight loss drugs become increasingly popular, an obesity expert tells News 12 the majority of patients will regain weight if they go off the medication.
"Well, two out of three people will regain all the weight. One third won't. So does everybody need to stay on it. Well I never say everybody, everything, all the time because there are some people who will lose the weight and keep it off, but the majority will not," says Dr. Neil Floch, the head of bariatric surgery at Greenwich Hospital.
Experts say access to these medications, such as Wegovy, have started to become easier and drug manufacturer Eli Lilly plans to offer Zepbound directly to consumers.
Floch does have a suggestion for people taking these medications who are anxious about lasting weight loss.
"You need a coach, and that's your doctor, dietician, nutritionist. But really the person managing this should be an obesity medicine specialist. You touch base with them and you discuss it and you come up with a plan."
Floch says that plan could include cutting back on medication or switching to a milder medication that is not a GLP1 agonist.
