Studies have shown that discontinuing GLP-1 receptor agonists can reverse the effects and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
What you need to know about side effects of GLP-1 drugs
A class action lawsuit has been filed over alleged side effects of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wigovy, and Munjaro.
- A new study finds that stopping GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic can reverse health gains and increase heart health risks.
- Patients who stopped taking the drug were found to have an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or death.
- Many people stop taking GLP-1 because of the high cost and lack of insurance coverage, especially when it comes to obesity.
People who stop taking popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic may not just regain the weight they lost. They may also be putting their heart health at risk, according to a new report.
A Department of Veterans Affairs study of patients released March 18 found that patients who stopped weight loss drugs reversed the health gains from weight loss and had an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.
Researchers followed more than 330,000 VA patients with type 2 diabetes who took GLP-1 drugs or another diabetes drug, a sulfonylurea, for three years.
It was found that people who took GLP-1 drugs steadily for three years had an 18% reduced risk of heart attack or stroke. The risk was slightly higher for people who stopped taking the drug for six months. People who stopped weight-loss drugs for two years had a 22% increased risk, according to a study published March 18 in the medical journal BMJ Medicine.
People who stop taking GLP-1 drugs may regain lost weight and experience increases in blood pressure and cholesterol, said study author Dr. Ziyad Al Ali, director of research and education services at the VA St. Louis Health System.
“Any amount of disruption is consequential,” said Al Ali, also an epidemiologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “It takes a very long time to build up protection, but it takes half that time to remove it.”
What is the smoking cessation rate for people taking GLP-1?
The study cites previous research showing that people taking GLP-1 drugs quit smoking at a rate of 36 to 81 percent within a year of starting the drug.
A 2025 study found that 65% of people without diabetes stopped taking GLP-1 within a year. People with type 2 diabetes were more likely to continue taking their medication for at least a year. Additionally, a 2025 study by University of Pennsylvania researchers and medical research company Truveta found that people with higher incomes and fewer side effects are more likely to continue using expensive drugs.
One reason people are more likely to discontinue GLP-1 if prescribed for obesity is delayed insurance coverage.
Employers typically pay for GLP-1 diabetes drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Munjaro, but employers are unlikely to cover for weight-loss drugs.
A study by benefits consultant Mercer found that 49% of large employers will pay for GLP-1 drugs for obesity in 2025, up from 41% in 2023. Another study by the health policy nonprofit KFF found that 43% of large employers will be paying for anti-obesity drugs in 2025.
Both Novo and Lilly have lowered prices for people paying cash because their insurance plans do not cover GLP-1 to reduce obesity.
What types of GLP-1 drugs were tracked in the VA study?
A VA study published March 18 tracked more than six GLP-1 drugs used by VA patients from 2017 to 2023.
About two out of three study participants took Novo’s drug semaglutide, prescribed as Ozempic to treat diabetes and Wigovy to reduce obesity. Less than 1% of patients take Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, which prevented the company from gaining Food and Drug Administration approval for its diabetes treatment Munjaro until 2022.
Although the study focused on diabetics, people taking GLP-1 to reduce obesity should also be aware of the potential harms of quitting smoking, Al-Aly said. Al-Aly said obese people often lower blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce inflammation when they take GLP-1. All of these cardiovascular risk factors can increase when people stop taking the drug, he said.
“We tell people that metabolic whiplash is not good for the heart,” Al-Aly said.
Al-Aly said the study results highlight the importance of continuing to take medicine.
“We want people to understand that these drugs need to be taken for a long period of time,” Al-Aly said. “This is not something that (patients) are going to take one, two, three months to heal. It doesn’t work that way.”
