Taking Oral Weight Loss Medication After Hitting Goal Weight

Key takeaways:

• You can stay on oral weight loss medication after reaching your goal weight to maintain weight loss.

• Oral weight loss medications are safe for many people to take long-term, but your provider can offer personalized advice. 

• If you stop medication, your hunger will slowly return to what it was before. This can lead to weight gain if you don’t stick with healthy habits.

You’ve hit your goal weight — congrats! Now it’s time to consider whether to come off oral weight loss medication or not.

You don’t have to stop medication once you reach your goal weight. Staying on medication can help you manage your appetite and maintain your weight long-term. 

We’ll answer common questions about staying on oral weight loss medications, including the big one: How safe are oral weight loss drugs?

If oral weight loss medications aren’t giving you any side effects — and you don’t have any new medical conditions to worry about — staying on them can help you maintain your weight loss long-term.

Work with a healthcare provider to decide what’s best for you personally. But whether you stay on weight loss medication or not depends on:

• How well you’re tolerating the medication

• Whether you have any new health problems

• Your personal preference for remaining on medication

• How you feel about maintaining your weight loss without medication

Weight regain can happen when you stop taking a weight loss drug. So many people prefer to stay on medication to manage their weight and maintain their health progress.

It can sound odd to continue taking weight loss medication when you don’t want to lose any more weight. But since obesity is a chronic condition, you can think of obesity medication like high blood pressure (hypertension) medication.

You don’t necessarily stop taking blood pressure medication when your blood pressure is under control. You continue taking the medication to keep your blood pressure under control.

Check With Your Provider

Many experts recommend staying on medication, but the right choice is different for everyone.

“The current belief in weight management is that the medications for most people should be continued, just like blood pressure or cholesterol medications,” says Craig Primack, MD, a physician specializing in obesity medicine and senior vice president of weight management at Hims & Hers.

“If you’ve lost weight, improved your health, and don’t have any significant side effects, the medication is doing as intended,” Dr. Primack adds. “Consider using the medication for a long time to continue the benefits.”

When you stop taking oral weight loss medication, the effects will gradually wear off, including appetite suppression. You might regain some weight, especially if you don’t stay on top of the lifestyle changes that helped you lose weight.

With weight loss medication out of your system, you might experience:

• More hunger

• More food cravings

• Less fullness

This can lead to overeating, which can contribute to weight regain and possibly returning to a body mass index (BMI) in the overweight or obesity range. And this can happen relatively quickly.

Research on Stopping Topiramate

One study looked at people with migraine attacks taking topiramate (a pill sometimes used for weight management). During treatment, participants lost weight. Six months after stopping the medication, however, they had regained weight. Some of them had regained all of the weight they’d lost.

Participants in this study also saw an improvement in insulin resistance on topiramate. But this declined again once they stopped the medication.

You might see other health benefits, like lower blood sugar or a reduced waist circumference, slowly drift back without medication.

Weight gain isn’t inevitable, but it’s crucial to keep up healthy habits to maintain weight loss and health improvements. This includes eating nutritious foods and getting plenty of physical activity.

→ Get your BMI: Hims BMI Calculator

Oral weight loss drugs are safe for many people, both during a weight loss journey and to take long-term for weight management. In fact, many medications are designed for long-term use.

For example, metformin is used as a type 2 diabetes medication, and topiramate is used for epilepsy — both of which are chronic or life-long conditions. These drugs are prescribed off-label for excess weight and obesity.

Research on oral weight loss medications shows they’re safe, too. Common side effects tend to be gastrointestinal, like:

• Nausea

• Constipation

• Abdominal pain

Studies on metformin haven’t found any significant safety issues, even with 10 years of treatment. And there are no known risks associated with bupropion, an antidepressant sometimes prescribed with other medications as an obesity treatment.

A healthcare provider can determine whether oral weight loss medications are safe for you to take — both in the short term and long term.

Whether you come off oral weight loss medication or keep taking it, the same healthy lifestyle habits that helped you lose weight can help you maintain weight loss long-term.

Here’s what to do:

• Eat whole, nutritious foods. Go for fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, and lean proteins. Protein, in particular, can help you feel fuller for longer and maintain or build muscle.

• Do plenty of movement. Aim for at least 150 to 300 minutes of cardio a week and at least two strength-training sessions. Try standing and walking more throughout the day, and find forms of exercise you enjoy so you stick with it.

• Get enough sleep. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Can’t sleep? Try cutting down on screentime before bed, avoiding large meals late in the evening, and keeping a regular sleep schedule — even on weekends.

• Lower your stress levels. You can’t always control stress, but practice stress-management techniques as much as possible. That includes meditating, spending time with loved ones, getting outside, and doing regular physical activity.

If you stay on oral weight loss medications through Hims, you’ll have access to the Hims app. Take advantage of the many in-app tools to help you maintain healthy habits — such as movement trackers, guided meditations, and high-protein recipes.

Finally, you can go back on medication if you come off and notice weight regain.

Dr. Primack generally recommends staying on a medication if it’s working like you want it to. “If you do decide to try to stop, discuss with your medical provider the best ways to do so,” he adds. “If you gain even 5 pounds back, I suggest you just restart the medication. If you keep the weight off, continue what you’re doing.”

Coming off any medication can feel daunting. But a healthcare provider can help you decide whether staying on or coming off weight loss medication is right for you.

If everything’s going well, staying on oral weight loss medication can help you maintain your weight loss progress and health improvements long-term.

Taking medication through the Hims platform? You can reach out to your Care Team anytime to discuss your progress and ongoing treatment options. A provider can work with you to come up with a long-term plan.

Finally, consider becoming a Hims ambassador. If you join the Hims & Hers Health Collective, you can:

• Share your weight loss journey and motivate others just starting theirs

• Give feedback to help make Hims even better

• Earn points and redeem exciting perks

• Get early access to virtual and in-person community events

Apply today.

Find answers to frequently asked questions about staying on oral weight loss drugs.

Are oral weight loss medications safe to take long-term?

Yes. For many people, oral weight loss medications are safe to take long-term. A healthcare provider can look at your current health and medical history to determine if weight loss drugs are safe for you.

How long can you take oral weight loss medications?

You can take oral weight loss medications long-term to maintain weight loss once you’ve reached your goal body weight. How long you can stay on them depends on whether you’re experiencing side effects or have any new medical problems. A healthcare provider can give you personalized advice.

Do you have to stay on weight loss drugs forever?

No, you don’t have to stay on weight loss drugs forever. You can stop taking them at any point, including when you hit your goal weight. But you may regain some weight when you stop. If you’re tolerating the medication well, consider continuing to take it for chronic weight management.