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Real patient data: 74% discontinue within 1 year. 74% of those plan to restart. The editorial industry treats GLP-1 as a permanent therapy; the reality is cyclical. Here is how it actually unfolds.
The first month sets expectations. Most patients experience appetite reduction within days, GI side effects within the first week, and the first real weight loss by week 3-4.
Dose escalation typically every 4 weeks. Each step usually triggers a wave of nausea that fades within 7-14 days. This is the most attrition-prone phase.
Once at maintenance dose, weight loss continues at a slower, steadier pace. This is the most-comfortable phase clinically but the highest-cost phase financially.
Most users plateau between months 8 and 12. The body adapts to lower caloric intake; weight stabilizes even at maintenance dose. Distinguishing under-dosed vs. genuinely plateaued is the key question.
74% of users discontinue within 1 year. Reasons: cost, side effects, "graduation" assumption, supply issues. Weight regain is the rule, not the exception, without a maintenance plan.
74% of patients who stop GLP-1s plan to restart. The titration is shorter the second time (often), but the maintenance dose is the same. Restart strategy matters.
Editorial summaries, not medical advice. Each stage references the relevant pivotal trial data and real-world evidence.