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Long-term treatment and maintenance
What to expect as your treatment progresses, and how to maintain your results over time.
Medical Director
At MedExpress, achieving a healthy weight is just the beginning of your weight loss journey. Maintaining your success is equally important.
We understand you might feel anxious at the thought of stopping weight loss medications once you reach a healthy BMI. The good news is that reaching your goal isn’t the end of your journey, it’s the beginning of maintaining your progress.
That’s why we continue to support you, even after you've achieved your goals. Rather than stopping medication automatically, our prescribers can continue to provide your weight loss medication for as long as you need to prevent weight regain.
We conduct regular check-ins to monitor your progress, adjust your treatment if necessary, and address any concerns you may have. This means you can feel confident in maintaining the results you have worked hard to achieve.
GLP-1 medications are safe to take long-term, and many people choose to stay on them to maintain their results. However, some may be able to taper off over time with the right lifestyle changes and support.
If you don’t feel you’re getting the results you want from your medication, our experts recommend continuing for at least 6 months, as results vary and your body needs to adjust. A weight loss of at least 5% after 6 months is generally expected and serves as a benchmark for our clinical team to continue prescribing treatment. If you're concerned, our clinical team can help with guidance and adjustments.
It's understandable to want to increase your dose when things feel stuck. But increasing the dose isn't always the right move, and it isn't always necessary for progress.
Your current dose may simply need more time. GLP-1 medications reach their full effect gradually over many months. Clinical studies tracked people's weight loss with GLP-1s over 1 year and 5 months.
Increasing your dose too quickly can increase the risk of side effects without necessarily speeding up your results. If after a period of time you notice no reduction in appetite at all and no change in your thoughts about food, then discussing a dose increase is a reasonable next step.
Some people experience rapid weight loss in a short period of time on their treatment. This is relatively normal, and if you aren't experiencing side effects, it simply means your body is responding well to your medication.
Weight loss treatment can come with a lot of stigma. Many people have had experiences where their concerns weren't taken seriously, or where they felt they had to justify their choices before anyone would listen.
That isn't how things work here.
Our clinicians speak to people about GLP-1 treatment every day. They've heard questions about missed doses, unexpected side effects, difficult weeks, and moments when things simply didn't go to plan.
This is a judgement-free space. If something doesn't feel quite right, or you simply want reassurance, you're always welcome to ask.