The weight-management drug semaglutide has a half-life of about one week. If you take the medication for weight loss using the recommended once-weekly dosage, it will take five to seven weeks to completely eliminate it from your system.
Semaglutide was first sold as a diabetes drug and was approved for weight loss in 2021. It proved to be an effective weight loss drug for people without diabetes, with clinical studies showing some patients losing up to 15% of their body weight.
Semaglutide works by mimicking specific hormones in your body. In scientific terms, it’s a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 agonist). In other words, semaglutide lowers your blood sugar and suppresses your appetite. It’s especially effective for people with obesity, which is defined as having a body mass index over 30, or overweight people with diabetes or other co-morbidities.
Though it’s always important to speak to your physician before starting or stopping medication, you may stop taking the drug if you reach your goal weight or if it does not produce the desired results. It’s also important to stop taking semaglutide if it causes unwanted side effects, if you are pregnant, or need surgery. Here is what to consider when you stop taking this compound.
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Factors That May Affect How Long Semaglutide Stays in Your System
Weekly semaglutide injections allow you to continue getting weight loss and appetite suppression benefits. Once you stop, different factors can affect how long it takes the built-up substance to leave your system completely. These include:
- Dosage: If you use the drug for weight loss, you will likely take a higher dose than a diabetes patient. This will mean there is more of the drug in your system.
- Kidney function: Semaglutide gets processed and eliminated through the kidneys. If you have decreased kidney function, it could take longer to leave your system.
- Weight: People who remain overweight after taking semaglutide may take longer to eliminate it because the medication gets distributed across a larger body mass.
- Hydration: You cannot flush semaglutide out of your system with water. However, drinking enough water can ensure proper kidney function, which could speed the elimination of the compound.
Semaglutide Side Effects
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in diabetes and weight loss drugs. Though the administration deems it safe to use, there are some possible side effects.
Here are the most common ones you might encounter:
- Gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea or constipation are common.
- Headaches and nausea occur in 20% to 25% of patients.
- Fatigue is another common complaint, with one in ten people feeling tired while on the drug.
- Heartburn can occur when you eat while on semaglutide.
- Kidney disease, gallstones, and hair loss are rare but can occur in some cases with long-term use.
One of the most common effects is rebound weight gain after stopping semaglutide. Two-thirds of people experienced weight gain as their appetite returned after stopping the medication.
What Happens When You Stop Taking Semaglutide?
Several different things will happen when you stop taking semaglutide. Here are the most common effects you’ll experience once you discontinue the drug.
- Blood sugar levels will rise. This is a concern if you are using the drug for weight loss but also have diabetes or are at risk for developing it. You need to monitor your blood sugar levels carefully to get an early warning about potential problems.
- Increased hunger is possible as the semaglutide disappears from your body. You will feel more and more hungry, potentially jeopardizing your weight loss gains.
- Blood pressure or cholesterol levels, which are often lower when you take semaglutide, could rebound after coming off the drug.
Lifestyle changes are often necessary to maintain the initial weight loss. You often need to plan for stopping the medication to ensure you avoid these potential problems.
Can You Stop Taking Semaglutide Cold Turkey?
You can stop taking semaglutide and other semaglutide products immediately. However, you can reduce unwanted effects like weight rebound by stepping down doses gradually.
Some doctors recommend tapering doses and monitoring weight gain, blood sugar levels, and other factors. A physician can help you plan step-down processes and monitor your weight and vitals to detect potential problems early.
Semaglutide Withdrawal Symptoms
The withdrawal symptoms of semaglutide are related to blood sugar or blood pressure increases. Here are some of the most common problems you may encounter.
- Nausea
- Dry mouth
- Breathing difficulties
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Heart palpitations
- Blurred vision
- Mood changes
As with weight gain effects, you can limit the severity of these symptoms by gradually tapering the medication and adjusting your lifestyle or diet or starting other medications to address these changes.
Can You Flush Semaglutide Out of Your System?
You can flush your system by drinking large amounts of liquid to get unwanted compounds out of your body through your urine. Semaglutide will not leave your system any faster if you do this. However, staying fully hydrated can improve your kidney function, making it possible to process and eliminate the drug as soon as possible. This usually takes about five weeks from the last dose.
Stopping Semaglutide Before Surgery
Semaglutide medications slow down the digestive process. This means food can potentially get regurgitated and block the airways, which could cause problems for patients under anesthesia for surgery.
For this reason, the American Society of Anesthesiologists recommends stopping weekly doses of semaglutide products the week before your surgery. You can resume the doses as soon as you wake up after your surgery. It’s always important to disclose to your physician that you are taking these medications and get their recommendations on when to start and stop taking semaglutide.
Stopping Semaglutide Before Pregnancy
Semaglutide may cause pregnancy complications. Research on humans is not conclusive, but animal studies have shown cause for concern about the potential effects of semaglutide during pregnancy.
The manufacturers recommend stopping the drugs eight weeks before you try to get pregnant to eliminate the risk of complications potentially associated with the medication.
If you become pregnant unexpectedly, you should consult a doctor and stop taking the drug immediately.
When To Talk to Your Doctor
There are several reasons to talk to your doctor about stopping semaglutide. If you haven’t seen notable results after four or five months, you might consider stopping. Also, if you have to have surgery or are trying to become pregnant, you will need to wean yourself off the drug.
While you’re unlikely to experience withdrawal, the appetite-suppressant properties will disappear over time, so you will need to continue managing your weight through diet and exercise.
Semaglutide can be an effective weight loss option for people with obesity or those who are overweight and have a comorbidity like diabetes or hypertension. However, it is important to understand how the drug works in your body and how long it takes to eliminate it from your system so that you can avoid any unwanted effects.
