This Question Stops People From Trying a GLP-1

Key Takeaways

• Among survey respondents who said they were not likely to start a GLP-1 in the next six months, 53 percent cited a fear of relying on the medication long term for weight management.

• More than 1 in 3 survey participants felt ill-equipped to manage long-term side effects because online guidance on doing so is lacking.

• Survey respondents worried about their ability to maintain their weight long term and about what would happen to their weight if they stopped taking the medication.

Despite their popularity, GLP-1 drugs come with concerns and challenges – an aspect of the weight loss journey that a new survey by Everyday Health explored.

The survey involved 858 people either with obesity or taking a GLP-1 drug for weight loss without a chronic disease diagnosis. The findings uncovered the common barriers to starting a GLP-1, as well as long-term concerns of people already taking these drugs.

We’ll dive deeper into what the survey found about these long-term concerns and how that affects how people take these medications – or whether they go on them at all. Plus, we’ll also detail the advice that obesity medicine physicians give their patients about the reported common long-term worries.

People Are Concerned About Long-Term Weight Maintenance

The most important concern for survey respondents? Maintaining their weight long term on a GLP-1 (noted by 4 in 10 respondents) The second biggest concern? What happens if they stop taking the medication, a concern shared by more than 1 in 3 respondents.

Resistance training and adequate quality protein will help you preserve lean muscle mass and promote fullness at meals, and this applies whether you’re taking a GLP-1 or going off it, says Nneoma Oparaji, MD, a Houston-based physician board-certified in internal medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine.

What’s more, if you are going off the medication, think ahead, says Dr. Oparaji. “The ideal situation before you go off a GLP-1 medication is making a transition plan,” she says. “You don’t want to white-knuckle it. You need a maintenance strategy.” Appetite, cravings, and food noise will return to baseline, and it can be more difficult to ignore the external cues that promote overeating. Along with protein intake, Oparaji recommends high-fiber foods to improve satiety and weighing yourself regularly (once per week) to identify weight gain early, so you can shift your habits accordingly. This plan can be more detailed and individualized when you see a professional like a registered dietitian.

Weight regain or the reappearance of food noise is not a moral failure, says Oparaji. “These are expected biological responses. It’s knowing that that could happen so you can be more proactive.”

Relying on Medication Long Term Is Another Key Concern

GLP-1s are considered a long-term medication. So it’s easy to see why 53 percent of survey participants diagnosed with obesity who have never taken a GLP-1 said they wouldn’t consider one because they don’t want to rely on medication long-term for weight management. “I would first acknowledge that not wanting to depend on medication long term is a valid and understandable concern,” says Devika Umashanker, MD, system director for medical weight loss at Hartford HealthCare Digestive Health Institute in Hartford, Connecticut.

Learning why GLP-1s are generally regarded as a long-term treatment for obesity can help put this in perspective: Similar to medications for hypertension and diabetes, GLP-1s provide benefits that generally continue while treatment continues, says Dr. Umashanker. One review and meta-analysis projects that people would return to their starting weight 1.5 years after stopping semaglutide (Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Zepbound).

That said, just because you start a GLP-1 does not necessarily mean you have to stay on it forever, says Umashanker. “The decision should be individualized and revisited regularly based on effectiveness, side effects, health benefits, cost, access, and goals and preferences.” In addition, GLP-1s are not the only option (even among weight loss medication). As she points out, you can also create a plan surrounding nutrition support, physical activity, behavioral treatment, other medications, or metabolic and bariatric surgery.

Patients Reported Being Unprepared to Manage Side Effects

People on GLP-1s feel as if they’re ill-equipped to manage long-term medication side effects, an area of guidance that 37 percent of survey respondents said is lacking in online health content. The short-term side effects have been well advertised (and experienced), as 28 percent of respondents diagnosed with obesity currently on a GLP-1 had dealt with nausea or vomiting and 42 percent reported diarrhea and constipation.

However, gastrointestinal distress differs from potential long-term side effects that respondents said carry more concern – and rightfully so, as they’re more serious. “I counsel patients about less common but potentially serious risks, including gallstones or gallbladder inflammation, pancreatitis, and dehydration-related kidney injury,” says Umashanker. Part of this concern can be mitigated with open and regular communication with your prescriber. “Patients should never feel that they need to remain silent or simply tolerate concerning symptoms,” she says. Dose adjustment, symptom evaluation, and nutrition and hydration changes can all be used to manage symptoms. Your healthcare provider may also determine that the medication isn’t appropriate for you. Bottom line: Managing long-term side effects isn’t all on you – it’s an active partnership with your healthcare provider, says Umashanker.

Stopping Treatment Due to Cost or Coverage Was a Frequently Cited Concern

One of the most commonly cited barriers to starting GLP-1 treatment was the worry that health insurance wouldn’t cover it or it would cost too much, a concern expressed by 1 in 2 people diagnosed with obesity who have never taken a GLP-1. That’s something Kimberly Gudzune, MD, MPH, an obesity medicine physician and affiliate faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, sees, too. “The most common challenge I see are issues related to insurance coverage, particularly as employers and insurance companies are changing the eligibility criteria for coverage, increasing copays, or even eliminating coverage,” she says.

And this worry is based in fact: 1 in 3 past GLP-1 users had stopped using the medication for reasons related to cost and coverage. Dr. Gudzune calls these changes “devastating” for many patients who would otherwise want to continue on GLP-1s. For those who find themselves in this situation, she encourages people to reach out to their prescribers to discuss alternative medications. “There may be a lower-cost alternative medication that can be used, particularly the older medications that are not GLP-1s,” she says.

Sources: Everyday Health Obesity/Weight Loss GLP-1 Patient Survey, N= 858, Aug. 5-15, 2026.

EDITORIAL SOURCES

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Resources

1. Moiz A et al. Weight Maintenance After Discontinuation of GLP-1 Therapies. eClinical Medicine. May 28, 2026.

2. West S et al. Weight Regain After Cessation of Medication for Weight Management: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMJ. January 7, 2026.

Meet Our Experts

See Our Editorial Policy Meet Our Health Expert Network

Natalia Johnsen, MD

Medical Reviewer

Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Natalia Johnsen, MD, is a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine, practicing as an internist and consultant at the Vancouve…

See full bio

Jessica Migala

Author

Jessica Migala is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty. She has written extensively about vision care, diabet…

See full bio

See Our Editorial Policy Meet Our Health Expert Network