Naperville woman shares story, gains more weight after stopping prescribed weight loss medication

CHICAGO -- Some users of popular weight loss drugs like Wegovy are seeing undesired effects once they stop using the medication.

Artemis Bayandor, of Naperville, began gaining weight after she came off Wegovy as the medication's price dramatically skyrocketed.

ALSO SEE: Chicago man issues warning after taking fake Ozempic diabetes, weight loss drug

"My weight is actually about 15 to 20 pounds higher now than it was before I started with Wegovy," Bayandor said.

Bayandor was having difficulty shedding the tough-to-lose baby weight and after talking to her doctor she started taking Wegovy in August 2021.

Bayandor lost 15 pounds in over six months. However, once her manufacturers coupon ran out she had to stop consuming the medication because her insurance wouldn't cover it.

"The pharmacy called me and said 'you've been paying the coupon price for six months for $25'," Bayandor said. "Now the price has gone up to like it's $1,300"

"I gained the 15 pounds back within the next six months of being off of Wegovy and since then I probably gained another 15 pounds," Bayandor said.

The active ingredient in Wegovy is semaglutide, a drug first approved for treating type 2 diabetes. In June 2021, the FDA approved its use for chronic weight management in adults who are overweight or obese

A 2022 study finding once patients go off the medication the average weight gain rebound is about 2/3 of the total weight lost.

SEE ALSO: FDA says it's seized 'thousands of units' of counterfeit Ozempic

Novo Nordisk, the makers of Ozempic and Wegovy, said in a statement, "Not unexpectedly, patients experience weight regain once they stop taking the medication. Obesity is a chronic disease that requires long-term management, much like high blood pressure or high cholesterol."

Experts stress these drugs should be used in combination with lifestyle changes exercise and food.

Doctor Louis Aronne shared that a medication like Wegovy can affect people's weight in different ways as not everyone can maintain the weight loss it produces.

"If you stop taking a medicine that's working on your weight, your weight is going to start to come back," Arrone said. "Some people can maintain the weight loss, but not everybody can."