Stopping Ozempic may raise heart attack and stroke risk — SkimNews
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- Washington University researchers tracked 333,687 U.S. veterans with type 2 diabetes for up to three years, finding that stopping GLP-1 therapy for two years raised cardiovascular event risk by 22% compared with continuous users
- Ziyad Al-Aly said patients who discontinue GLP-1s experience "metabolic whiplash" — a resurgence in inflammation, blood pressure, and cholesterol that "leaves a lasting scar" even after restarting the drug
- Continuous GLP-1 users had an 18% lower risk of major cardiovascular events than patients on sulfonylureas, translating to about four fewer events per 100 people over three years
- Treatment gaps as short as six months weakened protection: patients who stopped and restarted saw only a 12% risk reduction versus 18% for continuous users, and one year off raised risk 14% versus staying on the drug
- Discontinuation was common during the study: 26% of GLP-1 users stopped entirely and another roughly 23% experienced gaps of at least six months before resuming therapy
- The BMJ Medicine study compared 132,551 GLP-1 users against 201,136 sulfonylurea users and found that cardiovascular protection accumulates gradually during treatment but erodes quickly once interrupted
Why it matters: About 1 in 8 U.S. adults now take GLP-1 drugs, yet roughly half stop within months due to cost, side effects, or shortages — this study reframes discontinuation as a cardiovascular risk, not just a weight-management setback, and pushes health systems to treat adherence as a clinical priority with infrastructure to keep patients on therapy indefinitely.
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