Before you know how to stop taking Saxenda, you need to identify the reasons for stopping the drug correctly.
Here are the most common reasons:
- Having unpleasant side effects;
- Lack of results in weight loss;
- Achieving the desired weight and having no need for further treatment.
If you experience severe side effects after taking Saxenda and want to stop the drug for this reason, consult your doctor. You can solve most of the problems with medications, and only a doctor can prescribe the right ones. After properly selected treatment, adverse reactions go away.
If you don’t see the desired effect and your weight doesn’t change, it may be due to the wrong drug use. Individual intolerance to the active substance of Saxenda can also lead to this situation. In this case, you should consult your doctor to know why the medicine is ineffective for you and, if necessary, have an additional examination.
Finally, you may consider weaning off Saxenda if you achieve the desired result. You get rid of excess weight and don’t want to continue treatment. However, you should complete the treatment course. Otherwise, the kilograms you lost may return. It happens when the drug doesn’t have time to make consistent changes in the body.
You can stop the drug for yourself only if you have an intolerance to the drug or are in a place where you can control your weight through diet and exercise. It is essential as there is no official guide on how to stop a Saxenda course. Each case is individual, so only a doctor can prescribe the right way to stop treatment.
How to wean off Saxenda without harming your health
If you achieve your ideal weight and think on coming off Saxenda, and you can’t visit a doctor, you should reduce the dose gradually so as not to shock the body with sharp changes.
The dosage reduction schedule should be consistent with how you started taking the drug: from the maximum dose of 3 mg to 0.6 mg. Gradual decreasing the amount of solution used allows you to adapt to the absence of the drug and shouldn’t cause discomfort.
Clinical trials record no adverse health effects of stopping the drug as it is not addictive. Withdrawal syndrome is absent. However, before stopping Saxenda, you should consult your doctor. Visiting a doctor is necessary because obesity-related diseases (diabetes, hypertension, and others) can lead to adverse reactions if you stop the drug.
Does Saxenda increase metabolism, and if so, how?
If you want to know if Saxenda speeds up your metabolism, see the study published by the National Library of Medicine. It proves that this drug has a positive effect on leptin resistance.
To understand how Saxenda increases metabolism, you need to know what leptin is. It is one of the most important hormones involved in metabolism. A decrease in this hormone contributes to weight gain and leads to obesity. If you often lose and then gain weight, the body develops leptin resistance preventing weight loss.
Saxenda decreases resistance to leptin and reduces its growth, thereby speeding up metabolism. As a result, you can maintain the weight you want.
What happens when you stop taking Saxenda?
Do you want to know what happens when you stop taking Saxenda? It’s simple. You can stop the drug in two ways:
- You decrease the dosage gradually: the body adapts, and you don’t see significant health changes;
- You stop the drug suddenly.
If you stop Saxenda gradually, you shouldn’t have side effects. And sudden stopping the drug can cause the body stress. It can result in changing mood and a return of hunger stronger than during drug use. To avoid problems, you should consult a doctor on how to stop treatment correctly.
What happens after stopping Saxenda?
Often many people worry about what happens after stopping Saxenda. Although healthy people report no side effects from gradual drug dosage reduction, there are several unpleasant moments:
- Appetite increase;
- Weight return.
Appetite increases because Saxenda suppresses hunger. It’s normal. However, if you eat healthy food during treatment with this drug, you should have no problems.
Weight gain after stopping Saxenda depends only on you. No data confirm that stopping the drug provokes the return of previous weight. Moreover, Saxenda stimulates metabolism, preventing this effect. You can gain weight only if you give in to food cravings and overeat.
Conclusion
Coming off Saxenda doesn’t affect your health or cause adverse effects unless you have a serious medical condition associated with obesity. Also, you do not need to be afraid of returning the lost weight if you adhere to a healthy lifestyle. With the help of a proper diet and exercise, you can maintain the weight indicators comfortable for you.
However, to prevent any problems, it would be better for you to consult a doctor on the correct drug withdrawal and receive corresponding instructions.
