Research
Mixed
There is significant individual variability in response to all anti-obesity medications, with a substantial subset of patients experiencing weight gain or failing to achieve target weight loss, regardless of the drug class.
Not everyone responds to weight loss drugs the same way. Some people gain weight even on strong medications like tirzepatide. If you don't see results, it may be due to individual biological differences, not just effort. Discuss switching medications with your doctor.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Significant individual variability in response was observed across all AOMs, irrespective of diagnosis type or exposure duration. Weight gain was noted in a subset of patients, ranging from [U:15%; C:18%] for tirzepatide (long-term) to [U:59%; C:62%] for lisdexamfetamine (long-term).
Why this rating
Large sample size confirms variability is not a statistical artifact.
Source
Current status of anti-obesity medications and performance, an EHR based survey
Xiaoyang Ruan et al. · medRxiv · 2024
DOI 10.1101/2024.12.02.24318314
preprint · n=30519334Cited 3×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Long-term use of FDA-approved GLP-1/GIP agonists (tirzepatide and semaglutide) produces significant weight loss and metabolic improvements in real-world populations, though efficacy is lower than in randomized clinical trials due to conservative dosing and adherence issues.Good
- Discontinuation of FDA-approved GLP-1/GIP agonists (tirzepatide, semaglutide) does not lead to significant weight regain at the population level, contrasting with off-label drugs like phentermine and zonisamide which cause substantial regain.Good
Related findings · Mixed
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