For many people, the holidays mean large family dinners with filling sides, sweet treats, and festive drinks — all things for which weight-loss drugs are designed to reduce cravings.
It’s no wonder that many users of popular weight-loss medicines like Ozempic (NVO), Wegovy and Zepbound are turning to social media this year seeking advice on how to navigate the holiday season.
One user on Reddit $RDDT, asked if they should wait until after Christmas to start their Ozempic prescription. Another one was nervous about possible post-Christmas dinner nausea. Some users have posted videos on TikTok about how they already skipped doses of their weight-loss meds for Thanksgiving celebrations.
In fact, about one in six weight-loss drug users plan to skip their medication over the holidays, according to a survey conducted by the weight-loss company Levity.
However, medical experts recommend against skipping doses of these drugs.
“When these medications are working for you, you’re taking them in the right dosage, and you’re doing everything right — you’re not even going to think twice about holiday eating because these medications should turn off food noise,” says Dr. Sue Decotiis, a weight-loss doctor in New York City.
These weight-loss treatments belong to the GLP-1 class of drugs, made popular by Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic. They work by mimicking a hormone that reduces appetite and blood sugar and have become highly sought after as treatments for obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
Decotiis said she normally discourages her patients from taking breaks from these medications.
“Is it dangerous? No. But you can get demotivated,” says Decotiis.
Dr. Paul Rosenberg , a plastic surgeon in New Jersey who often treats patients for weight loss with GLP-1s, agrees. He says pausing these drugs could lead to side effects.
Patients taking a GLP-1 drug are meant to start on a low dose and gradually titrate up to a higher dose as their body gets used to the medication in order to limit gastrointestinal side effects.
“If you’re stopping it temporarily, it’s not going to kill you, but it is going to be a setback,” says Rosenberg. “You’re going to gain some weight and you may have the side effects of the medication come back that you overcame while you were climbing to the steady state dose.”
Instead, Decotiis says that during a holiday dinner people on a GLP-1 should stay hydrated, start with and mostly stick to proteins and vegetables, and then enjoy desserts in moderation.
“Seafood is great — lobster, shrimp, caviar. You can you can really indulge in wonderful foods,” she says.
Rosenberg also suggests people take a 20-minute walk before and after a big meal to help minimize large spikes in blood sugar — which can cause lethargy, brain fog, and make you hungry again.
“There are ways of enjoying the holidays and all of the delicious foods without stopping GLP-1's,” says Rosenberg.