Neither label describes a withdrawal syndrome. The US prescribing information for both medicines has no section on abuse or dependence, and the European product information describes no withdrawal reaction for either (US tirzepatide label, Wegovy label, EU SmPC). One 2023 analysis of reports to the US Food and Drug Administration's adverse-event system did find semaglutide reports coded as drug withdrawal or drug abuse more often than for other GLP-1 medicines, and its authors say that finding needs confirming (Chiappini 2023). What stopping clearly does is let the effects wear off: the appetite effect fades over the following weeks, and in the trials, which stopped the medication overnight with no taper, much of the lost weight returned (Wilding 2022). Much of what is described online as "withdrawal" is that wearing-off, along with some claims we could not trace to any study.
Availability in Singapore. Both medicines are registered with Singapore's Health Sciences Authority, and their registered indications include weight management. Which medicine suits a particular person, if any does, is decided by the doctor who assesses them.
Is there a withdrawal syndrome?
Not one the labels recognise, and the evidence for one is a single reporting signal.
US prescribing information has a standard place for that risk: section 9, "Drug Abuse and Dependence". The prescribing information for tirzepatide and for semaglutide 2.4 mg both go from section 8 to section 10 without one (US tirzepatide label, Wegovy label). The European product information for semaglutide 2.4 mg does not use the words withdrawal, dependence or abuse at all, and the tirzepatide version uses "withdrawal" only once, about a sleep-apnoea breathing machine in a trial (EU SmPC, EU SmPC).
One study points the other way, and it is worth setting out. Chiappini and colleagues analysed reports made to the US Food and Drug Administration's adverse-event reporting system from 2018 to 2022. Compared with other GLP-1 medicines, the share of semaglutide reports coded as "drug abuse" or "drug withdrawal syndrome" was about four times higher; the same comparison against an older weight-loss combination, phentermine-topiramate, found no significant difference (Chiappini 2023). The authors describe it as the first study of semaglutide's misuse potential and say the findings need confirming. Adverse-event reports are filed voluntarily, do not show that the medicine caused what was reported, and cannot say what "withdrawal" meant to the person reporting it. It is a signal worth knowing about, not evidence of a dependence syndrome.
What each product document, and the one reporting study, says about withdrawal, dependence and abuse.
| Document | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US prescribing information, tirzepatide | Goes from section 8 to section 10, with no section 9, "Drug Abuse and Dependence" | US tirzepatide label |
| US prescribing information, semaglutide 2.4 mg | Goes from section 8 to section 10, with no section 9, "Drug Abuse and Dependence" | Wegovy label |
| European product information, semaglutide 2.4 mg | Does not use the words withdrawal, dependence or abuse at all | EU SmPC |
| European product information, tirzepatide | Uses "withdrawal" only once, about a sleep-apnoea breathing machine in a trial | EU SmPC |
| Reports to the US Food and Drug Administration's adverse-event system, 2018 to 2022 | The share of semaglutide reports coded "drug abuse" or "drug withdrawal syndrome" was about four times higher than for other GLP-1 medicines, with no significant difference against phentermine-topiramate; a signal the authors say needs confirming. Reports are filed voluntarily and do not show cause: a signal, not evidence of a dependence syndrome | Chiappini 2023 |
What does happen when they are stopped
The effects wear off, which is a different thing from withdrawal.
Appetite. Both labels say the medicine reduces calorie intake, an effect "likely mediated by affecting appetite" (US tirzepatide label). As the medicine leaves the body over the following weeks, that effect fades. That is why the eating pattern and the training habit are built while the medication is still working. Appetite after stopping GLP-1 goes into more detail.
Weight. In the STEP 1 extension, where semaglutide and the trial's lifestyle support stopped on the same day, with no taper, people regained about two-thirds of what they had lost within a year (Wilding 2022). That is an average, and individual results vary. At GetLean the dose is stepped down at Dr Quek's monthly reviews rather than stopped overnight.
Blood pressure, blood sugar and blood fats. For someone whose blood pressure or blood sugar improved on treatment, these are worth monitoring with their doctor as the dose comes down.
Side effects. Nausea and the other stomach side effects are mostly a feature of starting and of dose increases; in SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN they mostly occurred during dose escalation (Horn 2026). We found no label or trial statement describing new side effects caused by stopping.
What the online lists claim
Lists of "withdrawal symptoms" circulating online describe fatigue, low mood, surging hunger and a rebound in hunger hormones above pre-treatment levels, sometimes with specific percentages. We could not trace those figures to a trial. Some of the experiences described are real and plausible — hunger returning is what would be expected once the appetite effect the labels describe has worn off — but a list with numbers and no source is not evidence, and we do not repeat its figures here.
What helps
Planning for the effect to wear off, rather than treating it as a surprise. That means the eating pattern, the training habit and the monitoring are already running before the last dose, and the decision about how to stop is made with the prescribing doctor. Coming off Mounjaro and coming off Wegovy walk through the weeks after the last dose, and designed to end: planning a GLP-1 exit sets out what the plan contains.
At GetLean, the programme is designed to end, and our philosophy is that the medication is the catalyst and what you keep is the result. Coming off is planned from the first consultation rather than left to the last dose.
Individual results vary, and clinical-trial figures describe the populations studied. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine on your own; that is a conversation with the doctor who prescribed it.
Common questions
Are there withdrawal symptoms when stopping Mounjaro?
The tirzepatide prescribing information has no section on abuse or dependence (US label). What stopping does is let the medicine's effects wear off, including its effect on appetite. In SURMOUNT-4, where tirzepatide was switched abruptly to placebo with no taper, much of the lost weight returned within a year (Aronne 2024). At GetLean the dose is stepped down at Dr Quek's monthly reviews rather than stopped overnight.
Are there withdrawal symptoms when stopping Wegovy?
Neither the US nor the EU product information for semaglutide describes withdrawal or dependence (US label, EU SmPC). A 2023 analysis of reports to the US Food and Drug Administration's adverse-event system found semaglutide reports coded as drug withdrawal more often than for other GLP-1 medicines, a signal its authors say needs confirming (Chiappini 2023). In the STEP 1 extension, where semaglutide and the trial's lifestyle support stopped on the same day with no taper, what followed was the effect fading: about two-thirds of the lost weight returned within a year (Wilding 2022).
Is Mounjaro or Wegovy addictive?
Neither label lists a risk of abuse or dependence: both US prescribing documents go from section 8 to section 10 with no section 9 on drug abuse and dependence (US tirzepatide label, Wegovy label). One 2023 analysis of reports to the US Food and Drug Administration's adverse-event system found more reports coded as drug abuse for semaglutide than for other GLP-1 medicines, which its authors say needs confirming (Chiappini 2023).
Why does hunger come back after stopping?
Both labels say the medicine reduces calorie intake through an effect on appetite, so that effect fades over the weeks as the medicine leaves the body. That is biology, not a lack of willpower, and it is why the eating pattern and the training habit are built while the medication is still working.