Quitting too soon, DON'T says newly published research (CNN)

Hey everyone — this CNN piece covers something we preach in clinic constantly, so let me add our real-world confirmation to it.

The research: about 58% of people on GLP-1 medications stay on treatment for less than 12 weeks. Twelve weeks. That's barely past the starting doses — most patients haven't even reached their therapeutic dose yet, let alone seen what the medication can really do.

Why do people quit early? Two culprits, and both are fixable. First, side effects — nausea, stomach issues in the early weeks. These are real, but they're usually worst at the start or after a dose jump, and a good clinic helps you manage through them (smaller meals, pacing, dose adjustments) instead of leaving you to suffer alone. Second, impatience. Week 4 and the scale hasn't transformed your life yet, so people conclude it's not working — right before it would have.

Here's what the quitters never learn: this is a marathon with a slow first mile. The dose ramps up over months. The appetite effects build. The big results live at month 4, 6, 12 — not week 6.

After 1,300+ patients, I can spot the difference between the ones who transform and the ones who quit: it's almost never the medication. It's whether someone had support through the rough early weeks. That's literally why we exist. Forty to sixty-five percent of self-managed patients quit inside a year. Our patients have a team.

Don't quit at mile one of a marathon. Talk to us first.

-Daryl

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