If someone has had weight-loss surgery but isn’t losing enough weight or gains it back, doctors might prescribe drugs like liraglutide, semaglutide, or tirzepatide. About 27% don’t respond well to liraglutide, 19% to semaglutide, and only 3% to tirzepatide—meaning they don’t lose at least 5% of their body weight.

If someone has had weight-loss surgery but isn’t losing enough weight—or gains it back—taking semaglutide seems to help them lose more weight than if they took liraglutide, and they’re over twice as likely to lose 10% or more of their body weight.

If someone has had weight-loss surgery but didn’t lose enough weight or gained it back, taking GLP-1 drugs (like Ozempic or Wegovy) can help them lose about 7.8 kilograms (around 17 pounds) on average, with better results the longer they stay on the medication.

People who didn’t lose enough weight after weight-loss surgery might lose more with a drug called tirzepatide compared to another drug called semaglutide — about 15.5% vs 10.3% of their body weight in six months.

If someone has weight-loss surgery but doesn’t lose enough weight or gains it back, taking GLP-1 drugs might help lower their blood sugar, blood pressure, and improve their cholesterol levels.

Some diabetes and weight-loss drugs, like tirzepatide, can help people lose a lot of weight—up to nearly 18% more than a fake treatment over a year and a half—especially in those without diabetes, and they might also improve overall health.