diff --git a/opm/simulators/wells/GasLiftRuntime.hpp b/opm/simulators/wells/GasLiftRuntime.hpp
index ed2ceed0f..0376a63b9 100644
--- a/opm/simulators/wells/GasLiftRuntime.hpp
+++ b/opm/simulators/wells/GasLiftRuntime.hpp
@@ -79,8 +79,8 @@ namespace Opm
         void displayDebugMessage_(const std::string &msg);
         void displayWarning_();
         void displayWarning_(std::string warning);
-        double getGasRateWithLimit_(std::vector<double> &potentials);
-        double getOilRateWithLimit_(std::vector<double> &potentials);
+        bool getGasRateWithLimit_(double& new_rate, const std::vector<double> &potentials);
+        bool getOilRateWithLimit_(double& new_rate, const std::vector<double> &potentials);
         void logSuccess_();
         bool runOptimizeLoop_(bool increase);
         void setAlqMaxRate_(const GasLiftOpt::Well &well);
diff --git a/opm/simulators/wells/GasLiftRuntime_impl.hpp b/opm/simulators/wells/GasLiftRuntime_impl.hpp
index 52deb4fc0..32b65ffcc 100644
--- a/opm/simulators/wells/GasLiftRuntime_impl.hpp
+++ b/opm/simulators/wells/GasLiftRuntime_impl.hpp
@@ -202,17 +202,20 @@ displayWarning_(std::string msg)
 //   computation of the economic gradient making the gradient
 //   smaller than it should be since the term appears in the denominator.
 template<typename TypeTag>
-double
+bool
 Opm::GasLiftRuntime<TypeTag>::
-getGasRateWithLimit_(std::vector<double> &potentials)
+getGasRateWithLimit_(double& new_rate, const std::vector<double> &potentials)
 {
-    auto new_rate = -potentials[this->gas_pos_];
+    new_rate = -potentials[this->gas_pos_];
+    bool limit = false;
     if (this->controls_.hasControl(Well::ProducerCMode::GRAT)) {
         auto target = this->controls_.gas_rate;
-        if (new_rate > target)
+        if (new_rate > target) {
             new_rate = target;
+            limit = true;
+        }
     }
-    return new_rate;
+    return limit;
 }
 
 
@@ -226,15 +229,18 @@ getGasRateWithLimit_(std::vector<double> &potentials)
 //  also since we also reduced the rate. This might involve
 //   some sort of iteration though..
 template<typename TypeTag>
-double
+bool
 Opm::GasLiftRuntime<TypeTag>::
-getOilRateWithLimit_(std::vector<double> &potentials)
+getOilRateWithLimit_(double& new_rate, const std::vector<double> &potentials)
 {
-    auto new_rate = -potentials[this->oil_pos_];
+    new_rate = -potentials[this->oil_pos_];
+    bool limit = false;
     if (this->controls_.hasControl(Well::ProducerCMode::ORAT)) {
         auto target = this->controls_.oil_rate;
-        if (new_rate > target)
+        if (new_rate > target) {
             new_rate = target;
+            limit = true;
+        }
     }
     if (this->controls_.hasControl(Well::ProducerCMode::LRAT)) {
         auto target = this->controls_.liquid_rate;
@@ -243,9 +249,10 @@ getOilRateWithLimit_(std::vector<double> &potentials)
         auto liq_rate = oil_rate + water_rate;
         if (liq_rate > target) {
             new_rate = oil_rate * (target/liq_rate);
+            limit = true;
        }
     }
-    return new_rate;
+    return limit;
 }
 
 template<typename TypeTag>
@@ -365,8 +372,14 @@ runOptimizeLoop_(bool increase)
         // NOTE: if BHP is below limit, we set state.stop_iteration = true
         auto bhp = state.getBhpWithLimit();
         computeWellRates_(bhp, cur_potentials);
-        auto new_oil_rate = getOilRateWithLimit_(cur_potentials);
-        auto new_gas_rate = getGasRateWithLimit_(cur_potentials);
+        double new_oil_rate = 0.0;
+        bool oil_is_limited = getOilRateWithLimit_(new_oil_rate, cur_potentials);
+        if (oil_is_limited && !increase) //if oil is limited we do not want to decrease
+            break;
+        double new_gas_rate = 0.0;
+        bool gas_is_limited = getGasRateWithLimit_(new_gas_rate, cur_potentials);
+        if (gas_is_limited && increase) // if gas is limited we do not want to increase
+            break;
         auto gradient = state.calcGradient(
             oil_rate, new_oil_rate, gas_rate, new_gas_rate);
         if (state.checkEcoGradient(gradient)) {