This content material initially appeared on On a regular basis Well being. Republished with permission.
A big new research means that Ozempic and Wegovy don’t improve the danger of suicidal ideas, a possible aspect impact that has prompted regulatory investigations in the USA and Europe.
Each medication include the identical energetic ingredient, semaglutide, and are in a household of medicines generally known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which might help management blood sugar ranges and scale back starvation. Regulators within the United States, Europe, and the UK have mentioned they’re investigating instances of suicidal ideas (additionally referred to as suicidal ideation) reported in some individuals who took Ozempic, Wegovy, and different GLP-1 medication.
Within the new research of greater than 1.8 million U.S. sufferers, nevertheless, individuals on Wegovy and Ozempic had a 49 p.c to 73 p.c decrease danger of suicidal ideas than people who have been taking different medicines for weight reduction or kind 2 diabetes, in keeping with outcomes revealed January 5 in Nature Drugs.
“These findings sign preliminary proof for the protection of semaglutide for these with psychological well being circumstances, who could also be at larger danger of experiencing hurt from unwanted effects that trigger suicidal ideas,” says the senior research creator, Rong Xu, PhD, the director of the middle for synthetic intelligence in drug discovery at Case Western Reserve College in Cleveland.
Decrease Danger of Suicidal Ideas With Semaglutide
Researchers examined digital well being data over the six months after individuals have been prescribed semaglutide or a distinct treatment for weight reduction or for kind 2 diabetes.
Practically 1.6 million members took semaglutide or one other drugs for kind 2 diabetes. For these individuals, 0.13 p.c on semaglutide and 0.36 p.c given different medication skilled suicidal ideas for the primary time in the course of the interval examined within the research.
When individuals had a historical past of suicidal ideas, 10 p.c on semaglutide and 18 p.c given completely different medicines had recurrent suicidal ideas in the course of the six months.
Amongst greater than 240,000 members prescribed medicines for weight reduction, 0.11 p.c of these on semaglutide had suicidal ideas for the primary time, in contrast with 0.43 p.c for people taking completely different weight reduction medication.
When weight reduction sufferers already had a historical past of suicidal ideas, 7 p.c on semaglutide skilled recurrent issues with this, in contrast with 14 p.c of individuals prescribed completely different weight reduction medication.
The research wasn’t designed to show whether or not or how completely different GLP-1 medication or different medicines would possibly instantly trigger or forestall suicidal ideas or behaviors.
Weight and Psychological Well being
It’s not precisely clear why there have been instances of suicidal ideas noticed in some individuals taking medication for weight reduction, says Nora Volkow, MD, a coauthor of the brand new research and the director of the Nationwide Institute on Drug Abuse on the Nationwide Institutes of Well being.
“Some speculate that it pertains to a removing of meals as a rewarding stimuli, or to the related adjustments in peripheral hormones linked with weight reduction,” Volkow says. “The decrease stage of danger of suicidal ideation in sufferers handled with semaglutide in comparison with sufferers handled with different anti-diabetes or anti-obesity drugs might mirror the distinct mechanism of pharmacological motion and deserves additional investigation.”
Shauna Levy, MD, the medical director of the Tulane Weight Loss Middle in New Orleans, says the brand new research outcomes mirror what she’s seen together with her personal sufferers.
“These outcomes are according to what I’ve seen from my sufferers, within the sense that they really feel happier after taking GLP-1 agonists,” says Dr. Levy, who wasn’t concerned within the new research. “I’ve not had many sufferers with suicidal ideation in my follow.”
Levy agreed that the precise purpose why semaglutide would possibly imply much less danger of suicidal ideas isn’t clear. At the least initially, weight reduction will be related to improved temper, at the very least partially as a result of weight problems is tied to larger charges of melancholy and anxiousness.
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However extra analysis is required to pinpoint the exact purpose for temper shifts related to GLP-1 medication generally or with semaglutide specifically.
Within the meantime, Levy says the brand new research outcomes received’t change how she treats sufferers. “It’s nonetheless extremely vital to observe sufferers fastidiously for any preexisting circumstances or any adjustments in psychological well being following utilization of GLP-1 agonists,” Levy says. “It will be important that sufferers who’re taking GLP-1 agonists are adopted intently by a medical skilled.”
