If you or someone you know is experiencing mental distress or suicidal thoughts, you can contact the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by phone call or text. You can also visit 988lifeline.org.
(NewsNation) — A new study has found a potential link between the popular weight loss drug semaglutide and an increased risk of suicidal thoughts after previous research didn’t find any link.
Researchers found that patients taking semaglutide were more likely to report suicidal ideation compared to those taking other medications.
Semaglutide, sold under brand names like Wegovy and Ozempic, is part of a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. Originally developed to treat diabetes, these drugs have gained widespread popularity for their weight loss effects.
The study, published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open, examined reports from the World Health Organization’s database of suspected adverse drug reactions. Out of over 30,000 total reports for semaglutide, 107 cases involved suicidal or self-injurious thoughts or behaviors.
The signal remained significant even when researchers accounted for patients also taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. This suggests people with existing mental health conditions may be at higher risk.
Importantly, the study did not find the same link for liraglutide, another drug in the same class.
A study in January however found that those on these drugs could actually have a lower risk of suicidal thoughts.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said a preliminary review showed no evidence of such a link, though the agency said it could not rule out that “a small risk may exist” and that it would continue to study the issue.
Other studies have found a correlation between Ozempic-like drugs and lower rates of depression and anxiety.
The researchers of the JAMA study wrote that this type of analysis cannot prove causation and called for urgent further investigation to clarify the potential risks due to the varying results in many studies.
Experts stress that patients should not stop taking prescribed medications without consulting their doctor. The benefits of these drugs may still outweigh the risks for many patients.
However, the researchers suggested that a warning about potential psychiatric side effects could be added to semaglutide’s labeling, especially for patients with a history of mental health issues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
