GLP-1 Medicine Ozempic and Wegovy Not Linked to Elevated Danger of Suicidal Ideas
A big new examine means that Ozempic and Wegovy don’t improve the danger of suicidal ideas, a possible aspect impact that has prompted regulatory investigations in the US and Europe.
Each medication comprise the identical lively ingredient, semaglutide, and are in a household of medicines generally known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which may help management blood sugar ranges and scale back starvation. Regulators in the US, Europe, and the UK have mentioned they’re investigating circumstances 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 examine of greater than 1.8 million U.S. sufferers, nonetheless, individuals on Wegovy and Ozempic had a 49 % to 73 % decrease danger of suicidal ideas than people who had been taking different medicines for weight reduction or kind 2 diabetes, in accordance with outcomes printed January 5 in Nature Medication.
“These findings sign preliminary proof for the security of semaglutide for these with psychological well being circumstances, who could also be at higher danger of experiencing hurt from negative effects that trigger suicidal ideas,” says the senior examine writer, 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 information over the six months after individuals had been prescribed semaglutide or a special medicine for weight reduction or for kind 2 diabetes.
Almost 1.6 million members took semaglutide or one other medication for kind 2 diabetes. For these individuals, 0.13 % on semaglutide and 0.36 % given different medication skilled suicidal ideas for the primary time throughout the interval examined within the examine.
When individuals had a historical past of suicidal ideas, 10 % on semaglutide and 18 % given totally different medicines had recurrent suicidal ideas throughout the six months.
Amongst greater than 240,000 members prescribed medicines for weight reduction, 0.11 % of these on semaglutide had suicidal ideas for the primary time, in contrast with 0.43 % for people taking totally different weight reduction medication.
When weight reduction sufferers already had a historical past of suicidal ideas, 7 % on semaglutide skilled recurrent issues with this, in contrast with 14 % of individuals prescribed totally different weight reduction medication.
The examine wasn’t designed to show whether or not or how totally different GLP-1 medication or different medicines may instantly trigger or forestall suicidal ideas or behaviors.
Weight and Psychological Well being
It’s not precisely clear why there have been circumstances of suicidal ideas noticed in some individuals taking medication for weight reduction, says Nora Volkow, MD, a coauthor of the brand new examine 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 modifications 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 replicate the distinct mechanism of pharmacological motion and deserves additional investigation.”
Shauna Levy, MD, the medical director of the Tulane Weight Loss Heart in New Orleans, says the brand new examine outcomes mirror what she’s seen together with her personal sufferers.
“These outcomes are in keeping with 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 examine. “I’ve not had many sufferers with suicidal ideation in my follow.”
Levy agreed that the precise motive why semaglutide may imply much less danger of suicidal ideas isn’t clear. At the least initially, weight reduction might be related to improved temper, no less than partly as a result of weight problems is tied to larger charges of melancholy and nervousness.
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However extra analysis is required to pinpoint the exact motive for temper shifts related to GLP-1 medication basically or with semaglutide specifically.
Within the meantime, Levy says the brand new examine outcomes received’t change how she treats sufferers. “It’s nonetheless extremely vital to observe sufferers fastidiously for any preexisting circumstances or any modifications in psychological well being following utilization of GLP-1 agonists,” Levy says. “It can be crucial that sufferers who’re taking GLP-1 agonists are adopted carefully by a medical skilled.”
