Skip to main content

Risk for Suicidal Ideation Not Increased With Semaglutide

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 9, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Jan. 9, 2024 -- For individuals with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes, semaglutide is not associated with an increased risk for suicidal ideation compared with non-glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R) agonist antiobesity medications, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in Nature Medicine.

William Wang, from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records to examine the associations of semaglutide versus non-GLP1R agonist antiobesity medications with suicidal ideation. The study population included 240,618 patients with overweight or obesity; findings were replicated among 1,589,855 patients with type 2 diabetes.

The researchers found that the risks for incident and recurrent suicidal ideation were lower for patients with overweight or obesity receiving semaglutide versus non-GLP1R agonist antiobesity medications (hazard ratios, 0.27 and 0.44, respectively); the findings were consistent across sex, age, and ethnicity stratification. In patients with type 2 diabetes, similar findings were replicated.

"Further studies should evaluate the association of semaglutide and other GLP1R agonist medications with the incidence and recurrence of suicidality in other at-risk populations," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2024

Read this next

Greater Reduction Seen in Mortality With Bariatric Surgery Than GLP-1 RAs

MONDAY, June 10, 2024 -- Bariatric metabolic surgery (BMS) is associated with a greater reduction in mortality than glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) treatment...

Risk of Suicide, Homicide Both Higher at Night

FRIDAY, June 7, 2024 -- The risk of suicide and homicide is higher at night than might be expected based on the number of people awake at that time, according to a study published...

Social Media Use Tied to Depression, but Not Sole Cause in Young Adults

FRIDAY, June 7, 2024 -- Social media use and depression are associated, but social media use is not prospectively related to the course of depressive symptoms, according to a...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.