September 2024

ENDOCRINOLOGY

STUDYING THE MENTAL HEALTH IMPACT OF SEMAGLUTIDE

Featuring:  Robert Kushner, MD
Semaglutide, a popular weight loss drug, is psychiatrically safe for people without a history of significant mental health disorders, according to a recent clinical trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Semaglutide, sold under brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, has shown promise in treating obesity, but the psychiatric effects of the drug have not been well-studied.


Studying Semaglutide’s Psychiatric Safety
Obesity is associated with many mental health and social complications, making psychiatric safety a key concern for patients on weight loss drugs, says Robert Kushner, MD.

“Since 2012, the FDA has required all medications registered for treatment of obesity to assess participants for suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior,” Kushner said. “That’s because of previous medications that have caused those side effects. Not only is it required, but there’s a popular concern: what are the effects on mental health and mood?”

Study investigators pooled data from four previous international clinical trials studying how semaglutide affects adults with overweight or obesity. The analysis included 3,377 participants who had completed a mental health questionnaire before and after a year or two years of treatment with weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg or placebo.
 
Trial Takeaways
According to the study:
  • Neither group had any clinically meaningful change in average depression score.
  • Patients on semaglutide were 37% less likely to change to a more severe level of depression than those who received placebo.
 
The results suggest semaglutide is psychiatrically safe for patients with obesity who have no major history of mental health disorders, Kushner says.
​
While the results are encouraging, more research is needed to study the psychiatric effects of semaglutide on patients with obesity who have clinically significant depression or other mental health conditions, Kushner adds. The trial did not include patients with moderately severe or severe depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

“If individuals have either mild or moderate depression, it appears to be safe. But what we do not know is whether they truly are safe for individuals who come in with severe depression or a more recent history of suicidal behavior,” Kushner says.  “We need to be careful and study those individuals going forward. All patients who are being treated with an anti-obesity medication need to be periodically monitored for changes in mood or symptoms of depression.”

The study was supported by Novo Nordisk.
 
This article was originally published in the Northwestern Medicine News Center on September 18, 2024. 
Robert Kushner, MD, professor of Endocrinology, co-authored the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.  ​

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