A new study has found a link between the active ingredient in popular weight loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy and a 45% higher likelihood of suicidal ideation.
It's a significant finding that prompted the authors of the study to write that it “warrants urgent clarification.” The study, which was published in the journal JAMA Network Open, was based on an analysis of the World Health Organization’s adverse drug events database. To reach their conclusion, they compared reporting rates of suicidal ideation and other suicide-related behaviors for individuals taking semaglutide as well as another weight loss medication that falls into the same class of drugs, liraglutide.
When they compared these suicidal ideation rates to those of all the other drugs listed in the WHO database, they found a shocking 45% higher likelihood of suicidal ideation linked to semaglutide. Among those who reported suicidal effects from taking semaglutide, 86% experienced suicidal ideation, while 6.5% attempted suicide and another 6.5% attempted to overdose. Sadly, discontinuing the drug only caused suicidal ideation to go away 62% of the time.
Medical University of South Carolina psychiatry and behavioral sciences professor Patrick O'Neil pointed out that as central nervous system drugs, the possibility of psychiatric adverse events with these medications needs to be considered.
He told The Epoch Times: “Most of the drugs that have been studied for the management of obesity are central nervous system drugs. And so there’s long been a concern about any psychiatric adverse events associated with those drugs, be it anxiety, insomnia, depression, any of these things.”
The researchers noted that roughly half of the suicidality cases they identified took place among people who were using the drugs off label. Although these drugs were originally intended for patients with diabetes, they are often used off label to help people lose weight.
Unfortunately, the increase in suicidality skyrockets for those who take semaglutide in conjunction with anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines or antidepressants. This combination has been linked to a 150 to 300% increase in suicidality.
Chiara Gastaldon, the study’s lead author and a research fellow for the WHO, cautioned: “We suggest that physicians prescribing semaglutide should inform their patients about the medications’ risks and assess the psychiatric history and evaluate the mental state of patients before starting treatment.”
The FDA investigated this issue earlier this year, and although they said at the time that they could not find a link between suicidal thoughts and popular weight loss medications, they cautioned that they were unable to definitively rule out the possibility that “a small risk may exist” and promised to keep monitoring patients for side effects.
The patient information that is included in the packaging of semaglutide medication already contains a warning to watch out for suicidal thoughts and depression.
Semaglutide already linked to a number of serious side effects
Semaglutide works by mimicking a hormone the body produces naturally after eating known as GLP-1. This causes users to feel fuller for a longer time.
Some of the common side effects of these drugs include nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation. However, some patients also experience more serious side effects such as sudden vision loss, optic nerve damage, pancreatitis, thyroid tumors, kidney failure, gall bladder problems and hypoglycemia.
There have also been reports of gastroparesis, which is a paralysis of the stomach related to delayed gastric emptying. For some patients, the drug is so effective at suppressing appetite that they experience malnutrition. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the long-term effects of using these drugs for weight loss are not known and could be even more severe.
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