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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.

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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.

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Posted January 2024

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