GLP-1 Diabetes Drugs Could Help Prevent Worsening of Anxiety and Depression, Research Suggests
Drugs such as semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss, may offer benefits for mental health conditions associated with diabetes, according to a new study. The research indicates that these medications could help stop anxiety and depression from worsening in patients with type 2 diabetes, a condition affecting over 800 million people globally.
Study Details and Key Findings
International researchers examined Swedish health records of nearly 95,000 individuals diagnosed with depression or anxiety who were also taking various diabetes medications between 2009 and 2022. The study, published in the Lancet Psychiatry, compared periods when patients were on GLP-1 receptor agonists or other second-line diabetes drugs versus when they were not.
Worsening mental health was assessed through data on psychiatric hospital admissions, sick leave due to mental health reasons, hospitalisation for self-harm, and death by suicide. The authors found that semaglutide and liraglutide (Saxenda) were associated with a lower risk of worsening mental illness in those with anxiety and depression.
- Semaglutide showed a 42% lower risk of worsening mental health overall.
- Liraglutide was linked to an 18% lower risk.
- Other GLP-1 drugs, such as exenatide and dulaglutide, did not demonstrate the same benefit.
Specifically, semaglutide was associated with a 44% lower risk of worsening depression, a 38% lower risk of worsening anxiety, and a 47% lower risk of worsening substance use disorder.
Expert Insights and Cautionary Notes
Dr. Markku Lähteenvuo, a research director at the University of Eastern Finland, suggested potential mechanisms behind these findings. "It is possible that, in addition to factors such as reduced alcohol consumption, weight loss-related improvements in body image, or relief associated with better glycaemic control in diabetes, there may also be direct neurobiological mechanisms involved, for example, through changes in the functioning of the brain's reward system," he said.
However, experts urged caution in interpreting the results. Prof. David Nutt, head of the neuropsychopharmacology unit at Imperial College London, noted, "It is well established that better mental health tends to follow from better physical health and since the 1880s we have known that diabetes is associated with depression, although I think it's unlikely that using GLP-1R agonists alone as treatments for depression or anxiety will work."
Prof. Eduard Vieta, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Barcelona, added, "From a clinical perspective, these findings are reassuring regarding the psychiatric safety of GLP-1 receptor agonists and suggest a potential role not only in preventing worsening but also, possibly, in improving mental health outcomes. However, they should not yet be interpreted as evidence of a direct therapeutic effect on depression or anxiety."
Related Safety Concerns in Pregnancy
Separately, a study found that women taking semaglutide for diabetes before they knew they were pregnant had an 84% higher relative risk of preterm birth compared to those not on GLP-1 medication, with liraglutide showing a 70% higher risk. Academics analyzed Danish health registries for nearly 500,000 women, including 529 who had been taking these drugs during early pregnancy.
The research indicated that inadvertent exposure to GLP-1s in early pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of preterm birth when used for diabetes treatment, but not for weight loss. Taking semaglutide was linked to an approximately 11% higher absolute risk of preterm birth, while liraglutide showed a 9% increased risk.
Overall, while GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide and liraglutide show promise in reducing the risk of worsening mental health in diabetes patients, further research is needed to confirm their direct therapeutic effects and address safety concerns in specific populations.
