Summary: A new study has found no proof that GLP-1 compounds, popular diabetes medication, increase the risk of death, self-harm, or related mental health issues. No obvious link was found between the drugs and mental health challenges according to experts who analyzed data from around 300, 000 individuals who were given these drugs.
This getting supports past judgments made by Western regulators and gives comfort to millions of users. However, more research are recommended, especially for people with a history of self-harm or depressive feelings.
Important Facts:
- No increased risk of suicide, self-harm, or despair was found with GLP-1 medication.
- Data from 300, 000 people in Sweden and Denmark was analyzed over two decades.
- For those who have a history of mental health issues, more investigation is required.
Origin: Karolinska Institute
Concerned that popular diabetes medications increase the risk of self-harm and suicide. In a new investigation, led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and published in , Jama Internal Medicine, no such danger improve was observed.
Medication of the kind GLP-1 equivalents lower blood sugar levels and are used by thousands of people all over the world. Although they are primarily used to treat diabetes, obesity-fighting medications like Ozempic have also been demonstrated to be successful. As a result, they are more common.
Both American and European substance authorities have both issued warnings that the drugs may include potential risks.
Last year, the European Medicines Agency ( EMA ) launched an investigation following around 150 reported possible cases of suicidal thoughts and self-injury with use of GLP-1 analogues.
The research was finished in the spring, and it came to the conclusion that there were no visible connections based on the limited information at the time. This realization can now be supported by Karolinska Institutet experts. They have analyzed a lot of information from GLP-1-treated citizens in Sweden and Denmark.
” We found no apparent link between the use of the medicines and an increased risk of suicide dying, self-harm or despair and anxiety-related problems. This is reassuring”. says Björn Pasternak, principal scientist at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, and one of the study’s lead writers.
The information includes about 300, 000 people aged 18–84 who started care with either GLP-1 compounds or SGLT2 antagonists, another type of diabetes medication, during the times 2013–2021.
After a indicate follow-up span of only over two decades, there was no apparent increase in the proportion of people who committed murder, engaged in self-harm, or suffered from depression or anxiety-related problems among people of GLP-1 sensor receptors.
Peter Ueda, an associate professor at the same section and one of the survey’s principal artists, maintains that larger studies are necessary as more data is collected.
” It is crucial to specifically examine people with previous self-harm or suicidal thoughts because they are at increased risk and it is possible that this group’s safety profile differs,” he says.  ,
Funding: The study was primarily funded by Karolinska Institutet and was carried out in collaboration with Danish researchers. Some of the researchers report conflicts of interest, see the study for more information.
About this news from neuropharmacology and mental health research
Author: Press Office
Source: Karolinska Institute
Contact: Press Office – Karolinska Institute
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“GLP-1 receptor agonists and risk of suicide death: nationwide cohort study in Sweden and Denmark” by Björn Pasternak et al. JAMA Internal Medicine
Abstract
GLP-1 receptor agonists and risk of suicide death: nationwide cohort study in Sweden and Denmark
Importance
Concerns have been raised regarding a link between use of glucagon-like peptide-1 ( GLP-1 ) receptor agonists and increased risk of suicidality and self-harm.
Objective
To examine whether the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists in routine clinical settings increases the risk of suicide.
Design, Setting, and Participants ,  ,
Use of nationwide register data from Sweden and Denmark for this active-comparator new-user cohort study from 2013 to 2021. Adults 18 to 84 years old who initiated treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists or the comparator sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2 ) inhibitors were included. From March to June 2024, data were analyzed.
Exposure
 , Initiation of treatment with a GLP-1 receptor agonist or SGLT2 inhibitor.
Main Outcomes and Measures ,  ,
The cause of death registers for suicide deaths were used as the main result. The composite of suicide death and nonfatal self-harm and the composite of incident depression and anxiety-related disorders were the second-guessers outcomes. Using propensity score weighting, hazard ratios ( HRs ) with 95 % CIs were calculated separately in the 2 countries and pooled in a meta-analysis.
Results
In total, 124 517 adults initiated a GLP-1 receptor agonist and 174 036 initiated an SGLT2 inhibitor, among GLP-1 receptor agonist users, the mean ( SD ) age was 60 ( 13 ) years, and 45 % were women. During a mean ( SD ) follow-up of 2.5 ( 1.7 ) years, 77 suicide deaths occurred among users of GLP-1 receptor agonists and 71 suicide deaths occurred among users of SGLT2 inhibitors: weighted incidences were 0.23 vs 0.18 events per 1000 person-years ( HR, 1.25, 95 % CI, 0.83-1.88 ), with an absolute difference of 0.05 (95 % CI, −0.03 to 0.16 ) events per 1000 person-years. The HR was 0.83 (95 % CI, 0.70-0.97 ) for suicide death and nonfatal self-harm, and the HR was 1.01 (95 % CI, 0.97-1.06 ) for incident depression and anxiety-related disorders.
Conclusions and Relevance ,  ,
This cohort study, including mostly patients with type 2 diabetes, does not show an association between use of GLP-1 receptor agonists and an increased risk of suicide death, self-harm, or incident depression and anxiety-related disorders. The upper limit of the confidence interval was compatible with an absolute risk increase of no more than 0.16 events per 1000 person-years, and suicide death among GLP-1 receptor agonist users was uncommon.
