Medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, which contain the active ingredient semaglutide—a GLP-1 receptor agonist—could help ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to recent research.
Key Findings from Large-Scale Analysis
An international team of researchers analyzed health registry data from Sweden spanning 2009 to 2022. They focused on more than 95,000 patients diagnosed with anxiety or depression who also took anti-diabetic drugs, including 22,480 individuals using GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Published in The Lancet Psychiatry, the study links semaglutide (found in Ozempic and Wegovy) and liraglutide (sold as Saxenda) to a lower risk of mental health deterioration compared to non-users. Semaglutide specifically correlates with a 44% reduced risk of worsening depression, a 38% reduced risk of worsening anxiety, and lower chances of substance abuse. Liraglutide shows a similar association with decreased depression progression.
Potential Dual Benefits
“For anxiety and depression that co-occur with diabetes and obesity, semaglutide and, to a lesser extent, liraglutide might be useful dually effective therapeutic options,” state the researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and Griffith University in Australia.
Markku Lahteenvuo, research director at the University of Eastern Finland, notes: “Because this is a registry-based study, we cannot determine exactly why or how these medications affect mood symptoms, but the association was quite strong. 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.”
Separate Study on Pregnancy Risks
Danish researchers examined GLP-1 receptor agonists’ impact on early pregnancies using data from 480,231 women across 756,636 pregnancies. Among them, 529 women unintentionally used liraglutide or semaglutide early on.
The analysis reveals an elevated preterm birth risk—birth before 37 weeks—among those taking the drugs for diabetes management. However, no such increased risk appears in women using them for weight loss. This points to underlying diabetes as the likely cause rather than the medication itself.
