The Ozempic–Suicide Link
Contradicting anecdotal claims, a major study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found no link between semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, and suicidal thoughts.While supporting the NIH findings, the FDA cautioned that it could not definitively rule out a small risk based on reviews of suicidal-thought/action reports in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and said it would continue investigating the issue.
Conflicting Results
As the popularity of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy soars, evidence points to concerning psychological impacts that are only beginning to surface.While self-reported symptoms on social media don’t definitively prove impacts, the analysis provides insights requiring further study.
Alexis Conason, a clinical psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist-consultant, is concerned this renewed attention to weight loss presupposes eating disorders. Ms. Conason told The Epoch Times that some patients are exhibiting “atypical anorexia”—meeting anorexia criteria but having average weight or being slightly overweight—while taking the drugs. These patients are consuming minimal calories a day, “sometimes reporting lightheadedness, fainting episodes, [and other] health abnormalities,” she said. Ms. Conason claims those with atypical anorexia have just as severe medical complications as people with low-weight anorexia, but medical professionals have not widely recognized it.
Given the complex relationship between weight loss and mental health and the novelty of these drugs, more research into psychological effects is ongoing.
Dr. Shebani Sethi, a clinical associate professor at Stanford Medicine’s School of Psychiatric and Behavioral Sciences, founded the Metabolic Psychiatry Clinical program, a first-of-its-kind clinical program to address this intricate relationship. The Metabolic Psychiatry Clinic examines the intersection of metabolic health and mental health, combining the principles of biological psychiatry and a metabolic perspective that emphasizes optimizing metabolic functioning, including improving inflammation, energy pathways, and insulin resistance.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
A 2023 Reuters analysis found Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic and other weight-loss and diabetes drugs, paid U.S. obesity doctors at least $25.8 million over a decade in fees and expenses related to its weight-loss drugs.The company told investors its target market comprises 764 million obese people globally, with the United States being its most lucrative region, according to the report.
Novo Nordisk told Reuters its relationships with doctors extend beyond marketing, stressing its responsibility “to do more than supply the right medicine” and that it collaborates with medical professionals “to conduct research and educate and raise awareness about obesity, a condition that has long been underrecognized and misunderstood.”
Dr. Jamy Ard of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the incoming president of The Obesity Society, has accepted over $200,000 from Novo Nordisk, according to the Reuters analysis. He said The Obesity Society would be transparent about conflicts of interest but that “such conflicts are hard to avoid in the relatively small obesity field.”
The Long-Term Mental Health Trade-Off of Weight-Loss Drugs
Establishing a clear, causal link between metabolic diseases, depression, and medications is difficult due to their possible reciprocal relationship, shared underlying mechanisms, and individual differences, according to the study published in Brain Sciences.For instance, an Ozempic patient losing weight may have a preexisting mental illness that weight loss won’t alleviate. However, for others, anxiety or depression may be soothed by the self-esteem boost accompanying weight loss.
Experts agree that prescribing weight-loss drugs and monitoring mental health must be individualized.
“Mental health conditions can be complex and are not homogenous,” Dr. Sethi told The Epoch Times. “For some, weight loss’ bodily effects, while positive for metabolic dysfunction, don’t necessarily improve mental health.” Each patient’s reactions to the drugs are unique, she added.
Other experts worry about the psychological toll these new weight-loss drugs may have on a culture already obsessed with dieting.
“They’re treated better, they often feel better, they’re getting tons of compliments,” she continued. She believes hopelessness can set in when the weight returns. “It can take a toll on mental health.”
