GLP-1 Medications and Mood: Where Regulators Stand

Starting a medication that changes your appetite can stir up a lot of feelings, and it is completely natural to wonder how it might affect your mood too. Here is the reassuring part first: when regulators took a careful, serious look, they did not find that GLP-1 medications cause suicidal thoughts or actions. Let’s walk through what they checked, what is still being watched, and some kind reminders for looking after yourself along the way. This is general education, not medical advice.

Why regulators took a closer look

In July 2023, the European Medicines Agency began a review after the Icelandic medicines agency reported cases of suicidal thoughts and thoughts of self-injury in people using liraglutide and semaglutide. Reports like these are a signal to investigate, not proof that a medicine is the cause. They can come from the medication, from the condition being treated, from the stress of living with obesity or diabetes, or just by coincidence among a very large number of users. Checking carefully is exactly what good safety systems are for.

What Europe concluded

In April 2024, the EMA’s safety committee (PRAC) wrapped up its review with a clear result: the evidence did not establish a causal link between GLP-1 medications and suicidal thoughts or actions. The committee looked at reports, published studies and electronic health record analyses, including a study of semaglutide that found no causal association and a separate study in people with type 2 diabetes that reached the same conclusion for suicide-related and self-injury-related events. No change to the product information was needed, and manufacturers will keep monitoring, which is a good thing.

What the United States found

News coverage reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in a preliminary evaluation in January 2024, also found no evidence that these medicines cause suicidal thoughts or actions, while saying it could not rule out a small risk and would keep looking. Labels differ by product. The prescribing information for some weight-management medications asks people and clinicians to watch for depression and suicidal thoughts, so it is worth reading the label for your own medication and asking your care team anything that is on your mind.

Gentle reminders to carry with you

• Weight, mood and food are connected. Big changes in eating, body shape and daily routines can affect how you feel, and for many people those changes feel wonderful.
• Your feelings always deserve attention. Whether or not a medicine is involved, new or worsening sadness, anxiety, hopelessness or thoughts of self-harm are good reasons to reach out to a clinician. Asking for help is a strength.
• Keep your prescriber in the loop. Changing or stopping a medication is a decision to make together with them, not on your own.
• Share your history. If you have ever had a mental health condition, telling your care team helps them support you well.

If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, please contact a clinician or emergency services right away. In the U.S. you can call or text 988 at any time. You do not have to go through it alone.

Taking good care of you

Sleep, movement, time with people you like and a steady routine lift mood for almost everyone, and they make a lovely team with any treatment plan. Our guides to eating well on a GLP-1 medication, food noise and side effects in the big trials cover other parts of the experience, and our look at alcohol cravings shows how these medications may do more than quiet appetite.

Sources

• European Medicines Agency, Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee. Statement on GLP-1 receptor agonists and suicidal thoughts and actions, April 2024 (details from the agency’s statement as reported by news outlets).
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Update on the ongoing evaluation of reports of suicidal thoughts or actions in patients taking a certain type of medicines approved for type 2 diabetes and obesity, January 2024 (details from news coverage; not read directly).