Mar 19, 2026
3 min read
Drugs such as semaglutide may help with psychiatric disorders related to diabetes, the authors say.
According to research, diabetes drugs can worsen anxiety and depression
Type 2 diabetes affects more than 800 million people worldwide, and research shows that people with the condition are twice as likely to be depressed as the general population.
GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide, are commonly prescribed for diabetes and obesity.Although research has found other health benefits beyond weight loss and improving blood sugar levels, the effects of the medication on mental health are unclear.
International researchers examined Swedish health data on nearly 95,000 people diagnosed with depression or anxiety who were also taking various diabetes medications between 2009 and 2022.
The study compared periods when patients were taking GLP1 or other second-line antidiabetic drugs with periods when they were not.Mental health deterioration was assessed using data on psychiatric hospital admissions, sick leave from work, hospitalization due to self-harm, and death by suicide.The research, published in Lancet Psychiatry, also looked at data on new diagnoses of anxiety and depression.
The authors found that semaglutide, the active ingredient in the drugs Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss, as well as liraglutide (Saxenda) were associated with a lower risk of worsening mental illness in those with anxiety and depression.
Semaglutide was associated with a 42% lower risk of poor mental health, while liraglutide was associated with an 18% lower risk.Other GLP-1 drugs, including exenatide and dulaglutide, have not shown similar benefit.
Semaglutide was associated with a 44% lower risk of depressive disorder, a 38% lower risk of anxiety disorders, and a 47% lower risk of worsening substance use disorders.
"For anxiety and depression co-occurring with diabetes and obesity, semaglutide and liraglutide may be less useful than effective therapeutic options," the authors concluded.
Research Director of the University of Eastern Finland Dr.Markku Lahtinvuo said: "In addition to factors such as reduced alcohol consumption, improvements in body image associated with weight loss, or relief associated with better glycemic control in diabetes, direct neurobiological mechanisms may also be involved, for example, through changes in the functioning of the brain's reward system."
Experts including Professor David Nutt, head of the department of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and chair of the Independent Scientific Medicines Committee, warned of caution in response to the findings.
He said: “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.”
Professor Eduard Vieta, Professor of Psychology at the University of Barcelona and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, said: "From a clinical perspective, these results confirm the psychiatric safety of GLP-1 agonists and suggest a possible role in improving not only the prevention of deterioration but also the mental health outcome."
"However, they should not be interpreted as evidence for specific treatment of depression or anxiety."
A separate study found that women who took semaglutide for diabetes before becoming pregnant had an 84% higher chance of stillbirth than women who didn't take a GLP-1 drug, and a 70% higher chance with liraglutide.
Academic experts looked at Danish health records for nearly 500,000 women, of whom 529 were taking liraglutide or semaglutide when they became pregnant.
The study found that inadvertent exposure to GLP-1 in early pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of the baby being born before 37 weeks when the drug was used to treat diabetes, but not among those taking it for weight loss.
Taking semaglutide had an approximately 11% higher absolute risk of preterm birth.Liraglutide had a 9% higher risk.
