#glp-1 — Public Fediverse posts
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 02:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Semaglutide may protect against psychiatric disorders independent of weight loss
New research suggests that higher doses of the medication semaglutide might be linked to a lower risk of developing certain mental health and neurological conditions, and this association appears to be independent of how much weight a person loses. The findings, published in npj Metabolic Health and Disease, indicate that the drug’s effects on the brain may go beyond its well-known metabolic benefits.
Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists. Originally developed to help manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, these drugs mimic a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1. The drug works by binding to GLP-1 receptors, which are specific protein structures located on the surface of cells, prompting the cell to behave in a certain way. While they are most famous for stimulating insulin release and slowing digestion, GLP-1 receptors are also present in the brain, including areas that control appetite and reward.
In recent years, semaglutide has become widely used as a treatment for obesity. Beyond weight management, it has also demonstrated protective effects on other organs. For example, a 2023 clinical trial found that semaglutide reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with obesity who do not have diabetes. Because of these wide-ranging health improvements, scientists want to understand the exact mechanisms at play. They question whether the positive changes in the body are a direct result of the medication acting on cells in different organs, or if they are simply a secondary benefit of carrying less body weight.
The research, led by Karthik Murugadoss and Venky Soundararajan of nference, aimed to explore these competing possibilities by examining how semaglutide relates to cognitive and mental health outcomes. By analyzing the medical histories of thousands of patients, the team hoped to see if psychiatric outcomes tracked more closely with the dosage of the medication a patient took or with the amount of weight they lost while taking it.
“Many patients report experiencing metabolic health problems and mental health conditions concurrently, yet treatment success is often summarized by kilograms or pounds lost,” said Soundararajan, founder and chief scientific officer at nference. “We wanted to understand whether Wegovy (semaglutide) dose and weight loss tell the same narrative about subsequent neurological and psychiatric diagnoses.”
The researchers conducted an observational study using a massive database of electronic health records. They identified 63,215 patients who were prescribed semaglutide and already had a documented history of a neurological or psychiatric condition. To establish a baseline for comparison, the researchers first matched these patients with individuals taking other common diabetes medications, such as metformin, making sure the groups were similar in age, sex, body mass index, and diabetes status.
Over a two-year period, patients taking semaglutide generally had lower rates of being diagnosed with new neuropsychiatric issues compared to those taking metformin. For instance, the incidence of substance-related disorders was 3.8 percent in the semaglutide group compared to 6.1 percent in the metformin group. Mood disorders were recorded in 10.5 percent of semaglutide users versus 13.2 percent of metformin users.
To dig deeper, the researchers split the semaglutide patients into groups based on two factors: the maximum dose they reached during their first two years of treatment and the maximum amount of weight they lost during that same window. The researchers then looked at the subsequent two years of medical records to see who developed new neuropsychiatric conditions, treating the two-year mark as a dividing line or “landmark.”
Achieving a higher dose of semaglutide, defined as 1.7 milligrams or more, was associated with lower rates of several mental health conditions compared to staying on a lower dose of 0.25 to 1.0 milligrams. Patients on high doses had a 29 percent lower relative risk of developing substance-related disorders during the follow-up period. They also had an 18 percent lower relative risk of mood disorders. Similar reductions were seen in rates of anxiety, neuromuscular diseases, and impulse-control disorders.
“These represent approximately 18% and 29% lower relative incidence, respectively, with absolute differences equivalent to about 23 and 14 fewer diagnoses per 1,000 people at risk,” Soundararajan told PsyPost. “Whether changing someone’s dose would produce those differences requires a randomized control trial.”
“The selectivity was striking: the association with higher doses of semaglutide did not extend across all neurological outcomes,” he added. “For example, dementia/degenerative central nervous system disease showed no significant difference between semaglutide dose groups. That reinforces why each neuropsychiatric outcome needs its own evidence and merits future studies that examine personalized precision GLP-1 medicine dosage and outcome measurements in support of each patient’s holistic health.”
When the researchers grouped patients by how much weight they lost, which ranged from less than 5 percent to more than 20 percent of their body weight, they did not see the same patterns. The amount of weight a person shed was not strongly linked to their risk of developing substance, mood, or anxiety disorders. This disconnect suggests that the psychiatric benefits associated with the drug might be driven by the medication itself rather than the physical act of losing weight.
“The weighing scale may tell only part of the story when it comes to GLP-1 medicines,” Soundararajan said. “Higher attained Wegovy (semaglutide) doses were associated with fewer subsequent mood, anxiety-related and substance-related diagnoses, without corresponding differences across weight-loss groups. This raises an important question for future research: how much can weight change alone tell us about a patient’s broader neuropsychiatric health improvement response to treatment?”
There was, however, an exception regarding cognitive and speech symptoms. These specific outcomes were more closely related to how much weight a patient lost rather than their medication dose. Patients who lost the most weight actually had slightly higher rates of recorded cognitive symptoms, rising from 2.1 percent in the group that lost the least weight to 4.7 percent in the group that lost the most. The researchers note that this does not necessarily mean the drug harms cognition. In real-world medical data, extreme weight loss can sometimes be an unintentional result of an underlying decline in health or frailty, which could also explain the increase in cognitive issues.
To provide biological context for these clinical findings, the researchers also examined publicly available genetic databases to map where the GLP-1 receptor is naturally produced in the human body. They found trace amounts of the receptor in specific brain regions, such as the hypothalamus, which helps regulate hormones and basic physical needs, and the caudate nucleus, which is involved in learning and reward processing. This genetic evidence provides a plausible pathway for the medication to interact directly with the central nervous system.
As with all research, there are a few caveats to consider. Because this was a retrospective observational study based on medical records, it cannot prove cause and effect. A major consideration is healthy-adherer bias. People who reach higher doses of a medication might just be healthier overall, more engaged with their healthcare providers, or better at taking their medication consistently. Those who experienced negative side effects early in treatment would naturally stay on lower doses or stop taking the drug altogether, which could skew the high-dose group toward individuals who already felt well.
The study also relied on medical diagnostic codes entered by doctors. These codes only capture when a condition is formally diagnosed, which often lags behind when the condition biologically began. The research was not designed to evaluate immediate psychiatric side effects that might happen right after starting the medication, nor should the findings be used to justify prescribing semaglutide specifically for psychiatric conditions. Future prospective trials, where patients are randomly assigned to different doses and closely monitored over time, will be needed to fully map out the drug’s impact on the brain.
“‘Independent of weight loss’ should be understood cautiously: comparing separate dose and weight-loss groups does not establish a direct drug effect independent of weight,” Soundararajan explained. “People who reach higher doses may differ in treatment tolerance, continuity of care and affordability, all of which could influence outcomes. We measured newly recorded diagnoses, which cannot establish recovery from an existing mental-health condition.”
“Our long-term aim is to understand which patients benefit, at what dose, and with what trade-offs across the body and brain,” he continued. “A priority is to use AI-assisted review of clinical notes to clarify actual medication use with expert physician adjudication and validation. We will similarly assess their reasons for stopping and symptom trajectories, and finally test the most credible signals with the greatest real-world evidence in prospective, gold-standard clinical trials.”
“For someone living with obesity or diabetes alongside a mental-health condition, everyday functioning, relationships and emotional well-being are central to what better health means,” Soundararajan said. “We hope this study by nference encourages future studies to measure treatment success in ways that reflect those priorities.”
The study, “Higher semaglutide dose is associated with lower neuropsychiatric event incidence independent of weight loss,” was authored by Karthik Murugadoss, A. J. Venkatakrishnan, and Venky Soundararajan.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Semaglutide #GLP1 #NeuropsychiatricHealth #MentalHealthResearch #WeightLossIndependent #NeurocognitiveBenefits #ObesityTreatment #DiabetesCare #PharmaScience #WegovyDoseDoseResponse
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DATE: September 9, 2026 at 01:48PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy May Have an Unexpected Mental Health Benefit
Source: Science Daily - Top Health
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Inflammation #MoodStability #GLP1 #PsychiatricResearch #WeightLossAndBeyond
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DATE: September 8, 2026 at 08:59AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHIATIRY FEEDTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy may have an unexpected mental health benefit
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthMatters #GLP1 #MoodStability #PsychiatricHealth #Inflammation #DiabetesAndWeightLoss
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DATE: September 8, 2026 at 08:59AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy may have an unexpected mental health benefit
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthBenefits #Glp1 #MoodStabilization #Inflammation #PsychiatricHospitalization #DiabetesAndWeightLoss
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Beyond the scale: Men turn to cosmetic clinics to complete weight-loss transformation https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/07/world/science-health/men-cosmetic-clinics-weight-loss/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #sciencehealth #glp1 #health #pharmaceuticals #plasticsurgery
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DATE: September 5, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Semaglutide might reduce how much people with alcohol use disorder drink when they do drink
An experimental study of individuals with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder found that semaglutide did not reduce a primary laboratory measure of alcohol craving or drinks per day compared to placebo. However, it significantly reduced the number of heavy drinking days, the number of drinks consumed on drinking days, naturalistic cravings, and alcohol-related negative consequences. The World Health Organization risk drinking level was reduced as well. The paper was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Semaglutide is a medication that mimics the action of a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1. It was originally developed to help control blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes.
Semaglutide stimulates insulin release when blood glucose is elevated, reduces glucagon secretion, and slows the rate at which food leaves the stomach. It acts on brain systems involved in appetite, helping people feel full sooner and reducing hunger and food intake. Because of these effects, semaglutide is now also used for long-term weight management in people who meet specific medical criteria.
Depending on the formulation and indication, it may be given as a once-weekly injection or taken as a daily tablet. Treatment usually begins with a low dose that is gradually increased. The goal of this is to reduce gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Semaglutide is generally used alongside dietary, physical-activity, and other lifestyle measures rather than as a replacement for them.
Study author Joseph P. Schacht and his colleagues conducted a study in which they evaluated the safety and initial efficacy of oral semaglutide for treating individuals with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorder is a medical condition characterized by a persistent pattern of alcohol use that becomes difficult to control and causes significant problems in a person’s health, relationships, work, or daily functioning.
Study authors hypothesized that semaglutide would reduce cue-elicited alcohol cravings and alcohol consumption. Cue-elicited alcohol cravings are cravings for alcohol elicited by things that a person associates with alcohol drinking (e.g. seeing or holding an alcoholic beverage, tasting alcohol, being in a place where they usually consume alcohol).
Study participants were 50 individuals with moderate or severe alcohol use disorder who were seeking treatment. All were 21 years old or older and had a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher, meaning they were overweight or obese. Men were consuming 28 drinks per week or more, while it was 21 drinks or more for women.
Study participants were randomly assigned to either receive semaglutide for 8 weeks (3 mg/day for 4 weeks, then 7 mg/day for 4 weeks) or a placebo for the same period. The placebo was a capsule that looked just like the semaglutide capsule and was packaged in identical blister packs. Participants did not know whether they were taking semaglutide or the placebo, and this was unknown to the study personnel working with them as well.
Study authors tracked participants’ medication adherence and assessed their reactivity to alcohol cues. Participants rated their alcohol cravings on a single-item rating scale and by completing a multi-item questionnaire called the Alcohol Craving Questionnaire Short Form. Before screening for participation, between screening and being assigned to a group, and throughout the treatment, participants reported their alcohol and cannabis use. Study authors derived the numbers of drinks per calendar day and heavy drinking days per week from this data.
At the start of the study and at the end of treatment, participants completed magnetic resonance imaging of their brains while completing an alcohol cue reactivity task, allowing study authors to measure how much their brain reacts to alcohol cues. The results of these brain scans were not part of this report and will be published in a future paper. Study authors also collected or derived a number of other measures of participants’ drinking behavior or behavior related to alcohol.
Results showed that the two groups did not differ significantly in how they rated their alcohol cravings on the single-item scale after week 6 of treatment. The overall number of drinks per day was also not significantly different between the two groups.
However, in the last 4 weeks, semaglutide significantly reduced the number of heavy drinking days. Participants receiving semaglutide also had significantly lower scores on the multi-item alcohol craving questionnaire at week 6, as well as lower naturalistic cravings in their daily lives. In the last 4 weeks, participants who received semaglutide had fewer drinks per drinking day, but not fewer drinking days. Furthermore, semaglutide significantly reduced alcohol-related negative consequences and reduced the number of days participants used cannabis, among those who were cannabis users at the start of the study.
“In summary, among treatment-seeking individuals with AUD [alcohol use disorder], oral semaglutide significantly reduced alcohol consumption, naturalistic alcohol craving, alcohol-related problems, and cannabis use. Effects on alcohol consumption were of greater magnitude than extant AUD pharmacotherapies,” study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the effects of semaglutide on treating alcohol use disorder. However, it should be noted that the treatment only lasted 8 weeks, whereas semaglutide is typically used over much longer periods and often continuously for other medical indications. Further studies should therefore examine whether the observed effects persist, increase, or change during longer-term treatment.
The paper, “Oral Semaglutide for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” was authored by Joseph P. Schacht, Joseph T. Sakai, Kristen Raymond, and Robert Shelton.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Semaglutide #AlcoholUseDisorder #AUD #AlcoholCraving #HeavyDrinking #CannabisUse #AmericanJournalOfPsychiatry #GLP1 #OralSemaglutide #AlcoholTreatment
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💉 GLP-1 RA weight-loss drugs can help manage sleep apnoea when the condition is caused by obesity, according to an international review
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/can-going-on-a-glp-1-help-you-with-your-sleep-apnoea#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #apnoea #apnea #GLP1 #ozempic #mounjaro #semaglutide #tirzepatide #zepbound
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Hey #glp1 injection people, has anyone gained a food/drink like they didn't enjoy before starting the injection? I was already a pretty adventurous eater beforehand so I mainly subtracted the likes that I had. Asking for someone who has #Arfid who wants to go on an injection. #foodaversions #foodgains #eating #wegovy #Ozempic #zepbound #monjauro
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Experts worry Brazil's weight-loss drug boom may have unintended consequences, as a beauty-conscious culture, limited purchasing power and weak law enforcement drive consumers toward smuggled and unapproved injections. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/09/01/brazil-weight-loss-drug-black-market/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #brazil #health #glp1 #pharmaceuticals #drugmakers
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Drugmakers found a promising cure for the obesity epidemic and their stocks were rewarded for it. Now, investors are salivating over a new crop of companies tackling a more purely aesthetic problem: baldness. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/08/31/markets/glp-1-stocks-baldness-drugs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #glp1 #pharmaceuticals #wallstreet #drugmakers
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Surprising diet that beats Mediterranean and low-fat diets for liver, metabolism https://www.diningandcooking.com/restaurants/17811/ #diets #Glp1 #Health #MexicanRestaurant #MexicanRestaurants #WeightLoss #wellness
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Surprising diet that beats Mediterranean and low-fat diets for liver, metabolism https://www.diningandcooking.com/2791712/surprising-diet-that-beats-mediterranean-and-low-fat-diets-for-liver-metabolism/ #diets #Glp1 #health #Mediterranean #MediterraneanDiet #WeightLoss #wellness