Diabetes drugs may help with anxiety, depression: Study
A new study suggests that some diabetes medications, specifically GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide and liraglutide, might help keep anxiety and depression from getting worse.
Researchers tracked almost 95,000 people with these mental health conditions and found those on semaglutide had up to a 44% lower risk of their symptoms worsening.
Semaglutide showed strongest results
Semaglutide stood out with the strongest results: It was linked to a 42% drop in overall risk for worsening anxiety or depression, and liraglutide also showed some benefit.
Not all similar drugs had this effect, though: exenatide and dulaglutide didn't make much difference.
Potential game-changer for patients
With type 2 diabetes affecting more than 800 million people globally, and raising the chances of depression, these findings could be a big deal for people managing both physical and mental health.
Still, experts stress more research is needed before anyone should use these medications just for mental health reasons.
As Dr. Markku Lahteenvuo put it, GLP-1RAs have shown promise across different brain disorders, but they're not a magic fix yet.