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GLP-1 receptor agonists increase the likelihood of prescribing antidepressants
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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People taking glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonists have a higher risk of subsequent antidepressant prescriptions, according to a study published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism.
Oswaldo P. Almeida, PhD, of the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle, Australia, and colleagues assessed whether prescribing GLP-1 receptor agonists is associated with increased antidepressant prescribing. The analysis included a 10% random sample of data from the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from 2012 to 2022.
The researchers found that 358,075 of the 1.7 million people were prescribed antidepressants, and 8,495 of the 24,783 people prescribed a GLP-1 receptor agonist were also prescribed antidepressants in 2022 (odds ratio, 1.44).
Among the 24,103 people prescribed a GLP-1 receptor agonist between 2012 and 2021, 8,083 were prescribed an antidepressant in 2022 (odds ratio, 1.52). Among the 1.2 million people not prescribed an antidepressant in 2012, there was an increased risk of being prescribed an antidepressant between 2013 and 2022 after being prescribed a GLP-1 receptor agonist (hazard ratio, 1.19).
“Individuals exposed to GLP-1 receptor agonists have a higher risk of being prescribed antidepressants,” the authors write. “The possible impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on consumers’ mood requires ongoing monitoring and further research.”