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GLP-1 drugs and suicidal thoughts: what the FDA and labels say now

Updated Sep 27, 2026. Numbers in brackets link to the source each fact comes from.

In January 2026 the FDA asked the makers of Wegovy, Zepbound and Saxenda to remove the suicidal-thoughts warning from their labels, after its own review found no increased risk [1]. Regulators in Europe and the UK reached the same conclusion in 2024 for semaglutide and several other GLP-1 medicines. None of the current labels names antidepressants as a drug to avoid.

If you are having thoughts of suicide right now, call or text 988, the free crisis line the FDA points to, which answers at any hour [4].

Why the warning was there in the first place

When Wegovy and Zepbound were first approved for weight loss, their labels carried a caution about suicidal behavior and ideation. The FDA says similar wording appears on other weight-loss medicines and rests on reports seen with a variety of older drugs used or studied for weight loss [20]. GLP-1 labels for type 2 diabetes, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, do not carry it [5].

What the FDA found

The review ran in two steps.

  • January 2024, preliminary. After looking at adverse-event reports, clinical trials and observational studies, the FDA said it had found no evidence that these medicines cause suicidal thoughts or actions [9]. It also said the trials had so few such events that a small risk could not be ruled out, so it kept looking [10].
  • January 2026, final. The FDA pooled 91 placebo-controlled trials with 107,910 patients and found no increased risk of suicidal ideation or behavior, and none for anxiety, depression, irritability or psychosis either [2]. A separate study of more than 2.2 million people with type 2 diabetes in the FDA’s Sentinel claims data found no higher rate of intentional self-harm on a GLP-1 than on an SGLT2 inhibitor, another diabetes drug class [3].

Both labels now record the change. The Wegovy label lists its suicidal behavior section as removed in February 2026, and the Zepbound label shows the same removal [7] [8].

What Europe and the UK concluded

Regulator Medicines reviewed Conclusion
European Medicines Agency safety committee (PRAC), April 2024 Dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, lixisenatide, semaglutide Evidence does not support a causal link [11]; no change to product information [12]
UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), 2024 Exenatide, lixisenatide, liraglutide, dulaglutide, semaglutide [14] Data do not support a causal link with suicide, suicidal thoughts, self-injury or depression [13]

The UK review began in July 2023, after reports of suicidal thoughts and self-harm in people taking these medicines [14]. Tirzepatide, the ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro, is not on either the EU or the UK list, so those two reviews say nothing about it [11] [14]. For tirzepatide, the FDA review above is the regulator’s word.

Taking an SSRI or other antidepressant with a GLP-1

The Wegovy, Zepbound and Foundayo labels do not name SSRIs or any other antidepressant in their drug-interaction sections. What they do say applies to pills in general:

  • Slower stomach emptying. Wegovy may change how well other oral medicines are absorbed, and its label suggests closer monitoring for pills with a narrow therapeutic range or that already need monitoring [15]. The Zepbound label gives the same advice and names warfarin as an example [17].
  • Timing with Wegovy tablets. After a Wegovy tablet, the label says to wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other pills [16].
  • Foundayo dose changes. The Foundayo label says some other medicines can require a change in the Foundayo dose [18]. Give the prescriber your full medication list, antidepressants included.

These sections do not say that an SSRI makes a GLP-1 unsafe, and they do not say that a GLP-1 changes how well an SSRI works. That silence is not a finding either way. It means the question is one for the prescriber who knows both medicines.

If your mood changes while you are on one

The FDA’s January 2026 notice still tells patients to report new or worsening depression, suicidal thoughts or unusual changes in mood or behavior to their health care professional [4]. It tells clinicians to refer anyone who discloses suicidal thoughts to mental health professionals for evaluation [6]. It also tells patients to keep taking their medication as prescribed and to bring concerns to their clinician [19].

In practice: tell the clinician who prescribes your GLP-1 that you take an antidepressant, and tell whoever prescribes your antidepressant that you are starting a GLP-1. Do not stop or change either medicine without talking to them.

Sources

  1. FDA is requesting that drug application holders remove information regarding the risk of suicidal ideation and behavior (SI/B) from the labeling of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medications that currently include such language. The affected products are Saxenda (liraglutide), Wegovy (semaglutide), and Zepbound (tirzepatide). fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  2. There were 91 placebo-controlled GLP-1 RA medication trials in the meta-analysis that included 107,910 patients (60,338 treated with a GLP-1 RA and 47,572 treated with placebo). The results did not show an increased risk for SI/B or for other relevant psychiatric adverse events such as anxiety, depression, irritability, or psychosis. fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  3. The study population included 2,243,138 users (1,161,983 initiated on a GLP-1 RA and 1,081,155 initiated on a SGLT2i) from 10 data partners during the period between October 1, 2015, and September 20, 2023. After controlling for baseline confounders in the study, FDA did not find an increased risk of intentional self-harm in GLP-1 RA users compared to SGLT2i users. fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  4. Tell your health care professional if you experience new or worsening depression, suicidal thoughts, or any unusual changes in mood or behavior. Call or text 988 or go to the website at https://988lifeline.org/ , which provides free support for people in distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  5. Labeling for GLP-1 RA medications that are approved to improve glycemic (blood sugar) control or other complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus does not currently include information on the risk of SI/B. fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  6. If individuals disclose that they are experiencing SI/B, refer them to mental health professionals for evaluation. fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  7. Suicidal Behavior and Ideation (5.10)………..…….(Removed) 02/2026 dailymed.nlm.nih.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  8. Suicidal Behavior and Ideation (Removed) 02/2026 dailymed.nlm.nih.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  9. Our preliminary evaluation has not found evidence that use of these medicines causes suicidal thoughts or actions. fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  10. However, because of the small number of suicidal thoughts or actions observed in both people using GLP-1 RAs and in the comparative control groups, we cannot definitively rule out that a small risk may exist; therefore, FDA is continuing to look into this issue. fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  11. The PRAC has concluded that the available evidence does not support a causal association between the Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) – dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, lixisenatide and semaglutide – and suicidal and self-injurious thoughts and actions. ema.europa.eu, read Sep 27, 2026.
  12. After reviewing the available evidence from non-clinical studies, clinical trials, post-marketing surveillance data and the available studies the PRAC considers that no update to the product information is warranted. ema.europa.eu, read Sep 27, 2026.
  13. We conclude that the available data does not support a causal association between GLP-1 receptor agonists and suicide, suicidal ideation, self-injury and depression, and therefore no updates to the product information is warranted at this time. gov.uk, read Sep 27, 2026.
  14. In July 2023, a new potential safety risk was identified associated with the GLP-1 receptor agonists exenatide, lixisenatide, liraglutide, dulaglutide and semaglutide, and the risk of suicidal thoughts and self-harm following an initial review of post-marketing reports. gov.uk, read Sep 27, 2026.
  15. WEGOVY delays gastric emptying. May impact absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications. Consider increased clinical or laboratory monitoring when used concomitantly with other oral medications that have a narrow therapeutic index or that require clinical monitoring. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  16. After taking a WEGOVY tablet, wait at least 30 minutes before eating food, drinking beverages or taking other oral medications dailymed.nlm.nih.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  17. Monitor patients on oral medications dependent on threshold concentrations for efficacy and those with a narrow therapeutic index (e.g., warfarin) when concomitantly administered with ZEPBOUND. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  18. FOUNDAYO dosage modification may be required to manage interactions with some concomitant medications dailymed.nlm.nih.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  19. Patients should continue taking their medication as prescribed and discuss any concerns with their health care professionals. fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.
  20. Similar information about SI/B is also included in the labeling of other types of weight loss medicines and is based on reports of such events observed with a variety of older medicines used or studied for weight loss. fda.gov, read Sep 27, 2026.

This page reports what official sources say; it is not medical advice. Medical disclaimer.