The short answer: The best evidence says no. In January 2026, the FDA said a full review found no increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior with GLP-1 drugs, and it asked for the warning to come off the Wegovy, Zepbound, and Saxenda labels. European regulators reached the same view in April 2024. Depression can still happen to anyone, so new or worse mood changes on these drugs should be reported to a clinician.

What did the FDA conclude about GLP-1 drugs and suicidal thoughts?

The question came up in mid-2023. The FDA began looking into it in July 2023, after it received postmarketing reports of suicidal thoughts and actions in people taking GLP-1 drugs.

In January 2024, the agency shared a preliminary evaluation. It had reviewed reports in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). It said the reports were often limited and could be influenced by other factors, so they "did not demonstrate a clear relationship" with the drugs. Clinical trials and observational studies also showed no link.

The FDA did not close the case then. Few suicidal events happened in either the drug or the control groups, so it said it could not "definitively rule out that a small risk may exist." It planned two more analyses.

Those results came out on January 13, 2026. In a Drug Safety Communication, the FDA reported:

  • A meta-analysis of 91 placebo-controlled trials with 107,910 patients (60,338 on a GLP-1 drug, 47,572 on placebo). It showed no increased risk of suicidal ideation or behavior. It also showed no increased risk of anxiety, depression, irritability, or psychosis.
  • A claims-data study in the FDA Sentinel System of 2,243,138 people with type 2 diabetes. It compared new users of GLP-1 drugs with new users of SGLT2 inhibitors from 2015 to 2023. After adjusting for baseline differences, there was no increased risk of intentional self-harm.

The FDA also reviewed published studies. It concluded that, taken together, they "do not support a causal relationship" between GLP-1 drugs and suicidal thoughts or behavior.

What did European regulators find?

The European Medicines Agency ran its own review, also starting in July 2023. It was prompted by case reports with liraglutide and semaglutide.

In April 2024, the agency's safety committee (PRAC) concluded that the evidence "does not support a causal association" between suicidal or self-injurious thoughts and actions and dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, lixisenatide, or semaglutide. It looked at non-clinical studies, clinical trials, postmarketing reports, and health-record studies. It decided that no change to the product information was needed. The drug makers still must track and report new evidence.

What do the US labels say now?

When the FDA first approved Wegovy, Zepbound, and Saxenda for weight loss, each label carried a "Suicidal Behavior and Ideation" warning. The FDA says this was not based on GLP-1 data. It came from reports with a range of older weight-loss drugs, and similar text appears on other weight-loss medicines.

That warning is now gone from the two most-used weight-loss labels. The current Wegovy label (revised June 2026) lists "Suicidal Behavior and Ideation" as "Removed" in February 2026. The current Zepbound label (revised August 2026) shows the same removal in February 2026.

Diabetes versions never had it. The FDA notes that GLP-1 labels for type 2 diabetes did not include this warning. The current Ozempic label contains no suicidality warning. The FDA said its 2026 request would bring all GLP-1 labels into line. For a wider look at the risks that do appear on these labels, see our GLP-1 side effects guide.

What do large real-world studies show?

Several large studies point the same way. Each has limits, since none is a randomized trial.

  • Nature Medicine, 2024. A US health-record study matched 240,618 people with overweight or obesity. It compared semaglutide with other weight-loss drugs over 6 months. Semaglutide was linked to a lower risk of new suicidal ideation (hazard ratio 0.27) and of recurrent suicidal ideation (hazard ratio 0.44). The pattern repeated in 1,589,855 people with type 2 diabetes.
  • BMJ, 2025. A UK cohort study of people with type 2 diabetes compared GLP-1 drugs with DPP-4 inhibitors and with SGLT2 inhibitors. Before adjustment, GLP-1 users looked riskier (hazard ratios 2.08 and 1.60). After the authors accounted for differences between the groups, the risk was null (hazard ratios 1.02 and 0.91).

The BMJ result is a useful lesson. People who start GLP-1 drugs can differ from other patients in ways that also affect mental health. Raw comparisons can make a drug look harmful when the patient mix is the real cause.

Why do reports of mood problems still appear?

Individual reports are real, but they cannot prove cause. A 2024 JAMA Network Open analysis of the World Health Organization's global database of suspected drug reactions found a reporting "signal" for suicidal ideation with semaglutide. It found no such signal for liraglutide. The authors called for urgent clarification.

This type of study counts how often a problem is reported for one drug compared with others. It cannot tell how many users had the problem, or whether the drug caused it. News coverage can also drive more reports. The later FDA meta-analysis and cohort data were built to answer the causal question, and they found no increased risk.

There are also good reasons for mood problems to show up in this group. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are both linked with depression. Stomach side effects, big changes in eating habits, and stopping the drug can all affect how people feel. If you plan to stop, see what happens when you stop taking GLP-1 drugs.

Who should watch their mood closely, and what should they do?

The removal of the warning does not mean mood does not matter. The FDA still gives patients the same advice in both its 2024 and 2026 notices.

  • Tell your health care professional if you have new or worsening depression, suicidal thoughts, or any unusual change in mood or behavior.
  • Do not stop a GLP-1 drug on your own. The FDA warns that stopping may worsen the condition it treats. Talk to your prescriber first.
  • If you are in distress, call or text 988, or visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It is free and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

People with a history of depression, past suicidal thoughts, or other mental health conditions should tell their prescriber before starting. It is a reasonable step to agree on how mood will be checked during dose increases. The FDA tells clinicians to refer anyone who reports suicidal thoughts or behavior to a mental health professional. For more on depression itself, visit depression.md. Our guide to who should not take GLP-1 drugs covers the true contraindications.

The bottom line

The FDA and the European Medicines Agency both looked hard at this question. Neither found that GLP-1 drugs cause depression or suicidal thoughts. In 2026, the FDA asked for the old warning to be removed, and the Wegovy and Zepbound labels now show it as removed. Large cohort studies agree. Still, any new or worse low mood deserves a call to your clinician, and 988 is there in a crisis.

Last updated: September 2026. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room.