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Impact of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Suicide Behavior: A Meta-Analysis Based on Randomized Controlled Trials.

J Diabetes · 2025

Last updated 2026-05-28

A review of 25 clinical trials found no significant difference in suicidal behavior between people taking GLP-1 drugs and those not taking them (risk ratio 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.54–1.32). The same lack of difference held for suicidal thoughts, attempts, depression-related suicides, and completed suicides, and across different drugs like dulaglutide, semaglutide, and liraglutide.

AI summary of the abstract below.

JournalJ Diabetes, 2025
Citations6
Relative citation ratio2.33
Molecules
Conditions studied Depression, Anxiety

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis aims to assess the association between exposure to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and the incidence of suicidal behavior in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)/obesity. METHODS: A comprehensive search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov, was conducted from the inception of the databases. The risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included data from 25 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The results indicated no significant difference in the incidence of suicidal behavior between the GLP-1 RA exposure group and the control group (RR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.54-1.32, p = 0.46, I = 0%). Subgroup analysis showed no significant differences in the incidence of suicidal behavior among participants with T2DM (RR = 0.74), obesity (RR = 1.07), adolescents (RR = 0.91), and adults (RR = 0.84). Additionally, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in any type of suicidal behavior, including suicidal ideation (RR = 1.04), suicide attempts (RR = 0.68), depression-related suicides (RR = 0.65), and completed suicides (RR = 1.06). There were also no significant differences between the groups for any type of GLP-1 RA, including dulaglutide (RR = 0.46), exenatide (RR = 0.98), semaglutide (RR = 0.82), lixisenatide (RR = 1.25), and liraglutide (RR = 0.92). No significant differences were observed between the exposure group and control group according to different comparators, including placebo (RR = 0.91) and others (RR = 1.08). All subgroup analyses showed p-values greater than 0.05 (two-sided tests) and I values of 0%. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that there is no significant association between GLP-1 RA exposure and suicidal behaviors in patients with T2DM or obesity.

Verbatim abstract via PubMed 40887719 ↗